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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Also unlike other cities, the refuse in Hong Kong has a very high water content. In the very near future we will modify the RCVs appropriately.

3. THE HON. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, asked the following question (in Cantonese): What is the breakdown of the amount that the Council is spending on supporting the visual arts and literary activities in the current financial year? MRS. CHOW CHEUNG WAI-PING, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE MUSEUMS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):- This question deals with Council expenditure in support of the visual arts and literary activities during the current financial year, and is in two parts.

With regard to the first part of the question, the main channel for Council's support of the visual arts is the Hong Kong Museum of Art and for the current financial year, the Council has allocated a budget of $22.1 million for the Museum.

The activities of the Museum of Art fall into two main groups. The first covers recognition and encouragement of the work of visual artists in Hong Kong. This is done through purchasing their works, organizing competitions, presenting their works in exhibitions both in Hong Kong and overseas, and recording their achievements in the form of catalogues and video documentaries. In addition, the Council makes available space at the City Hall and the Community Arts Centres, at concessionary rates or on joint presentation basis, to established local art organizations to enable them to organize and present their own exhibitions.

The second group of activities relates to promotion of an appreciation of the visual arts generally, and covers such activities as exhibitions from both local and overseas sources, lectures, film shows and guided tours of the museum and its exhibitions.

With regard to the second part of the question regarding literary activities, Council organises through its public libraries a wide range of education and extension activities. The majority of these are in support of literary activities such as literary and essay competitions, reading programmes, talks, book competitions and publication of the winning entries of some of these competitions. The Council will spend about $1.1 million on these activities in the current financial year.

MR. SULKE (in English):- Mr. Chairman, that reply was very fine as far as it went but what is the Council's view about allowing local artists to actually practise their art and receive training. Do we have any premises at all for that sort of thing? CHAIRMAN (in English):- I think what Mr. SULKE said is, are there any premises being made available for local artists to practise their art?

MRS. CHOW CHEUNG WAI-PING (in English):- We will have our civic centres in the Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Centre in future and we also have smaller civic centres in various districts.

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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CHAIRMAN (in English):- I think actually what he is getting at is your Committee is responsible for the design and reprovisioning of somewhere in the Victoria Barrack area. I think it is the Cassels Block which is going to be made available for people to practise various types of visual art.

MRS. CHOW CHEUNG WAI-PING (in English):- Thank you Mr. Chairman for giving this information.

MR. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in English):- In acquiring the visual arts of the local artists as well as past important painters or artists, is there any policy in the Museums Select Committee whether we should promote and acquire more of the contemporary living artists rather than the old and deceased artists which may even cost much more?

CHAIRMAN (in English):- That is a good supplementary but it may be a bit outside the context of the original question. But if you like to answer, Mrs. CHOW or anyone else who has the knowledge and is a member of the Select Committee. Would you like to try first, Mrs. CHOW?

MRS. CHOW CHEUNG WAI-PING (in English):- I will carry the message to the Committee.

MR. SULKE (in English):- I think that is the right answer.

MRS. ELSIE TU, VICE-CHAIRMAN (in English):- Mr. Chairman, before giving the report on our visit abroad I would just like to mention the fact that today is the 40th anniversary of your setting up home in Hong Kong. That is of course discounting your less voluntary visit before 1947. We have no rubies to offer you on this ruby anniversary but I am sure that my colleagues will join me in congratulating you and Betty and wishing you another 40 years at least in Hong Kong. (Applause)

STATEMENT BY MRS. ELSIE TU, VICE-CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL

She said (in English):- As Members are aware, it takes a little time to do a full report covering a substantial visit overseas. I would, however, like to make a brief report to Members on a recent visit of myself, Mr. Stephen LAU, Mr. PAO Ping-wing, Mr. Frederick FUNG, Dr. Ronald LEUNG and Mr. MAN Sai-cheong to London with a short side trip to Paris.

The object of these annual visits is to keep Councillors abreast of things that are happening in other countries and to give them ideas, to see things both good and bad, things which we hope to emulate and things too which we might perhaps avoid in our future programmes.

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