1973 — Page 57

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

I might add that I have recently been informed that it is proposed to have also a separate art gallery in this complex.

MR. MACKENZIE (In English):-May I thank Mr. BERNACCHI for the full reply. Might I ask, Sir, might it not be reasonable perhaps to institute a system of periodic valuation of the collection, even if this is only restricted to the major items?

MR. BERNACCHI (In English):-I will, Sir, refer this suggestion to the Museum & Art Gallery Select Committee.

MR. MACKENZIE (In English):-May I also enquire, Sir, whether I might purchase any of the published catalogues at any of the book- stores or the Government stationery centre, or are they only available, in fact, to interested members of the public?

MR. BERNACCHI (In English):-Current catalogues, of course, are available. But catalogues that have been published in the past and are not regarded as being currently available are not available. (Laughter). I have here catalogues that are still available: Hang Tomb in Lei Cheng Uk, Hong Kong A Hundred Years' Ago, Art in Hong Kong, which really is a publication of Hong Kong artists, a number of our Hong Kong artists that do display generally in the museum and gallery and the catalogue is divided into certain sections, Art in Hong Kong-Painting No. 1, Art in Hong Kong-Prints and Sculpture, etc.

CHAIRMAN (In English):-Mr. MACKENZIE might like to know that at the time these publications were issued, copies were made im- mediately available to Members of the Council. Mr. MACKENZIE, any more supplementaries? Next, Mr. FORSGATE, Miss YEUNG, Mr. T. S. Lo, in that order.

MR. FORSGATE (In English):-Mr. Chairman, as the reply says, the Council is purchasing the whole time; may I ask how much is it intended to purchase this year?

CHAIRMAN (In English):-There is a vote, Mr. FoRSGATE.

MR. BERNACCHI (In English):-There is a vote as the Chairman has just said and we hope to purchase up to that vote, although caution has to be exercised in not purchasing just for the sake of purchasing.

MR. FORSGATE (In English):-Is that not in rather a modest amount, Mr. Chairman?

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MR. BERNACCHI (In English):-Not if you consider it not over one year but over ten years, no eleven years, that the City Hall has been in existence and the vote has been largely taken up every year so that you now have, in effect, eleven times the vote for any one year.

CHAIRMAN (In English):-I might clarify that the actual vote for sculptures alone is $200,000. As members of the Committee are aware there have, in the past, been revotes because the vote was not spent largely. Miss YEUNG has wanted the floor for sometime.

MISS YEUNG (In Cantonese):—Mr. MACKENZIE asked the question about the estimated value. Can the price and the year be listed on every item so that when people go to visit the City Hall they can know which year the article was purchased and at what price, could this be done?

MR. BERNACCHI (In English):-It could be done, but I doubt the advisability. For what reason, who would want to know what year the article was purchased in and, of course, the price. Is it to be the price that it was purchased for or the value today which, as I have said already, is constantly, at present at any rate, increasing?

MR. T. S. Lo (In English):-I am rather surprised, Mr. Chairman, with the answer given by Mr. BERNACCHI that we have not got a value of the collection because as I gather the whole collection is insured and I wonder what value is given to insurance companies.

CHAIRMAN (In English):-Reference to insurance cover also skates on thin ice over Standing Orders, Mr. Lo. Nevertheless, the position on insurance will be explained by the Chairman of the Finance Select Committee in order to enlighten Council on this matter.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN (In English): --Mr. Chairman, there is a policy covering items which are put on display. As regards the items which are owned by the Urban Council, they are covered under the Govern- ment's overall coverage and the question of what the insurance value is does not really come into the picture. However, it is an interesting point which Mr. T. S. Lo has raised and I think it is worth considering further by both the Museum & Art Gallery Select Committee and the Finance Select Committee.

MISS YEUNG (In Cantonese):-I want to supplement that it is reasonable for people visiting the exhibition to know the price to give him the reason why the article is so valuable and to know the purchased value.