CO129-472 - Others - 1921 — Page 366

HONG KONG

CONFIDENTIAL.

363

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ATTITUDE OF EUROPEAN RESIDENTS (continued).

to reach almost all the white women resident in Hong Kong through having secured the co-operation of the leaders of each group.

Lady Kirkpatrick, wife of the General-in Command; the wife of the Naval Chief-of-the-Staff; the wife of the Manager of the Senior Shipping Firm, Mrs. Hickling, late Medical Officer of Health, and the Head of the Principal School for Europeans at Kowloon, each con- vened conferences of their own circles. As a result of the interest aroused a training class for intending speakera was arranged at the Helena May Institute, and from 20 to 24 of the most responsible educated women in the Colony attended regularly for a course of eight lectures.

TEACHERS.

The difficulty with reference to the teaching profession in Hong Kong is the lax organisation which exists under the present Education Department. The Government have no direct control of the schools and do not seem to require any very definite standard for the teachers. The Director acknowledged that train- ing in Elementary Biology, Physiology, Hygiene and Public Health was badly needed, but that it would be difficult to require any standard of knowledge on these subjects from those intending to adopt the teaching profession in Hong Kong. He undertook to provide teachers already appointed with the necessary informa- tion. A Teachers Course of four lectures illustrated by films was held under the Presidency of the Director of Education, and was attended by about 20 senior teachers, of whom two-thirds were Chinese.

We suggested that copies of the biological film should be purchased either by the local Committee or by the Director of Education for use in Teachers Instruction Classea.

PUBLIC ENLIGHTENMENT.

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Owing to the Governor's objection to any press publicity considerable difficulty was experienced in reaching the European residents. However, with the co-operation of the Army, Navy, Police and the Chamber of Commerce, the ground was, we believe, fairly com- pletely covered. Invitations were issued to all European residents to attend special showings of the film.

Two showings were arranged but the audiences wishing to attend could not be accommodated in the available theatre. Four or five showings of the films were, therefore, arranged for the civilian community, and the Nayal and Military Forces saw two of the films, which were in constant circulation, special parade showings being arranged by the General Commanding and the Commander-in-Chief.

MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS.

The Medical Commissioner addressed the students at the University showing them the Medical films and also giving a Post-Graduate course of lectures at the