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Mr. J.D. Sloss, came to this country in the summer dr 1939 on duty-leave in order to urge upon H... the desirability of assisting the development of the University upon this broader basis. It was proposed that, subject to the concurrence of the Foreign Office and the Treasury, the Secretary of State for the Colonies would tell the Governor as Chancellor of the University that H..0. approved of the Committee's recommendations and apprecin ted that financial assistance from sources outside the Colour would be neoessary. The Foreign Office agreed, adding that, in their view, "the University was a valuable instrument for propagating British ideals and spreading British influence in China and should. be given all the support and assistance possible in ingreasing its useful- ness in this respect. The outbreak of war, however, made it impracticable to pursue the question of financial
assistance.
Now that plans are being drawn up for the rehabilitation of Hong Kong, the question of the future of the University af is again to the fore. There will have to be something very like a restart since, apart from the problems arising from the loss of buildings and equipment and the on-availability of staff, there has been complete interruption of matriculation and graduation. That the Vice Chancellor still feels very strongly that this is the moment to decide on the long term policy of the University is known to us and he has been urging that a decision should be reached now as to whether the University is to be regarded as something contributory to British policy in China or an institution fulfilling local needs only.
If you have time to give us your views on this matter as seen from the China end we should be most grateful. It would be particularly interesting to know whether the Chinese are still likely to react favourably to a British University re-established in Hong Kong on the broader basis proposed by the committee and what degree of co- operation would be offered by the Chinese Universities. Yours sincerely
(b) G. E. 1. C
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