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prepare for the work of the seconded Foreign Service officer to be taken over by an officer of the Hong Kong Cadet Service at the end of the three year period, /on the assumption that we succeed in getting a Foreign Service officer, I would defer consideration of this particular recommendation, for, say, a year, at the end of which time we should have gained some working experience of the arrangements under which the post is filled by a seconded Foreign Service officer. (This will also, incidentally, give the new Governor an opportunity of considering and expressing his views on this long term question. I would not, however, mention this point to the Foreign Office, as it may provoke some action on their part in regard to the appointment of Sir Mark Young's successor.)
As to Sir Mark Young's third recommendation that officers both of the Cadet Service and of other Departments shall be enabled and encouraged as far as possible to establish and maintain contacts with Chinese as well as British officials in China, particularly in Kwantung, I still feel (see the third paragraph of my minute of the 26th February) that the objective we are after is more likely to be gained by individual contacts of this nature than by seconding a Foreign Service officer or any similar arrangement. The great advantage I see is that this will put all Administrative and other officers in a position to take external Chinese factors into full account, as necessary, in their daily work. I should, therefore, like to see something more definite in the way of plans for ensuring that these contacts are made. For example, arrangements might be made now for periodic visits by selected officers of the Hong Kong Service to Canton or Nanking under arrangements made with the Consulate and Embassy respectively, whereby, through luncheons, dinners, etc., they would be brought into contact with suitable Chinese officials. There would, of course, have to be some return of this hospitality, either by the Hong Kong Government or the individual officers, and I think we should be prepared to contemplate making financial provision for it. There is also the suggestion in my previous minute that a knowledge of China and its inhabitants might be made a condition of promotion in the case of the younger officers.
I don't think that it is necessary for us to write officially as well as semi-officially to the Foreign Office on this subject, and I doubt whether it is necessary for you to trouble yourself to write personally to Mr. Dening, to secure favourable consideration of the Governor's proposal for the secondment of a Foreign Service officer about which, I should think, the Foreign Office would need no persuasion.
As our previous correspondence with the Foreign Office has been semi-official, I think that Miss Ruston might now send Mr. Scott a copy of this despatch reference No.7, saying that we are in full agreement with Sir Mark Young's first recommendation and subject to Foreign Office views hope that it may be possible to second a Foreign Service officer to Hong Kong for a period of
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