107
is
This already difficult situation will
not be eased by the fact that it is likely
that the Colonial Office will shortly be
promoting a University for the Far Eastern
or
dependencies in Malaya and Singapore.
A
not inconsiderable proportion of the students
of Hongkong University in the pre-war days
were Chinese from British territories outside
Hongkong. This flow of students is likely
to be attracted in future to a well nourished
University which will be especially intended
for their benefit.
They must therefore
grawn here be largely lost to Hongkong, unless a counter
attraction is provided ign intellectual
standards and by a system of Scholarships and
neither of a
Is Studentships/which locally supported University
likely to be able to afford.
On the other hand, it has been made quite clear to the Committee that any degredati
tion
of status of Hongkong University would not
only be resented by the local inhabitants,
but would undoubtedly be the cause of a
serioús loss of prestige to the British
Commonwealth not only in its Far Eastern
dependencies but in China and other
associated countries as well. The latter
effect is especially likely and will be of
greater weight because the future relations
of Hongkong, the Commonw alth and China are
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