Public Relations Office Annual Report 1949-1950





*

HONG KONG

ANNUAL REPORT

BY THE

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

FOR THE YEAR ENded the 31ST MARCH, 1950.

:

GENERAL

1. The Public Relations Office had a vastly increased amount of work during the year.

 

2. Most of the work done by the Public Relations Officer is invisible and has no tangible result, but the furthering of goodwill with visitors, correspondents and the local press is evidenced by the expressions of appreciation of the first and the publications of the second and third. In this connection it should be pointed out that articles written by correspondents have often been mutilated beyond all recognition, so that occasionally scare headlines which were never suggested by correspondents have appeared in home newspapers.

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS.

3.

There was a heavy influx of newspaper correspondents from the United Kingdom and the United States owing to the concentration of world interest on Hong Kong due to develop- ments in China. This entailed frequent interviews with the correspondents and considerable work in arranging interviews between the correspondents and His Excellency the Governor, the Colonial Secretary, Commissioner of Police and many Heads of Departments.

  4. For the most part correspondents were very con- siderate, appreciating the lack of facilities this office had to offer, particularly in transport, office accommodation and works of reference for the provision of background material.

5.

In the first half of the year under review correspon- dents generally passed through Hong Kong en route to China, and most sought the advice and opinion of the Public Relations Officer on China conditions. Whilst the provision of such assis- tance was not strictly the work of the Hong Kong Government Public Relations Officer, the advice was freely given, and in every case was warmly appreciated and helped build up good- will.

  6. As the year and the Central People's Government forces advanced, many of these correspondents returned from China whilst many more came from abroad to cover the situa- tion which was expected to develop in the Colony, until at one time there were over thirty correspondents in the Colony.

7.

2

   During the year it became an increasingly common practice for correspondents and news agency representatives to allow the Public Relations Officer a pre-view of their stories, with requests for suggestions before the stories were filed. This has enabled the Public Relations Officer to correct some mis- takes which might have given false impressions when published abroad.

SERVICES' PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICES.

8. The appointment of a full-time Army Public Relations Officer and the active co-operation of the Naval and Royal Air Force Public Relations Officers took a great amount of work off the shoulders of the Government Public Relations Office, and it is desired to record the latter's appreciation of this co- operation. The Government Public Relations Office has con- tinued to serve as the medium for the distribution of releases by the Services' Public Relations Offices.

 9. It may be appropriate at this point to mention the share taken by the Public Relations Office in provision of ameni- ties for the service men in the Colony. Magazines, pamphlets, posters and photographs have been forwarded for the various clubs and messes; cinema films have been loaned for exhibition to the Army and Royal Air Force personnel; the Public Relations Officer has given talks of an educative and entertain- ing character to Army personnel.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS.

10. The year saw the arrival of several distinguished visitors including the Rt. Hon. Malcolm MacDonald (on several occasions), the Rt. Hon. A. V. Alexander and Col. David Rees- Williams. Press Conferences were arranged for all of the above and for several other visitors.

RADIO HONG KONG.

11. There has been a close link-up with Radio Hong Kong. Besides sitting on the Radio Advisory Committee the Public Relations Officer has co-operated with the Station in the provision of news for broadcasting,

3

UNITED KINGDOM TRADE COMMISSIONER.

   12. There has been active co-operation with the United Kingdom Trade Commissioner, the Public Relations Office dis- tributing such material as the Commissioner wished to place in the hands of the press and public.

office ACCOMMODATION AND EQUIPMENT.

13. The Public Relations Office continued situate in in- adequate temporary buildings formerly known as the Urban Council Buildings. In June the main part of the office was moved to the northern end of the same building where it occupied the offices vacated by the Anti-Malarial Section of the Medical Department. This provided more floor-space but in- adequate funds prevented the erection of all the partitions necessary to divide the offices, and improve the efficiency of the work.

PRESS SUMMARIES.

14. There has been a marked improvement in the quality and quantity of translations from the Chinese Press. These translations are furnished to all Government Departments and to Hon. Members of Executive and Legislative Councils. Evidence of the interest taken in these translations is provided by the frequent requests for amplifications of items. The quality still leaves much to be desired, but this can only be achieved by an increase in the number and quality of staff engaged in the work.

PRESS RELEASES.

   15. A statement appears as appendix 'A' showing the total number of English and Chinese notices, official statements and news items released for the period 1st April, 1949 to 31st March, 1950. It will be noticed that about 18% of London Press Service releases were used by the local press, and a little over 7% of Colonial Office of Information releases were published.

NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING.

   16. Appendix 'B' provides a statement of the advertising that passed through the Public Relations Office to the English and Chinese newspapers during the period 1st April, 1949 to 31st March, 1950.

4

FILM CENSORSHIP.

 17. The Public Relations Officer took over the secretary- ship of the Film Censoring Panel from Mr. J. M. Wilson of the Education Department during the year. Appendix 'C' illus- trates the number of films censored and banned. 41 English language films had small or large parts cut. 27 Chinese film underwent cuts.

USE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE LECTURE ROOM.

 18. Appendix 'D' shows the extent to which the Lecture Room in the Public Relations Office was used during the period under review. Owing to the heat experienced in this room its use was curtailed during the hot months of the year. If some insulation against the heat could be introduced the room would be used much more extensively.

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE FILMS.

