:
HONG KONG
ANNUAL DEPARTMENTAL REPORT
BY THE
DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES
N. J. V. WATT
FOR THE
FINANCIAL YEAR 1962 - 63
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY JACK RANYARD LEE, ACTING GOVERNMENT PRINTER
AT THE Government Press, HONG KONG
EXCHANGE RATES
When dollars are quoted in this Report, they are, unless otherwise stated, Hong Kong dollars. The official rate for conversion to pound sterling is HK$16=£1 (HK$1=1s. 3d.). The official rate for conversion to U.S. dollars is HK$5.714=US$1 (based on £1=US$2.80).
CONTENTS
Paragraphs
1 - 6
GENERAL
STAFF
PRESS DIVISION
7 - 14
15 - 20
PRESS ROOM.
21 - 28
RADIO NEWS ROOM
29 - 32
•
PUBLICITY DIVISION
33 - 34
FILM PRODUCTION
PUBLICATIONS
POSTERS AND DISPLAY MATERIAL
FEATURES
PHOTOGRAPHS
REFERENCE AND PICTURE LIBRARY
ADVERTISING
FILM CENSORSHIP
35 - 42
43 - 49
.
50 - 54
55 - 61
62
63 - 65
66
67 - 68
iii
20
2.1
2
GENERAL
THE present organization of the Government Information Services stems directly from the major expansion and re-organization scheme approved some three years ago. The year 1962-63 brought the Department much nearer to the full practical application of these proposals. The two divisions of the Department-Press and Publicity settled down within much more clearly defined working limits and the output of work from all sections of the Department showed a marked increase.
2. This situation was brought about mainly through improved recruitment, although there are still a number of vacancies, mainly in the ranks of Information officers working on the English language news services. This continued to place extra pressure on the Press Division, notably in the Radio News Room, and every effort is being made to find the specialist officers needed for these outstanding vacancies.
3. Three major events during the year stretched the resources of the Department to a maximum. The first of these was the unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants over the land border in April and May. The local press was quick to give full coverage to this influx, and as it continued, it became headline news all over the world. Scores of questions were received daily in the Department from local and overseas press representatives, all of them demanding detailed answers with the minimum delay.
4. The Publicity Division was also closely involved in the informa- tion side of these activities, particularly the Film and Photographic Units, and officers from all sections of the Department shared in the increased briefing and escort duties which fell to the Department as a result of the lively press interest shown in the Colony by overseas journalists, broadcasters and camera teams.
5. Typhoon 'Wanda', later in the year, again subjected the Depart- ment to extreme pressure, with the need to maintain a non-stop news and information service throughout the height of the weather emergency and during its aftermath.
6. Lastly, the setting up of a 'Hong Kong Street of Craftsmen' at the Ideal Homes Exhibition in London in March 1963 involved the Department in considerable effort and made heavy demands upon the
1
initiative and ingenuity of the Publicity Division. Throughout the inten- sive period of planning and execution of designs, the Department work- ed in close liaison with the Hong Kong Government Office in London.
STAFF
7. The Deputy Director, Mr. N. J. V. WATT went on vacation leave in September and returned to the Colony in March, 1963 preparatory to taking over from the retiring Director, Mr. J. L. MURRAY.
8. Mr. S. S. KNOWLES, Principal Information Officer was also on vacation leave from June to December, 1962.
9. The appointment in April of Mr. R. M. LAI as Principal Informa- tion Officer (Chinese Services) and in July of Mr. R. P. Wood as Senior Information Officer (Features Writer) went some way to easing the staff position and to fulfilling a long-felt need in the advisory field where output in the Chinese language is concerned and increasing the flow of feature material for overseas use.
10. In spite of continued difficulties in recruiting suitably trained people to fill vacancies in the Press Division, a number of new appoint- ments were made locally in the Information Officer and Assistant Information Officer grades. Some of these were consequent upon promo- tion of officers within the Department.
11. Three clerical officers and two women telephone operators/ receptionists were appointed and there were a number of changes in the clerical establishment of the Department. These included two resigna- tions, one officer who left on retirement and one officer who died in the service.
