CO129-593-2 Rehabilitation of Hong Kong University. For extracted photographs see CN 3-45. Includes 32 photographs depicting-... 10-1-1945 - 20-1-1946 — Page 32

Sir G. Gater

In the minutes leading up to your minute

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of 5th June you approved of the composition of an Advisory Committee to draw up plans for restarting certain of the activities of the Hong Kong University on an emergency basis. For a variety of reasons that Committee had not been assembled at the time of the liberation of Hong Kong, and it was then thought desirable to suspend action until the whole question could be discussed with Mr. Sloss, the Vice- Chancellor, who was one of the earliest of the repatriated internees.

One of the reasons for the delay was that Sir Andrew Caldecott, who had been asked to be Chairman of the Committee disagreed with the policy of restarting the University on a partial emergency basis until full consideration had been given to the long term policy for the University. Sir Andrew Caldecott saw no future for the University on its pre-war basis and expresed the view that "it would be better that the University should never reopen than that, having reopened, it should have to be closed down". On the arrival of Mr. Sloss the whole matter was discussed with him by Mr. Gent, Mr. Cox and Miss Ruston. There is a record of this discussion, with revised recommendations as to the setting up of this Committee, at No. 47. Briefly

the recommendation is that the Committee should be expanded to include (amongst others) Mr. Walter Adams, the Secretary designate of the Inter-University Council of Great Britain, which is being established on the recommendation of the Asquith Commission to assist the growth of Colonial Universities. It is also recommended that in tionsbo preparing short term plans for the emergency re-establishment of such activities of the University as are considered immediately necessary, the Committee should take into account considerations of long term policy.

In a minute at No. 52, Mr. Cox has set out rather more fully the long term questions of policy which arise, and has dealt with various of the implications arising from the recommendations put forward as a result of the meeting with Mr. Sloss. The most immediate issue is whether a Committee constituted as now recommended is a suitable body to go into the long term questions of policy, or, alternatively, whether the whole matter should be remitted to the Inter-University Council (which, however, has not yet been set up).

Mr. Cox and I (and I understand Mr. Gent) are satisfied that the best course would be to convene the proposed Committee as soon as possible. It may be that they will be able to present a sufficiently convincing review of the action to be taken (especially on a short term basis) which will justify us in going ahead without reference to a more elaborately constituted Committee or Commission. On the other hand, even if such a result does not emerge from their labours, they are admirably constituted to review the whole matter so that decisions could then be taken as to whether a more elaborate and higher powered enquiry is necessary.

I therefore submit the matter for approval of our now proceeding with the enlargement of the Committee as recommended in No. 47. This will involve the issue of further invitations to members as in draft herewith.

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