COPY.
FEDERATION OF BRITISH INDUSTRIES
21, Tothill Street,
London, S.W.1.
3rd October, 1944.
Your Ref.53611/12/.
Our Ref. China 62.
Miss A.k. kuston,
110
The Colonial Office, Downing Street, 3.W.1.
Dear Miss Ruston,
I have now discussed with my Director the question raised in your letter of September 28th of the extension of our scheme for training Chinese post-graduate engineering students to Chinese students of British nationality from Hong Kong University.
I am glad to say that my Director is, in principle, in favour of such extension as a temporary arrangement to be confined to the limited mumber of Hong Kong post-graduatos at present in Free China, pending the restitution of more normal conditions. The matter will, of course, have to be finally approved by our Chinese Apprenticeships Committee but, before putting the matter up to them, I should be glad if you would confirm that the Colonial Office would be willing to pay all travelling expenses of these students from China to this country and back to their particular destinations in the Far Last, as well as the cost of their maintenance here (including incidental expenses) over and above the apprentices' wagos normally paid by the Works concerned to Chinese post-graduate apprentices. In this connection, it would appear desirable that the total maintenance allowance should not be less than that paid to Chinese post-graduate apprentices already here, namely, £28 per month, which includes the Works' allowance which might vary from £2.10.-d. to £5 per week.
Presumably, the Colonial Office would also be willing to arrange for the Hong Kong post-graduates in question to submit their applications to the British members of the joint Anglo-Chinese Committee in Chungking, which selects the students under our existing scheme, and that the standard to be applied should be, in general, the same as that laid down for the students of Chinese nationality.
On