12. In August 1962 and February 1963 respectively, two locally appointed Information Officers in the Publicity Division of the Depart- ment left for the United Kingdom for training courses, each of three months. One course was arranged by the Department in conjunction with Pathe News, London, and the cine cameraman selected to attend was able to gain wider practical experience in filming techniques, in editing films and in marketing newsreels and documentaries. The other course, arranged by the Colonial Office for overseas information officers, was designed to give the candidate a closer general insight into the planning and organization of official information services.
13. In December, 1962 one of the Department's still photographers, in the Assistant Information Officer grade, went to the United Kingdom
2
for a three months' training course during which he was attached to a London newspaper, the Daily Sketch, and was sent out on daily news assignments by that publication. The same officer also gained further experience in colour photography.
14. Throughout the year, the Department maintained a very close working relationship with the Principal Information Officer in the Hong Kong Government Office in London. There was a constant exchange of correspondence between the two organizations and the increased publicity accruing to the Colony in many spheres was a direct result of this liaison.
PRESS DIVISION
15. The Press Division's two units the Press Room and the Radio News Room-worked under pressure through the year, but their resources were stretched to the utmost during typhoon 'Wanda' in early September.
16. For almost three days, the Press Section was on an emergency basis, relaying news of the storm and the havoc created. The primary duty of the Press Section at such times is the immediate relay of the latest weather information from the Royal Observatory to radio stations, newspapers and the Public Enquiry Service. Communications only failed once when, in the middle of the typhoon, a cross-harbour telephone link was broken. However, the newly instituted direct broadcast in Chinese from the Royal Observatory maintained a flow of information to most of the Colony.
17. At the approach of the storm, all essential members of the staff reported for duty and while the storm shut down much of Hong Kong, the Press, Radio, Film and Photographic Sections of the Information Services Department operated with full staffs.
18. During much of Saturday, September 1st, when the storm was centred over the Colony and few people could move about, the Informa- tion Services Department was, for many newspapers, the main source of news about the typhoon. The teleprinter service to newspapers and radio stations proved its worth at this time. For nearly 36 hours, the transmitter worked non-stop, sending out weather reports and forecasts, situation reports, warnings to the population and news of damage and casualties. So great was the amount of traffic that a spare perforator head for the teleprinter system had to be installed to maintain the output.
3
19. As the storm itself receded, the Press Section found that the demand for news of the typhoon and its aftermath had by no means diminished. For many days afterwards, the staff were occupied in answering hundreds of questions about every aspect of the disaster and in providing information on the rescue and relief work which followed. 20. A feature of the organization of the Press Section during the typhoon, was the decision to place information officers at external key points such as the Headquarters of the New Territories Administration and the District Police Headquarters. Their task was to relay immediate news and situation reports to Government Information Services Head- quarters and thus to press and radio. The Press Room and Radio News Room also worked long hours under pressure during the influx of illegal immigrants in May and during the recurrence of cholera in August.
PRESS ROOM
21. The year 1962-63 saw a big increase in the number of news- papers subscribing to the Department's teleprinter service. At the end of the period under review, 22 newspapers and news agencies and the three broadcasting stations were receiving the teleprinter service-an increase of 13 subscribers in the year.
22. By the end of March, 1963, 100 press boxes were being used by newspapers and correspondents for the collection of Daily Information Bulletins and other press material. As soon as bulletins are printed in Chinese and English, they are distributed to the Colony's news media through the boxes which are cleared at regular intervals during each day.
23. The number of inquiries received by the Press Room also increased during the year and Information Officers on the Inquiry Desk dealt with some 6,000 questions. A total of 3,800 news items and stories, some short, some of more than a column length, were published in the Daily Information Bulletin during the year. The Bulletin, in English and Chinese, usually runs to eight or more pages a day. Two hundred and seventy photographs and sketch maps were distributed to the local press.
24. In addition, a separate daily sheet of Police news is issued. Arrangements are being made to instal direct telephone links between the Press Division and the two Police Control Rooms on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon.
4
25. The Central Office of Information in London continued to supply the department with British and Commonwealth news, as well as feature articles, and this material was edited and issued to the local press at regular intervals.
