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taking all the factors into account, exhaustive deliberations are in- volved inevitably taking time. To set the public record straight re- garding the history of this project, let me review the various stages in its development.

This project has been taking shape since 1966 (not 10 years ago as Mr. BERNACCHI claimed) when Government received, in the form of a comprehensive report, the Urban Council's recommendation on the development of Museum and Art Gallery Services, including the pro- vision of a permanent museum for Hong Kong.

In the same year, Government having recognized the need for a proper museum and being prepared to consider proposals for a local museum and art gallery, offered the New Rodney Block in Queensway as the possible home for the local museum and art gallery when the building became available. Council's eventual proposals for the pro- posed conversion of the building-submitted in 1968 after exhaustive and detailed consideration-would have cost more than the original construction of the building itself and were therefore unacceptable to Government. In January 1969, the Council having reviewed its pro- posals advised Government that, in view of the high capital cost for appropriate conversion of the New Rodney Block that would be neces- sary, its location (which would be less convenient than desirable, partic- ularly for Kowloon residents) and its inherent structural unsuitability for museum and art gallery use, Members considered an entirely new museum building would be preferable.

Since then, the Public Works Department has investigated the possible lateral extension of the City Hall High Block to provide the space needed for an expanded museum and art gallery. This sugges~ tion, and other proposals which emerged during discussion, e.g. to extend the High Block northward, to construct a 4-storey building at the northwest corner of the City Hall, to erect a 7-storey building at the northwest corner of the City Hall, have all been considered by the Committee concerned at a series of meetings held in October and November 1969. The Council, having very firmly rejected the idea of lateral extension of the High Block as totally unsuitable for museum premises, eventually recommended to Government in December 1969 that an independent 7-storey block be built for museum and art gallery purposes at the northwest corner of the City Hall Memorial Garden, using this site not because they considered it the best one but because they considered that they had little hope of securing a better one. I should add that the suggestion for using this site emerged during Urban Council Committee discussion and it is quite wrong therefore for the Public Works Department to be pilloried for the idea. That Department were merely trying to help meet the Urban Services De- partment and Council's wishes. In October of this year, the proposal

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to build premises for the museum and art gallery in the City Hall area was supported by the Building Priorities Committee for inclusion in Category C of the Public Works Programme.

More recently, however, feasibility plans in respect of a 7-storey block were referred to the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee for consideration. It should perhaps be stressed again that these are simple feasibility studies only. It now appears that there are doubts in this Council, and possibly among some sections of the public, on functional and aesthetic grounds, about providing for museum purposes a new 7-storey building at the City Hall.

And, of course, it must not be forgotten in connection with the suggestion that this museum be sited on the Hong Kong Cricket Club ground that in December 1968 at a joint meeting of the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee and the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee, it was agreed that the cricket ground when it was vacated should be reserved as "open space"-it being further agreed that de- velopment of the site should be of a horticultural nature: and this decision was endorsed by reference to the Standing Committee.

The matter is of such significance that the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee wish to have it fully considered again at the Standing Committee of the Whole Council and this will be done at an early Committee meeting. Government is therefore at this stage still awaiting the views of the Council.

I have gone into this matter at some length both to clarify a situation which is tending to become clouded, and also to counter allegations that delays in progress on projects arise solely because civil servants are negligent or dilatory. The Urban Council itself has been directly involved in the deliberations on the project and Members must all be well aware that such delays in the provision of a new museum building have arisen as much from the necessity for them to give (quite rightly) very full consideration to the various feasible alterna- tives as to any other cause. It is important that decisions should be the best ones possible taking all factors into account and to avoid vain regrets after the concrete has been poured and set.

I share the satisfaction of Members in the evident success of the Council's programme of concerts presented at the City Hall which continue to be extremely well attended by large audiences of whom the greater proportion is made up of students and young people.

Mr. SALES can be assured that the Urban Council's recommenda- tion of the grant of a block vote for public cultural activities has been included in the Department's Draft Estimate submission for 1971-72.

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