Telephone: Museum 8916.
Welegrams:
THE INTER-UNIVERSITY COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE COLONIES, 1, Gordon Square, London, W.C.1.
INTERUNIV, LONDON.
J.B. Jidebotham,
sq.
11th September, 1950.
26.
84
Dear Sidebothum,
Hong Kong University.
It is disconcerting that after two month's there is no reply from Hong Kong to the savingram of 15th July about the grants for the University. I can only suppose that as it raised a series of quite different questions (eligibility of University for direct grant; audit arrangements; can the Hong Kong government give £1 million towards the endowment fund) that they are waiting until they can reply to all of them.
On all but one point we can but wait and hope that the reminders you have sent will produce a reply, but I wonder if action could be taken on this one point, namely announcing the C.D. & W. grant of 4 million. Paragraph 7 of the savingram may have led them to expect a proposal from this end on this point, even before they have been able to reach decisions on the other matters.
I believe it was agreed in the meeting with Sir Alexander Grantham on 20th June that publicity for the C.D.. grant could be given without waiting for a decision on the other issues. The 24 million grant under the Financial Settlement has already been announced, and the questions concerning it are now only administrative ones (procedure for payment and audit etc.) which do not involve a public announcement. The suggestion of a United Kingdom Treasury contribution towards endowment may take several more weeks to consider, even if the Hong Kong government does decide to offer a matching grant, so that nothing can be said publicly about that in the near future. The C.D. & W. grant has, however, been decided, but not announced and the outstanding questions concerning it (payment direct; audit) do not effect any public announcement.
4 The importance to the University's public relations of having this C.D. & W. assistance announced needs no emphasis (Sir Arthur Mrse in his statement last year as chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank made a pointed reference to the absence of C.D. ✨ W. help for the University). It is now over four month's since the Inter-University Council visitors were there, but nothing has yet been said which discloses whether they were favourably or unfavourably impressed; silence may lead to unfortunate speculations. On political grounds, there will be much publicity in the next few
weeks
......