CODE
18-77
Reference.....
39
Mr Stickels
AID TO HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC
1.
You are now, I think, familiar with this project but you might wish to glance at (46) on the 1974 file to refresh your memory.
2
In the final paragraph of my minute at (46), I said that it was anticipated that a paper would be presented to the Projects Committee prior to the overall financial limit of £38000 being reached. This has not, in fact, proved to be the case. Under cover of my minute of 21 April (Flag C) I forwarded our second attempt at a Projects Committee submission to Mr Ridgwell. This produced a response as at Flag G. Subsequent to the receipt of Mr White's minute I called to see him; the result of our talk is at Flag H, this minute was hurriedly prepared prior to going on leave. Mrs Johnson's response to my minute is at Flag I. I understand that the outcome of her discussion with Mr Timms was that we will have to make a third attempt at our paper, starting almost from scratch.
3. The immediate problem facing us is that we are receiving book orders each month from Hong Kong and the £38000 is now fully committed. What we now require is permission to commit a further sum, say £25000, whilst the new paper is being drafted, the alternative being to write to Hong Kong explaining the situation and requesting that no further orders be forwarded until we give the go ahead. The embarrassing thing is that our willingness to provide this aid was announced publicly in Hong Kong by an FCO Minister. Consequently Hong Kong are not able to understand all the rigmarole we have to go through before the money can be made available to them. I was talking to the Polytechnic librarian just before going on leave, and he told me that the feeling in Hong Kong is that the grant was thrust upon them and that this being so they would make use of it. However, he said it was not really needed and consequently officials in Hong Kong are reluctant to get involved in our bureaucratic procedures etc!
We would be grateful for your authority to commit additional money in advance of our submission to the Projects Committee.
4.
Vemm Wade-Brown.
E V Wade-Brown
Hong Kong and Indian Ocean Department
18 June 1975
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