1
J
1
No.1025(44/272/46)
Copied to: Comm. Cllr. No.279.
Sir,
BRITISH EMBASSY
BANKING.
27th August,194,
1235
SEP
I have the honour to refer to your despatch No.177 (LC 578/ 5/452) of the 12th February, 1946, and to paragraph 3 of the accompanying letter from Miss A, Ruston to Sir Humphrey Prideaux-Brune (Reference 53611/12/46 of February 1946) on the subject of the selection from Hong Kong and Shanghai of five Hong Kong born engineering post-graduates as applicants for F.B.I. apprenticeships, and to request that the following observations may be commicated to the Colonial Office, together with the enclosures in this despatch,
2.
The apprenticeships were advertised in the local press both in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Twenty-four applications were received in Hong Kong, fifteen only of whom presented themselves for examination. Fourteen applications were received in Shanghai but only three fulfilled the conditions of the award. A fourth, however, was included as he did not make it clear that he had not spent the necessary time at Hong Kong University.
3.
Selection Committees comprising the following members were formed in each town:
Hong Kong.
Dr. Gordon King, Chairman, D.D.M.S. and Dean, Faculty of Medicine
at Hong Kong University.
Mr. T.R. Rowell, Directer of Education at Hong Kong University. Mr. P.R. Purcell, Assistant Chief Engineer at Hong Kong Waterworks. Ir. H. Braga, Engineer of the Hong Kong Public Works Department. Mr. E.R. Talamo, First Secretary (Commercial), Shanghai.
Shanghai,
The last three members are qualified, engineers.
Sir Robert Calder-Marshall, K.B.E., Chairman, Representative in
China of the F.B.I.
Mr. A.B. Raworth, General Manager of the General Ekectric Co. of
China Ltd.
Mr. J.A. Bonnyman, Manager of the Shanghai Bookyard.
Mr. V.A. Ankerson, Technical Representative and Manager for
Metropolitan Vickers in China.
Mr. E.R. Talamo.
All members are qualified engineers. Mr. Talamo coordinated the two committees.
4.
Students were given mmbers in continuation of those allocated at the October examinations, viz, Nos. 20 to 34 inclusive were given to the Hong Kong students and Nos. 35 to 38 inclusive to those in Shanghai, The names and addresses of the nineteen students are tabulated on a separate sheet marked "A" attached hereto.
5.
The Hong Kong committee sat on the afternoon of the 31st July and the Shanghai committee on the afternoon of the 15th August. During the mornings of these days the students answered a written test paper of common-sense and workshop questions. At the interviews in the afternoons each member of the committee awarded marks to each student
/for
The Right Honourable
Ernest Bevin, M.P.,
Foreign Office,
S.W.1.
Page 140Page 141