26. Production of the daily Press Translation Service was main- tained during the year and the content was presented in a simpler form. This daily summary is designed principally for Government departments to assist them in keeping up-to-date with news and views in the many Chinese newspapers published in Hong Kong.
27. An increasing number of press facility visits and press confer- ences were arranged.
28. New publications which started were the Universal Daily News, an eight-page Chinese morning newspaper, the Kowloon Evening News which publishes a four-page late afternoon edition, and the Express (Fai Po), an eight-page morning paper. One morning and two evening newspapers suspended publication during the year. They were the Tsuen Wan Yat Po, the Tin Fong Evening News and the Grand Evening Post.
RADIO NEWS ROOM
29. In addition to playing its full part in times of particular stress, as outlined in the general summary of the Press Division, the Radio News Room continued to operate on a round-the-clock basis, producing news bulletins, summaries and headlines for the English and Chinese networks of Radio Hong Kong, Commercial Radio, Rediffusion and Rediffusion TV.
30. The news in English begins daily at 7.15 a.m. with a three- minute summary of world and local events. This is followed by a full ten-minute bulletin at 8 a.m. Ten-minute bulletins are also broadcast at 1.15 p.m. and 7 p.m. During the year, an important change was made in the ten-minute 7 p.m. news which now gives fuller coverage of local and regional events under the title: 'Asian and Hong Kong News'. News headlines are supplied in the evening period to the three broad- casting stations according to their needs. The last news bulletin for the day is broadcast at midnight.
31. Bulletins in Chinese of ten-minutes each are broadcast at 8 a.m., 12 noon, 1.15 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. Headlines in Chinese are supplied at 11 p.m. and midnight.
32. The main Chinese dialect used is Cantonese but some of the bulletins are repeated in Mandarin, Chiu Chow and Hakka.
5
PUBLICITY DIVISION
33. Due to improved staffing, there was increased activity in the various sections within the Publicity Division. The Division places considerable emphasis on the production of visual aids for local mass- information campaigns dealing with subjects such as road safety and public health, but it also plays a very significant part in making Hong Kong better known abroad.
34. The output of the Division can be divided into two main categories-local distribution of posters, leaflets, booklets and short films; and overseas distribution of books, brochures, feature articles, photo-features and newsreels.
FILM PRODUCTION
35. The Film Unit gained further laurels during the year when it received a silver medal as the joint winner with Jamaica of the Royal Society of Arts Commonwealth Film Award for 1962. The Hong Kong entry comprised six short films, in colour, entitled 'A Moment's Care- lessness Can Cause Disaster' and were made for showing locally in connexion with the fire prevention campaign. The award was accepted, on behalf of the Hong Kong Government, by the Deputy Director whilst he was on leave in London.
36. Another major production of the unit which was also warmly acclaimed, was the 20-minute colour documentary film 'Sea Festivals of Hong Kong'. It was given its world premiere at the Empire and Ritz Theatres in Leicester Square, London, early in 1963 when it aroused considerable interest. The film is being generally released by Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer in the United Kingdom and arrangements are being made for its distribution in other countries, including the United States. 37. Newsreel production continued apace throughout the year and through this medium Hong Kong was featured widely abroad, in cinemas and on television. Subjects dealt with varied from month to month, but extremely good coverage was secured and more than average interest greeted the films dealing with the influx of illegal immigrants in May and typhoon 'Wanda' in September.
38. Short publicity films were made for the Police, Medical and Fire Services Departments and generally released in all local cinemas and on Rediffusion TV.
39. A 20-minute film in black and white, directed to Government servants and with the emphasis on courtesy in their dealings with the
6
public, was completed and is now included in the regular syllabus of the Government Training Unit.
40. At the end of the period under review, the Film Unit was working on two important colour productions for overseas distribution, one being the story of resettlement and the other a film about the harbour of Hong Kong.
41. Another colour film for local use, dealing with the prevention of hill fires, was started and a black and white film, shot during the Chinese New Year Festival, will be released at next New Year festivities as part of Government's fire prevention publicity. In making this film, the cameramen were based in the various Hong Kong and Kowloon fire stations and rode on the appliances, with the firemen, to actual fire calls.
42. New film editing equipment was purchased during the year and is proving invaluable in speeding up the final version of the processed films, particularly newsreels.
