Substitution of technological institutions for
economy.
1-
Local desire to retain a University.
6.
The Hong Kong Chinese numbered only 1,126 but to this number should be added 99 Indians and 35 Japanese and that part of the Europeans who were at school in Hong Kong/estimated at 350. The University in eleven years had a total of about 1,600 domiciled students whose earlier education had been in Colonial schools, slightly more than 37% of the total of its students. Statistics are not available to indicate how many of the Cantonese whown in the table had attended liong Kong schools, but about two thirde - about 500 would be a fair estimate. Thus the University as the apex of the educational system has di from the Colony and Colonial schoole about half of its students. Except for that part of the initial en- dowment that came from Canton, the University received no grants from the territories whence itu students were drawn. In the past the Government has accepted this position in making its grants to the University.
8. as an alternative to facing the risks and costs of a considerably improved University/it has been suggested that the Government of Hong Kong might call a halt, and might concentrate its effort on maintaining a good medical school, on expanding and strengthening its organisation for the training of teachers for long Kong schools, on developing its technical school to train efficient assistane to man
사 the local engineering services. If it is assumed that the Rockefeller Trust would agree to its partial endowments of chairs for surgery, medicine and gynaecology being trans- ferred for use in a medical school not of university status, and if the partial endowment towards the cost of engineering teaching could be dealt with in a like manner, there is little doubt that essential Colonial needs in respect of the public services could be met at less cost to public funds than a restored University would call for.
9. But the Committee has ample evidence that such a change if made, wo.ld meet with strong opposition from the liong Kong Chinese. Sir Mark Young, the returning Governor spoke strongly against it and there is evid nce that failure to re-establish the University would gravely disappoint many people of in- portance in China. The change, especially at this time, would lower the prestige of the Colony in the minds of its neigh- bours in the Far East: it would be read as a confession that our position in these regions has been weakened, possibly it would be interpreted as the first intimation of a decision of H.M.Government to free itself of its commitments in China.
On the evidence we are convinced that to dissolve the University at this time, after it has been more than thirty years in existence, would certainly have an adverse influence not only among the British Chinese in Hong Kong, but through- out the Far East.