100
COPY.
53611/12/44.
Dear Mr.Jenkins,
Colonial Office,
Downing Street,
S.W.1.
9th August, 1944.
Thank you very much for your note of the 11th July on the Federation of British Industries Chinese engineering apprenticeship scheme.
As I think I mentioned to you on the telephone a week or so ago a number of Hong Kong engineering graduates who are at present in free China have raised the question of their being able to come to England under your Federation of British Industries scheme. On account of their good knowledge of English I believe that Hong Kong graduates possessed of the other necessary qualifications formerly made very acceptable candidates. As you know however the present regulations in China whereby only candidates who are graduates of Chinese Universities and recommended by the Ministry of Education are eligible for selection, has precluded Hong Kong graduates from qualifying under this scheme for the last three or four years.
In view of the very great need that there will be for qualified Chinese engineers on the liberation of Hong Kong we had been wondering whether it would not be possible to devise some new arrangement that would enable Hong Kong graduates again to be brought within the scope of the Federation of British Industries scheme.
The Foreign Office have now sent us a copy of a despatch from Sir H. Seymour in which the same suggestion is made. The Ambassador points out that the recent ban on Chinese students going abroad seems likely to affect the operation of the Federation of British Industries scheme and he recommends that apprentices should be selected from the considerable number of University graduates in free China, mostly from Hong Kong University, who are in possession of or entitled to British passports and may therefore be outside the scope of the ban.
We very much hope that you can agree to this proposal. If so would you very kindly let me know how many vacancies would be available and the expenses that are likely to be incurred. Could the Federation of British Industries
W.V.JENKINS, ESQ.
Engineering