PUBLICATIONS
43. The Department again undertook the preparation, editing and publication of the Hong Kong Annual Report for 1962. Other publica- tions produced included a book entitled "The Government and the People' based on a series of talks on Radio Hong Kong given by heads of Government departments. This was issued in English and Chinese.
44. The story of resettlement was told in a four-colour booklet planned for both local and overseas distribution, called 'Building Homes for Hong Kong's Millions'. A pocket-size 'Businessman's Guide' containing hundreds of facts likely to be of use to businessmen visiting the Colony, was produced in collaboration with the Commerce and Industry Department. A first edition of 50,000 was printed and a reprint is now in hand.
45. The airport and the new terminal building were graphically photographed and many of the pictures were published in an attractively designed book in full colour, produced to mark the opening of the new terminal building. The book was given wide distribution both in Hong Kong and overseas.
46. Other work undertaken during the year was a pamphlet explaining the advantages of V.H.F. broadcasting, a four-colour folder produced at very short notice for the Nigerian International Trade Fair
7
and a four-colour folder for the Commerce and Industry Department describing in words and pictures the Display Centre of Hong Kong products at the City Hall.
47. Recruiting publicity for the Police and Fire Services was under- taken by means of a carefully planned press campaign coupled with the production and distribution of coloured folders and posters.
48. Hong Kong's participation in the Ideal Homes Exhibition in London in March, 1963 presented a major challenge for the Publicity Division. The Production Unit was responsible for designing and executing much of the exhibit and throughout the intensive period of planning worked in close co-operation with the Hong Kong Govern- ment Office in London. Three members of the staff of the Information Services Department joined the team in London who staffed 'The Street of Craftsmen' at Olympia and assisted in the assembly and eventual demolition of the exhibit.
49. At the end of the year, publicity material was being prepared for the Frankfurt Trade Fair, the Berlin Trade Fair, the Sydney Trade Fair and the Trade Mission to Europe. This included five pamphlets classifying Hong Kong products and described in five languages- English, German, Dutch, French and Italian.
POSTERS AND DISPLAY MATERIAL
50. The technical services of the Production Unit were called upon during the year to vizualise, design and execute posters, handbills and leaflets in connexion with a number of successfully conducted local campaigns.
51. Among them were the campaigns against polio, crime, cholera, litter, spitting, diphtheria, narcotics, fires, etc.
52. Other work was undertaken in connexion with a 'cleaner beaches' appeal, refuse collection and income tax reserve certificates.
53. The arrangement whereby responsibility for the day to day run- ning of the Film Library and the distribution of overseas publicity material was undertaken by the Production Unit functioned satisfactorily.
54. During the year, 2,912 films were borrowed from the Film Library by clubs, educational institutions, societies, etc. and reached an audience of nearly one million people.
8
FEATURES
55. In the period under review, 24 complete feature articles, together with pictures and their detailed captions, were prepared and sent to commercial agencies overseas for distribution to the world's press.
56. The service is syndicated in many countries and its success is best illustrated by the fact that during the year, feature articles on Hong Kong appeared 181 times in German publications alone.
57. The service is operated by two Senior Information Officers who have previously had considerable experience in feature writing for national newspapers and magazines. The service is given freely to 13 professional literary agents and the only provision made is that all cuttings of published material should be sent to Hong Kong. Although basically, the feature service concentrates on telling the world of the progress made by the Hong Kong Government in looking after its people, there are no restrictions on the type of feature placed with the overseas agents. For example, features have been written on the many colourful traditional Chinese festivals, and on such diverse subjects as George Chinnery the artist, aircraft engineering and the work of the many voluntary institutions in the Colony.
58. The Hong Kong Government Office in London is responsible for the distribution of this material in Britain, using commercial agencies for part of the distribution.
59. In this way, Hong Kong's story has appeared in publications ranging from the London Illustrated News and the Financial Times to the Yorkshire Post. The British trade and commercial press have shown especial interest in those articles dealing with the Government's Public Works Department and frequently in the past have asked for colour photographs of various projects to use on their covers or in the contents of the more expensive magazines.
