13.
"Far Eastern" University. Mr. Sloss agreed that if the Committee made the recommendation that Hong Kong University should be regarded as an Imperial commitment but this recommendation was not accepted then the alternative issue would be the establishment of a Far Eastern British University. That in turn would involve the question of whether such a University should be situated in Hong Kong.
15.
It was agreed that the Committee should be asked to make recommendations on this matter as its first act and that for this purpose it should be in possession of the report by the Advisory Committee which met in 1943 to consider higher educational institutions in Malaya and Hong Kong (1 on 55213/44). The chief exponent of the conception of a
Far Eastern University is Professor Channon and it was agreed that the Committee should have this proposal explained to them and that if they wished, Professor Channon could either be asked to appear before them in person or to write a brief paper for their guidance.
16.
.
The
If, however, the Committee recommended that the University of Hong Kong should be enlarged so as fulfil the aim for which it was founded, namely to provide a University of British inspiration for Chinese, it would be necessary to gain the support of the Foreign Office and the Treasury. Foreign Office agreed in principle to this broader conception in 1939 but the Treasury had not pronounced on the matter on the outbreak of
war. Mr. Cox suggested that if we were to obtain decisive ruling on this issue in the near future in order that the Committee might plan effectively for the revival of the University (and Mr. Sloss argued that without such a ruling the work of the Committee would be hamstrung) it would be necessary for the matter to be taken up with the Treasury on a high level. Mr. Cox suggested that perhaps
Mr. Creech Jones might be willing to discuss the matter with Mr. McNeil the Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Foreign Office who might be willing to bring pressure on the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
17.
Mr. Sloss suggested that if the Chinese Minister of Education were to express interest in the future of the University this too would, no doubt, have considerable weight with the Foreign Office. This was agreed and it was left to Mr. Sloss to gain the interest of Mr. Han Lih Wu privately.
18. It was agreed that concurrently with its recommendation of policy the Committee should be expected to make a surve, of the irreducible minimum action required to revive the work hitherto undertaken by the University which, whatever the future of the University itself, would be necessary to meet the needs of Hong Kong.
19. Action in regard to past commitments of the University (salaries, pensions, etc.,), it had already been agreed, should be dealt with separately by a small Committee consisting of Mr. Sloss, Mr. Morse and a Colonial Office representative.
R
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.