CO129-531-10 Hong Kong University- encouragement of Chinese students to counteract American influence 30-5-1931 - 1-9-1931 — Page 107

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If

nothing in the file to suggest that the Senate ever

communicated to Edinburgh such a reply as is now

assigned to the University by Dr. Wang Chung-hui.

such a reply was ever communicated to Edinburgh it looks

as if this must have been done by the London Committee.

All I can say as regards that is that I have before me

the statement of the qualifications etc., required in

the new professor and the letter from the Pro-Vice

Chancellor to Sir Charles Addis the Chairman of the

London Committee. Not a word is said in either of

I

these documents about the exclusion of Chinese.

must, however, confess that the story of the incident,

so far as it can be told from the resolutions passed

in the Senate and in the Council, does suggest that the

London Committee was under the impression that a

Chinese professor would not be acceptable and that the

London Committee who advertised the post, was approached

on Dr. C.Y. Wang's behalf. How the Committee got

that impression, if it did get it, I can not say.

But the whole incident was most regrettable. Dr. C.Y.

Wang had excellent specialist qualifications; Dr. Parker

had none. Moreover Section 18 of the University

Ordinance enacts that: -

"No distinction of race or nationality shall be permitted, and no test of religious belief or profession shall be imposed, in order to entitle any person to be admitted as a member, professor, lecturer, teacher or student of the University. or to hold office therein or to graduate thereat, or to hold any advantage or privilege thereof."

However, as I have already said, the Council intervened

(how the Council got the information that Dr. Wang's

application had been ignored does not appear) and having

intervened, nothing was clearly allowed to stand in the

way of the best man being appointed, even though another

man had actually accepted the post.

11.