consideration rested with the Treasury letter No.539571
177
of the 13th September, 1939, in this sense. Accordingly
the Governor of Hong Kong was informed in a despatch
dated 9th November that His Majesty's Government fully
apreciated the importance of the University in Sino-
British relations and realized that "substantial
financial assistance from outside the Colony" would be
needed for the original purpose to be maintained but that
the outbreak of war had made it impracticable to pursue,
for thetime being, the question of any financial grant
from public funds in this country. The question would
be reconsidered when circumstances were more favourable.
(A copy of this despatch which forms Annexe 1 was sent
to the Treasury.)
3.
In 1945 the future of Hong Kong University
again came to the fore in connection with plans which
were being drawn up for educational services on the
liberation of the Colony. It was thought that there
should be an early reopening or the University and that
to this end the engagement of staff should be proceeded
with. The Vice-Chancellor felt strongly that no long
term commitments should be entered into until a decision
had been reached as to whether the University would be
regarded as an instrument of Imperial policy or an
institution for the fulfilment of the Colony's needs
only, and he contrived to send a message to this effect
from the camp in Hong Kong where he was interned.
Before any action had been taken the war in the Far East,
came to an end and it was decided to suspend consideration
of