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We are not fully aware of what the situation is in Hong Kong as regards studio accommodation, studio equipment and programme personnel. An implication of this scheme would be that we might try to reach agreement with the Colonial Government on an extension of suitable programmes for broadcasting to China, either by the devotion of additional time to broadcasting in the course of the day or night or by an adjustment of existing schedules. It might follow from this that additional personnel, either editorial, translating or clerical, might be required. We would be most grateful if you could also put this point to the Hong Kong Government and obtain their views and recommendations.
As to expense, it seems clear to us that it would be imprac- ticable for us to attempt to induce the Hong Kong Government to devote funds to any such development: moreover, the publicity attendant upon the budgetary adjustments necessary, supposing the Hong Kong Government agreed to try to contribute funds towards it, might be undesirable. It seems to us therefore that the development should be undertaken as unobtrusively as possible on U.K. funds. The Foreign Office is prepared to ask for the necessary funds for the technical installations, the technical running and maintenance costs in as far as they may exceed the present running costs of the Hong Kong station, any additional programme personnel required and such proportion of expense on studio personnel as may be accountable to programmes primarily directed towards China.
We would be most grateful if you could treat this as a matter of urgency.
If the Colonial Office can agree to putting the matter forward, with their enquiry, would they also elicit whether Hong Kong Government have available engineers who could undertake the necessary installations, or whether it would be necessary for the Foreign Office to find personnel for this job. Your enquiry would doubtless ask for estimates of costs involved among Hong Kong's proposals.
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Ralph pay
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