60. Another region where the Overseas Features Service has had considerable success is in South East Asia. The demand is greatest from Philippine newspapers and those in Malaya and Singapore. Plans are being considered to expand the service to secure more detailed coverage in the United States.
61. In addition to operating the Overseas Features Service, the two writers also produce material for the Information Services Department's many publications. These have included the airport book and the sale
9
brochure for the Central District Development Plan. They also write scripts for films made by the Department's Film Unit and frequently assist in the task of escort duties for visiting journalists, broadcasters and news cameramen.
PHOTOGRAPHS
62. The Photographic Section worked at continuously high pressure during the year and carried out 778 pictorial assignments. They produced 25,554 black and white prints and 5,841 colour transparencies.
REFERENCE AND PICTURE LIBRARY
63. The library functions in two units a reference section and a photographic section. The reference section maintains a collection of over 1,500 books plus hundreds of pamphlets and leaflets. Some of the material is of local origin but most of it is provided by the Central Office of Information in London. This reference material is used chiefly by members of the Department, local and visiting journalists, other Government departments and occasionally by members of the public.
64. The librarian is also responsible for the press clipping service and press files which are classified according to subjects. Additionally, research work is undertaken on behalf of newspapers and magazines.
65. The photographic section continues to expand, new prints and transparencies of various subjects being added continuously. This service is very popular with visiting writers and publicists.
ADVERTISING
66. The Department is responsible for the placing, checking and control of all Government advertising in the local press. During the year, 891 advertisements and notices were issued and published in over 7,000 editions of local newspapers.
FILM CENSORSHIP
67. At the end of March, 1963 there were 80 cinemas in Hong Kong. In accordance with the law, all films must be censored before being exhibited publicly and this is carried out by the Film Censorship section of the Department which is equipped with two theatres for this purpose -one 16 mm and the other 35 mm.
68. A total of 2,159 films were censored between 1st April, 1962 and 31st March, 1963. They are shown in the appendix to this report. This is a considerable reduction compared with the previous year when the
10
total was 2,797. This is accounted for by a general reduction of films submitted from all countries, with the exception of the United Kingdom which has remained steady and India which increased. The number of TV films submitted for censorship were fewer but it is noticeable that TV feature films now have a longer running time.
July, 1963.
11
N. J. V. WATT,
Director of Information Services.
15
APPENDIX
FILMS CENSORED DURING THE PERIOD 1.4.62 TO 31.3.63
PANEL OF CENSORS
Country of Origin
Total sub- mitted
Passed clean
Passed with
Not Total Passed
clean passed Appeals cuts
BOARD OF REVIEW
Passed
with Not
cuts
passed
FEATURE FILMS (35 mm)
Austria
2
China Mainland
9
27
1
1
France
15
11
3
1
1
1
Franco-Italian
7
7
Franco-Japanese
1
1
Greece
2
2
Hong Kong (Cantonese)
193
180
13
Hong Kong (Mandarin)
39
33
6
Hong Kong (Chiu-chow)
21
21
Hong Kong (Shao-hsing)
Hong Kong (Miscellaneous)
5
Hungary
2
kommern
...
India
43
43
Italy
41
35
3
3
1
Japan Sweden
Spain
Taiwan
19
14
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
United Kingdom
U.S.A.
U.S.S.R.
64
56
138
120
I w
3
5
4
1
14
12
5
NA
1
5
5
India
West Germany..
FEATURE FILMS (16 mm)
United Kingdom
12
9
3
2
2
624
559
37
28
22
8
6
8
1
1
...
4
4
U.S.A.
2
1
1
7
6
1
SHORTS
Australia
5
China Mainland
58
42
Hong Kong
7
India
2
4272
5
10
6
Japan
3
United Kingdom
33
33
U.S.A,
85
83
1
1
Spain
1
1
U.S.S.R.
5
5
West Germany...
1
1
200
182
11
7
2
2
NEWSREELS
United Kingdom U.S.A.
60
60
104
104
164
164
1
TELEVISION (Rediffusion)
16 mm Films
ADVERTISING FILMS
:
867
862
ها
5
ลง
2
2
297
297
TOTAL
•
2,159 2,070
48
41
26
10
8
13
CO
8