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12. HIGHER MEDICAL EDUCATION. cont'd.
the provision of good athletic fields for the students. Further, much of the accommodation provided in the present buildings is rapidly becoming inadequate; not only so but existing buildings are often incapable of expansion. This is noticeable in the case of the building which houses the schools of Anatomy and Physiology where the building" is incapable of expansion, either upwards or laterally; upwards because the existing structure will not support another storey and laterally because the site is too cramped. Although the Committee had in mind transfer to another site on the Island there would be a better chance of securing a really first class site if the University was erected on the mainland. Such a development, however, could not be justified unless security of tenure was had. This would not be the case unless the leasehold of the New Territories was greatly extended.
On the other hand, with abandonment of the present site which is held on leasehold from the Crown, the value of the buildings would be sacrificed. Presumably most machinery and all scientific equipment could be transferred to a new site. Transfer to the mainland of the University as a long term policy would encourage development in the New Territories.
Much more use should be made of the New Territories in the years to come. The scenery there is magnificent. There is a large area under padi and other cultivation in the wide valleys. The value of these territories should be great in providing a recreational outlet for city-ridden folk. Hong Kong has its own pleasure resorts and so has Kowloon, but they have nothing to equal the mountain scenery in the New Territories. In past times it has been the custom for certain classes to live on the Island, to a considerable extent on the Peak but, with relatively cheap air-conditioning of buildings, it is no longer necessary to climb up hills to get coolness. The Peak has not a good reputation because of the seasonal low clouds and mist that are prevalent, and it seems unlikely that it will be patronized in the future to quite the same extent as it has been in the past. No doubt, too, social divisions generally will be broken down a good deal under post-war reorientation. The policy in this case would
br broadly for the urban area, with established industries, to expand on the Island, leaving Kowloon and the New Territories to provide residential sites and further areas for industrial development.
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The existing course for the medical degree, well as that for the Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene should be retained. It is eminently suitable that the
"ong Kong University should furnish a Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, because it was here that Patrick Manson, the father of tropical medicine, made his classic studies on filaria and other tropical diseases. The first course for the Diploma had only been started when the invasion took place and no one has yet acquired it. Teaching and
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