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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
this door to do a rendition of 'Pun Ti Lung Chow'. (Laughter). But let us get on quickly with the next question before he does so. (Laughter).
7 DR KIM Y. S. CHAM asked the following question (in English):
(a) What is the progress of the Planetarium in terms of construction and programme preparation?
(b) When is the anticipated opening date?
(c) What is the expected level of admission fees, if any?
THE HONOURABLE F. K. HU, CHAIRMAN OF THE CULTURE AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English): -The Hong Kong Space Museum, previously referred to as the planetarium, is expected to open in May 1980.
The superstructure of the Space Museum at Tsim Sha Tsui is nearing completion. Installation of the projection dome is expected to begin this month and this will be followed by the installation of the star projector, the special effects projection system, the sound system and the computerized control equipment.
Programmes are being actively prepared. Outlines of scripts for public and school programmes have been written and production of the programmes will be completed in time for the opening of the Space Museum in May next year. The rate of admission fees has not yet been fixed but it is expected to be similar to that to cinema shows, with special concessionary fees for students and children.
DR CHAM (in English):-Mr Chairman, in view of the advanced stage of the Space Museum opening in May next year, are there any plans to step up publicity so as to arouse public interest in the subject of astronomy?
MR HU (in English):-Mr Chairman, the Council has regularly organized talks and lectures on astronomy and also organized courses along those lines.
DR CHAM (in English):-Mr Chairman, I can well appreciate that the precise rates of admission fee have not been fixed and I notice that they would be expected to be similar to those of cinema shows and I wonder if any specific level of fees can be cited for reference purpose?
MR HU (in English):-The idea of fee is $8 for adult, $4 for children and $2 for students on organized school tours.
MOTION
The Chairman, Urban Council moved the following motion:—
'RESOLVED that the audited Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Statement of Revenue and Expenditure of the Urban Council for the year ended 31 March 1979 be adopted.'
He said (in English):-The audit of the accounts for 1978/79 is now over and the statements are presented for formal adoption.
The auditor's report is without qualification as before. The Council is obliged to the Director of Audit for pointing out some matters which merit attention nevertheless. Appropriate remedial action is in hand where warranted. The Urban Services Department's cogent replies were accepted by the Standing Committee of the Whole Council. They are attached to the statements as a corollary to the audit notes and serve to put those comments in perspective in all fairness. Hence, they should be read together.
When the statements were ready for audit, the outturns for the year ended 31 March 1979 were examined in public at the meeting on 12 June. Consequently, no purpose is served by labouring the critical points analysed then, which should be acted upon without demur instead.
There is still the need to stress that urgent consideration should be given to the likely financial state of the city administration in the years immediately ahead. It is businesslike to take a decision soon if the Council is to keep up its progressive management with due regard to the substantial commitment of its resources, both for the operation of its many basic services and for the cost of essential development projects. This becomes all the more pressing as next year's budget is now in preparation. The adverse outcome will be accentuated even more by the five-year projections soon to be studied by the Council together. The prospect is bleak unless counteraction is taken with foresight. The years gone by may have lulled the Council into a euphoric feeling of living in the midst of plenty.
Probably, facile remedies will be prescribed as a cure-all by the selfishly motivated or the blissfully ignorant at large. True and tried they may be as palliative measures in other circumstances but the current attitude of the community is different altogether. The people expect a rising standard of public services just as they aspire rightly to a higher quality of life all the time. Consequently, no cutback will go down well. Neither is it advocated. So much was left to the new Council to do when the authorities set it up expediently at one fell swoop that there can be no retrenchment of services or halting of progress now. It is indeed a surprise that the Council has managed so well with so little in inflationary times.
It is simply a question of finding the extra revenue. The situation calls for a realistic assessment of a narrow range of possibilities and also for the political courage to take the right course for the good of the community. Virtually all anticipated rate revenue will be used up to pay the sharply higher and inexorably rising salaries and wages of a labour-intensive administration. There will be nothing of the rates left in the kitty even for office
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
this door to do a rendition of 'Pun Ti Lung Chow'. (Laughter). But let us get on quickly with the next question before he does so. (Laughter).
