CO129-567-12 Hong Kong University 24-1-1938 - 24-1-1938 — Page 224

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is ground for hope. History teaching has been starved, Economics has got itself mixed up with Accountancy, Jurisprudence, Commercial Law in an astonishing hash. Worst of all is our pretence of a provision for the training of teachers. There were harsh remarks about Forster in the Report, but Forster is shouldering the discredit of a thoroughly bad, pretentious system. I feel very strongly on this and if we cannot do better than we have hitherto done, I am for giving it all up, because I am convinced that what we do merely discredits us. Fortunately I have interested the Governor in the matter of the training of teachers, not merely in the University but in the Colony generally (in- cidentally the Government's provision for the training of teachers is more discreditable than the University's). We are to have a small committee at once to report on the Colony's policy in the recruitment (at most extravagant cost) and training. Out of this, I'm optimistic enough to think we may get a good general scheme, including a University Diploma Course. The Committee's remarks, as you may judge from this, were not so much wrong as ill directed.

The financial position is very bad, but for this the academic men are much less to blame than other members of the University. Investments in land mortgages in Shanghai to produce 8-9% interest have now become nearly worthless and it is difficult to know if they will ever recover. Some of the Hong Kong mortgages were merely gambles. The present Treasurer of the University, a signatory of the offending Report, seems to me to be right in doing his best to transfer our funds into British Government securities as rapidly as possible. In this I cooperate heartily with him. He is not a University man, is blunt and outspoken, but I know his genuine interest in the University and his remarkable skill and industry in managing our financial affairs. The stable among my colleagues, I think, take this view. But apart from the personal aspect of it all, there is the outstanding fact that for security we have to face a serious immediate shrinkage of income so that we may safeguard our capital investment: I put the shrinkage at nearly £8,000 a year. Very largely increased expenditure on Education and Public Health is necessary . Our grant from the Colonial Govern- ment is generous, and the Government is so well disposed that I am justified in thinking that if we produce a good scheme for