11
primarily due (as explained in that enclosure) to
the financial demand made by the University upon
the Colonial Government - $350,000 a year. It was
clearly contemplated by the Governor that a report
of such a local Committee should not necessarily be
the final word, but that it should be a preliminary
to a consideration of the desirability of obtaining
outside opinion, expert on the subject of University
organisation.
I think it will be agreed
(1) that Professor Davis and Mr. France have
given the Secretary of State, through Mr. Pickthorn,
of the an unduly discouraging an impression report;
(2) that the procedure which is being followed
in Hong Kong is a proper one and, as stated in the
Answer No. 2 on the P. G. file, the right thing to do
is to wait for the full results of the local
consideration of the report by the Government and
the University authorities before any conclusions
are reached here.
As regards the proposal for the two
Professors to appear before the Advisory Committee
in the Colonial Office and to state their case, it
would in any case be premature,, I suggest, at present to make any amanyent about
wonhan hate this (which might be rather an unusual
procedure, though not necessarily a wrong one on that account). Probably any difficulties could be
avoided by an arrangement for these two to meet
two