CO129-524-2 Hong Kong University- financial position- Chinese studies- future of the Chinese school and the Annual... 27-1-1930 - 12-8-1930 — Page 158

COL

UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

12th May, 1926.

165

Dear Lord Willingdon,

In referring to our conversations I want to

emphasise at the outset that, in sending to you and your Deputation my letter of March 25th, 1926, and its enclosures,

I was not hurling at your heads on behalf of the University

of Hong Kong, a mass of new and unconscionable claims. In

the Empire Parliamentary Association Report on Foreign Affairs for November and December,1922, (Volume 3, No.6),

you will find the following statement:-

"The Boxer Indemnity.

The payments annually due to H.M.Government and

to other Governments on account of the Boxer Indemnity were, in accordance with a special agreement, suspended in 1917 for a term which expired at the end of 1922.

The Japanese Government made it known some time ago that they intended to devote the payments when resumed to objects mutually benefic-

ial to China and Japan; the U.S. Government have for years past devoted the balance due from China to the education of

Chinese in America; and the French Government are in pro-dess

of assigning their share to the resuscitation of the Banque Industrielle de Chine, in which a number of Chinese deposit-

ors were substantially interested.

The British have now decided in principle to

employ their portion of these funds on purposes which shall

benefit the Chinese and British interests in com.on. The aourt

involved is about £11,000,000, a large sum in the present

state of our finances. The view generally propagated in

En land is that the money should be chiefly spent on