FILE NOTE
TURNER STUDY
Reference..
19
14 KK 212/54/2/1
1. I spoke to John Cook, Recruitment Executive, ODM, concerning his draft letter to Professor Turner offering a contract for the second stage of the labour study.
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2. Mr Cook was disturbed to find that Mr Fry had agreed that ODM would fund the further study and pointed out that within the ODM it has been agreed that, if there were ODM funds for the second stage, then the contracts and procedures should be issued by the ODM in accordance with their normal practice.
3.
Particular points made by Mr Cook were that Professor Turner should not be allowed himself to emphy any person, nor should he be allowed to draw monies on behalf of any person. Second, subsistence should be paid in Hong Kong dollars and individuals should be required to go to the British Trade Commission and draw their subsistence. (Apparently the BTC were put to great trouble last summer in getting money to Professor Turner and his associates, who refused to come to the BTC.) Third, Professor Turner should be asked to advise the names of two academics who could be approached, but he should be told that these must be UK citizens (in practice, ODM would not object to an Australian, but they would object to, e.g. an American). Fourth, the local assistants to be employed should be engaged by the Hong Kong Government, who should pay him. Fifth, honoraria should be expressed as a weekly rate. (This is acceptable, but Professor Turner has not asked for an honorarium for his initial visit.)
4.
In view of the difficulties we are likely to encounter in having monies funded from two different sources and accounted for by two different Government, I think it important that the UK end, at least, should be tied up formally by the ODM who have all the necessary expertese. Consequently, I advise that a telegram only should be sent to Professor Turner saying that a second stage has been agreed and that a formal contract on the general lines of his original draft will be sent to him in due course by the Minister for Overseas Development. We should then ask the ODM to take over all responsibility for the London payments.
5. As for the payments from the Hong Kong Government, there will be difficulties here. They can be used for the payment of air fares for the £1,000 contribution to the Asian Studies Centre but we shall have to ask the Hong Kong Government to arrange to send return air tickets to Professor Turner and his two associates.
T Duffy
7 April 1977
Hong Kong Department