 19. A total of 440 films provided by Colonial Office of In- formation were lent to schools, clubs and individuals for exhibition. An estimated total of 37,579 persons saw these films. A detailed statement will be found in Appendix 'E'.

INFORMATION FROM GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.

 20. Departments are beginning to appreciate the value of 'putting across' information to the Press through the medium of the Public Relations Office, but there are still some who regard the Press as an enemy instead of an aid to the under- standing of Government measures. The Public Relations Office has sometimes experienced considerable difficulty in securing answers to press questions. This has resulted in the Press publishing their own (sometimes incorrect) versions of a mea- sure adopted by Government, for which the press cannot be blamed since they are not properly briefed by Departments via the Public Relations Office. On the other hand, too often re- presentatives of the press regard the Public Relations Office as a source of information which properly should be secured by reporters serving on the staff of the newspapers.

 21. During the period under review the local press has, by and large and with the exception of certain Chinese papers devoted to attacking the Government, given every support to the Government and presented the Government's point of view in a fair and objective manner.

5

CINEMATOGRAPH FILMING OF HONG KONG.

22. The Taurus Film Company had a representative in the Colony for the second half of the year 1949, taking films of Hong Kong partly on behalf of the Central Office of Informa- tion, and partly on behalf of the Methodist Mission and some commercial films.

   23. The Public Relations Office spent considerable time and trouble in assisting the representative and also loaned him storage space for some of his equipment.

24. "This Modern Age', branch of the Arthur Rank Organization also had representatives in the Colony for some months, and everything was done to give advice and assistance to them.

W. GORDON HARMON, Public Relations Officer.

21st July 1950.

PRESS RELEASES

1st April 1949-31st December 1950.

Total number of English and Chinese Notices, Official

Statements and News Items released

Total number of Translations

1,170

Total number of C. O. I. releases

Total number of L. P. S. releases

Number of L. P. S. used

118

Number of C. O. I. used

21

1884

283

659

Total

2,826

NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING

In the English and Chinese Press

for the period April 1949-March 1950.

6

ENGLISH PRESS

CHINESE PRESS

MONTH

Total

S.C.M. Post China Mail

Hong Kong Hong Kong Standard Telegraph

Wah Kiu

Sing Tao

Kung Sheung

Others

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

60-

$

1949

April May

3,024.00

2,231.85

1,431.00

1,270.50

June

2,145.55

1,617.80

4.00

35.00

July

1,067.25

778.50

August

1,773.25

1,413.00

14.00

September

1,827.75

1,483.50

October

2,206.80

1,824.00

85.00

63.00

November

2,049.50

1,627.50

162.00

December

1,859.00

1,269.25

374.00

|| 8 ||| 8 ||

1,362.00 748,50

1,552.50

1,074.00

882,50

1,234.50 562.50

1,511.50

744.00 1,428.00

12.00

612.50

1,480.50

1.320.00

666.00 1,242.00

24.00

1,134.00

1.312.50

1,071.00

975.00

980.00

834.00

1,083.00

1,077.50

1,149.00

198.00

11818118

9,244.35

5.076.50

7,988.35

3.686.75

7,266.75

6,828.75

6,967.80

7,346.50

1,659.00

1,525.00

1,701.00

8,387.25

1950

January

2,054.73

1,636.80

208.00

1,583.00

1,703.00

1,648.00

144.00

8.977.53

February

1.806.14

1,263.15

4.00

1,378.50

1,711.10

1,707.00

300.00

8,169.89

March

2,748.00

1,822.50

23.00

1,987.00

1,950.00

1.086.00

9,616.50

23,992.97

18,238.35

874.00

98.00

15,187.50

16,138.10 14,350.00

678.00

89,556.92

NOTE:

English Press Chinese Press

$43,203.32 -48%

46,353.60 52%

Total

$89,556.92

7

Total number of Films censored in Hong Kong for

the period 1.4.49 to 31.3.50 including shorts and newsreels but

not trailers.

Month

1949

April

Chinese Films Other Films

Total

22

50

72

May

June

16

48

64

24

53

77

July

25

54

79

August

24

44

68

September

22

93

115

October

18

62

80

November December

283

21

64

85

23

61

84

1950

January

18

78

96

February

March

23

20

82

102

23

83

106

256

772

1,028

NOTE:-1 British Film, 8 Chinese Films and 2 Russian Films were

banned by the Censors.

Use of P. R. O. Lecture Room for the period April 1949 to March 1950.

Period

Meetings

Jumble Sales

Film

Press confer-

ences

Exhibi- tion

Total

1949

April

9

2

11

May

4

3

7

June

1

1

S

5

..

July August September...

NL N

1

2

G

1

2

6

2

2

3

7

October

5

1

5

2

13

November...

4

1

1

4

14

December...

9

2

6

21

1950

January

8

February March

6

0 00 00

Į

8

1

2

2

3

1

Totals

62

7

24

18

10

ཌ| | |

من

8

11

12

121

8

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE

Films lent out during April 1949 to March 1950.

Total No.

Month

No. of Films lent out

of Attendance

each month

Average Attendance

for each Film

1949

April

22

22

2079

95

May

24

1300

54

June

19

1007

53

July

43

1461

August

40

2414

September

21

1307

October

71

4260

November ...

67

4020

December

44

2640

60

* : ~ : : :

34

60

62

60

60

1950

January

32

February

...

222 223

March

2583

81

29

2817

97

28

11691

418

NORONHA & Co., Ltd.. Government Printers & PUBLISHERS.


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