7 DR KIM Y. S. CHAM asked the following question (in English):
(a) What is the progress of the Planetarium in terms of construction and
programme preparation?
(b) When is the anticipated opening date?
(c) What is the expected level of admission fees, if any?
THE HONOURABLE F. K. HU, CHAIRMAN OF THE CULTURE AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English): -The Hong Kong Space Museum, previously referred to as the planetarium, is expected to open in May 1980.
The superstructure of the Space Museum at Tsim Sha Tsui is nearing completion. Installation of the projection dome is expected to begin this month and this will be followed by the installation of the star projector, the special effects projection system, the sound system and the computerized control equipment.
Programmes are being actively prepared. Outlines of scripts for public and school programmes have been written and production of the programmes will be completed in time for the opening of the Space Museum in May Next
year. The rate of admission fees has not yet been fixed but it is expected to be similar to that to cinema shows, with special concessionary fees for students and children.
DR CHAM (in English):-Mr Chairman, in view of the advanced stage of the Space Museum opening in May next year, are there any plans to step up publicity so as to arouse public interest in the subject of astronomy?
MR HU (in English):-Mr Chairman, the Council has regularly organized talks and lectures on astronomy and also organized courses along those lines.
DR CHAM (in English):-Mr Chairman, I can well appreciate that the precise rates of admission fee have not been fixed and I notice that they would be expected to be similar to those of cinema shows and I wonder if any specific level of fees can be cited for reference purpose?
MR HU (in English):-The idea of fee is $8 for adult, $4 for children and $2 for students on organized school tours.
MOTION
The Chairman, Urban Council moved the following motion:—
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 49 of 136
65
'RESOLVED that the audited Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Statement of Revenue and Expenditure of the Urban Council for the year ended 31 March 1979 be adopted.'
He said (in English):-The audit of the accounts for 1978/79 is now over and the statements are presented for formal adoption.
The auditor's report is without qualification as before. The Council is obliged to the Director of Audit for pointing out some matters which merit attention nevertheless. Appropriate remedial action is in hand where war- ranted. The Urban Services Department's cogent replies were accepted by the Standing Committee of the Whole Council. They are attached to the statements as a corollary to the audit notes and serve to put those comments in perspective in all fairness. Hence, they should be read together.
When the statements were ready for audit, the outturns for the year ended 31 March 1979 were examined in public at the meeting on 12 June. Con- sequently, no purpose is served by labouring the critical points analysed then, which should be acted upon without demur instead.
There is still the need to stress that urgent consideration should be given to the likely financial state of the city administration in the years immediately ahead. It is businesslike to take a decision soon if the Council is to keep up its progressive management with due regard to the substantial commitment of its resources, both for the operation of its many basic services and for the cost of essential development projects. This becomes all the more pressing as next year's budget is now in preparation. The adverse outcome will be accentuated even more by the five-year projections soon to be studied by the Council together. The prospect is bleak unless counteraction is taken with foresight. The years gone by may have lulled the Council into a euphoric feeling of living in the midst of plenty.
Probably, facile remedies will be prescribed as a cure-all by the selfishly motivated or the blissfully ignorant at large. True and tried they may be as palliative measures in other circumstances but the current attitude of the community is different altogether. The people expect a rising standard of public services just as they aspire rightly to a higher quality of life all the time. Consequently, no cutback will go down well. Neither is it advocated. So much was left to the new Council to do when the authorities set it up expediently at one fell swoop that there can be no retrenchment of services or halting of progress now. It is indeed a surprise that the Council has managed so well with so little in inflationary times..
It is simply a question of finding the extra revenue. The situation calls for a realistic assessment of a narrow range of possibilities and also for the political courage to take the right course for the good of the community. Virtually all anticipated rate revenue will be used up to pay the sharply higher and inexorably rising salaries and wages of a labour-intensive ad- ministration. There will be nothing of the rates left in the kitty even for office
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