CO129-588-8 Hong Kong University- British Council scholarships and Rhodes Studentship 11-1-1941 - 17-12-1942 — Page 17

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

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five years to both Chinese or Chinese British subjects who had graduated at Hong Kong University Oxford.

The University of Hong Kong Council decided to defer the election of a candidate until 1942, when they said that one of outstanding academic attainments and moral worth would be available. We don't know the name of this potential candidate, or indeed his present whereabouts. The present suggestion is to help the Chinese by providing scholarships under British auspices, and Lord Elton says that if the transport can be provided to get a student out of China and through India, the Rhodes Trust might well be prepared to transfer their Hong Kong offer to China proper.

It will be rather a dog in the manger attitude on our part to object to this, but I think we should remember that 112 members of the University who escaped from Hong Kong have, under the guidance of Professor King, and with the assistance of the Chinese University authorities, been placed in Chinese Universities, where credit will be given to them for their studies so far, and they will be allowed to complete their degree courses. If, when they have graduated, any outstanding candidate could be considered, other things being equal, to have a prior claim on the studentship at Oxford, it would be a fitting link with the past and an encouragement to those students who preferred to face hardship to get out of the enemy's hands rather than stay in Hong Kong. This might well be a strong point since I have seen it stated at least once that the Japanese, while encouraging the mass of the Chinese population to get out of Hong Kong, were most unwilling to let University students go.

eigh 7m

7.11.42.

Mr. Cox.

I agree with Mr. Monson that it would be a good thing to ask Lord Elton to suggest to the Rhodes Trustees that the scholarship which they had placed at the disposal of the Hong Kong University should be made available for award to any outstanding student of that University, to be selected from those who are now completing their education at Chinese Universities.

It does not seem to me that this would be a "dog in the manger" attitude on our part because although the arrangements discussed in the enclosures to No. 64 originated out of the offer of the Rhodes Trust of a scholarship to the Hong Kong University, the scholarships which are actually going to be used for students from Chinese Universities are going to be financed by the British Council.

14 11.42.

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persuade the Perdes

Voy to persuade ray

Protecs to make this H.K, post-graduate

excellent thing

studentship available

to as

outstanding H.K.

1

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