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desirable and practicable. Not only would the
stipulation in no way have contracted the prospect
of the Hospital's expansion, it even held out a
promise of growth- There is no difficulty in
imagining that if the proposed Hongkong Extension
had materialised in the way that the Colony desired, accounts of it appearing in the Press of the Far East might have set up a upirit of emulation in other
British Colonies and Settlementa, where particular
interest has already been evinced in the Royal Flying
Corpa, whoae members are deservedly the heroes of
the hour The large number of aeroplanes which
have been presented to the Government by those
scattered oversea communities shows how keen is the
interest in the new Corps and how much its activities
appeal to the imagination of people living far from
the scenes of the present conflict.
The acceptance of Hongkong's original
offer on terme which would have satisfied the Colony"
pride, while leaving intact the unity of the Royal
Flying Corps Hospital might easily have led to the
receipt of other offers to maintain Extensions to be similarly identified with communities similarly
situated in point of distance and equally anxious
to demonstrate their desire to help in the only way
that lies open to them.
Speaking therefore from the point of view of the future of the Royal Flying Corps Hospital, I
think it was a mistaken policy not to encourage
Hongkong'a very natural wish to maintain, and to be
recognised