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of the Committee would have noticed, Sir Andrew had expres jed considerable doubt as to the wisdom of initiating the reconstruction of the University until a spontaneous demand for it came from Hong Kong. (The Chairman said he should explain that this letter was writter when Sir Andrew's services were sought in connection with the earlier Committee).
He thought that at some time questions might be raised by the Committee with regard to this letter and that it might be useful if they could know from Sir Edward Gent how much importance ought to be attached to the points raised in it.
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Secondly Paper No. 2, was the report of yet another Committee that met in the Colonial Office in 1943 when the war in the Far East looked lik, going on for a very long time. This Committee reviewed the future of higher education both in Malaya and in Hong Kong and inclined to view favourably the possibility of e university for both territories although they were evenly divided as to whether such a university should be locate in Hong Kong or Malays. They decided however that they were no competent at that time to make any pronouncement In the question and recommended a Commission of Enquiry to dvise upon the full development of the higher educational systems in Hong Kong and Malaya in the light or the post-war situation. It seemed to the Chairman that this had an important bearing on the present olicy of the colonial Office of going back to the Founder's original vision of a University in ong Kong which, as an instrument of British policy in China, should cater for more than Colonial needs.
7. Sir Edward Gent said that fir Andi ev Caldecott's letter represented an ezt cicly persimistic view, kutit v22 Written A time when Sir Arrow we in a sta o of Dergorml distress. As regards the 1943 (Smithee this informal body was called into being to examine and advise upon the short-turn arrangements necessary to restart Hong Kong University and the other institutions of higher education in Hong Kong and Malaya on re-occupation of those territories. In the course of their investigation they made the suggestion (paragraph 10 of Paper No.2) of a single University in either Hong Kong or Malaya. That was a suggestion which the present Committee would doubtless look into, but the essential purpose of the 1943 Committee was short-term reconstruction only.
8. The Chairman said there were 1 ng-range and short- range terms of reference of the present Committee, and from the point of view of focusing them they should consider the immediacy of rendering advice on the short-term issues. If there was likely to be any substantial delay before they could make up their minds on what they ought to say in answer to the first of the terms of reference, then he thought they ought to go into the question of the short-term needs concurrently c・ even before making up their minds. The two terms of reference were very much tied up tether, because if certain short-term measures were recommended t come into operation say next September, they might in their a bure prejudice the answer to the long-range question before a decision on that had been riven. Simi.rly, if the decision on the long-range issue was likely to be deferred for a very considerable time say six or nine month: clearly some sort of decision had to be taken on he; hort-range situation confronting the authorities in Hong Kong. Therefore he thought that presently they ought to turn to the short-range question and decide what further information, if any, Was
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