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for the permit fee, or the licence fee, or the lease fee. Can this be studied, or can just we write a letter to the Crown Lands or Social Office or the Colonial Secretariat, and if they say "Yes", well, that is good, and if they say "No", well, we have tried.
CHAIRMAN (in English): Thank you very much. I am sure we will study that suggestion, but I thought you were much bolder than that. (Laughter). I thought you wanted to suggest that the Urban Council should go into the New Territories, and I would have supported you wholeheartedly there. Now may we proceed to the next question?
(2) Miss Ko SIU-WAH asked the following question (in English):
(a) I understand that for 1974-75 the proposed aims of the City Hall Select Committee should be expanded to ensure that a more positive role is taken by the Council in the promotion of cultural activities at the City Hall, by encouraging and assisting young artists making their debut appearances, and to increase the accessibility of the performing arts to the public. May I therefore ask if the Urban Council intends to contribute to the forthcoming Arts Festival? If so, what are the proposed plans?
(b) May members be informed also as to the general plans for implementing these expanded aims of the City Hall Select Committee?
MR. LO TAK-SHING, CHAIRMAN OF THE CITY HALL SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):
Mr. Chairman, the first part of Miss Ko's question concerns the contribution of the Council to the 1974 Hong Kong Arts Festival.
The great majority of the functions for the 1974 Hong Kong Arts Festival will take place at the City Hall, and the organizers have booked the City Hall Concert Hall and Theatre from 4th February to 2nd March, next year. This month-long booking was accepted by the City Hall Select Committee as a special case in view of the significance of the Arts Festival to the Hong Kong community. Without such facilities, I dare say the Arts Festival would find it very difficult to take place in Hong Kong. The provision of the necessary facilities is therefore, I think,
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the most important contribution the Council has made to the Arts Festival.
The total hire charges payable by the Society amount to $37,650. The market rate for these bookings would amount to approximately $270,000. In other words, the Council is subsidizing the Festival to the extent of approximately $230,000.
Apart from the subsidy in terms of low rental, the Council's staff at the City Hall will render professional assistance to the Society as far as possible in the many onerous, behind-the-scenes work involved in the presentation of concerts and plays. This is another, not insignificant, contribution by the Council to the Festival.
As to the programme of the Festival, the Council is contributing 3 performances of Chinese orchestral works by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. The Orchestra will give its first professional season in 1974 under the Council's sponsorship, and its appearance in the Arts Festival, side by side with orchestras of international fame such as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, will give a truly local flavour to the Festival. In addition, the Council will present a number of Chinese programmes to complement the Arts Festival, including four Chinese instrumental concerts and four performances of Peking and Cantonese opera just before and after the Festival.
I understand from the Chairman of the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee that it will organize four exhibitions, all with local or regional interest, as the Council's contribution to the 1974 Arts Festival, including "A Century of Chinese paintings", graphic prints by contemporary Chinese artists, Chinese puppets and recent archaeological finds in Hong Kong.
The second part of Miss Ko's question concerns plans for implementing the expanded aims of the City Hall Select Committee in 1974-75.
The Committee has recommended the provision of substantial additional resources for the promotion of public cultural activities in the Council's 1974-75 Estimates. Additional staff will provide more professional assistance to local organizations
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for the permit fee, or the licence fee, or the lease fee. Can this be studied, or can just we write a letter to the Crown Lands or Social Office or the Colonial Secretariat, and if they say "Yes", well, that is good, and if they say "No", well, we have tried.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Thank you very much. I am sure we will study that suggestion, but I thought you were much bolder than that. (Laughter). I thought you wanted to suggest that the Urban Council should go into the New Territories, and I would have supported you wholeheartedly there. Now may we proceed to the next question?
(2) Miss Ko SIU-WAH asked the following question (in English):·
(a) I understand that for 1974-75 the proposed aims of the City Hall Select Committee should be expanded to ensure that a more positive role is taken by the Council in the promotion of cultural activities at the City Hall, by en- couraging and assisting young artists making their debut appearances, and to increase the accessibility of the per- forming arts to the public. May I therefore ask if the Urban Council intends to contribute to the forthcoming Arts Festival? If so, what are the proposed plans?
(b) May members be informed also as to the general plans for implementing these expanded aims of the City Hall Select Committee?
MR. LO TAK-SHING, CHAIRMAN OF THE CITY HALL SELET COM- MITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-
Mr. Chairman, the first part of Miss Ko's question concerns the contribution of the Council to the 1974 Hong Kong Arts Festival.
The great majority of the functions for the 1974 Hong Kong Arts Festival will take place at the City Hall, and the organizers have booked the City Hall Concert Hall and Theatre from 4th February to 2nd March, next year. This month-long booking was accepted by the City Hall Select Committee as a special case in view of the signific- ance of the Arts Festival to the Hong Kong community. Without such facilities, I dare say the Arts Festival would find it very difficult to take place in Hong Kong. The provision of the necessary facilities is therefore, I think,
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
157
the most important contribution the Council has made to the Arts Festival.
The total hire charges payable by the Society amount to $37,650. The market rate for these bookings would amount to approximately $270,000. In other words, the Council is subsidizing the Festival to the extent of approximately $230,000.
Apart from the subsidy in terms of low rental, the Council's staff at the City Hall will render professional assistance to the Society as far as possible in the many onerous, behind-the-scenes work involved in the presentation of concerts and plays. This is another, not insignificant, contribution by the Council to the Festival.
As to the programme of the Festival, the Council is contribut- ing 3 performances of Chinese orchestral works by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. The Orchestra will give its first professional season in 1974 under the Council's sponsorship, and its appearance in the Arts Festival, side by side with orchestras of international fame such as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, will give a truly local flavour to the Festival. In addition, the Council will present a number of Chinese programmes to complement the Arts Festival, including four Chinese instrumental concerts and four performances of Peking and Cantonese opera just before and after the Festival.
I understand from the Chairman of the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee that it will organize four ex- hibitions, all with local or regional interest, as the Council's contribution to the 1974 Arts Festival, includ- ing "A Century of Chinese paintings", graphic prints by contemporary Chinese artists, Chinese puppets and recent archaeological finds in Hong Kong.
recom-
The second part of Miss Ko's question concerns plans for implementing the expanded aims of the City Hall Select
The Committee has Committee in 1974-75. mended the provision of substantial additional resources for the promotion of public cultural activities in the Council's 1974-75 Estimates. Additional staff will pro- vide more professional assistance to local organizations
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