CO129-593-5 Rehabilitation of Hong Kong University. For extracted photographs see CN 3-45- Provisional Powers Committee 21-8-1946 - 23-12-1946 — Page 71

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population of well over a million there is, in fact, Justification for a University or some other institution for the purpose of providing for higher education, and I believe that you yourself were not inclined to assent the Committee's opinion on this point. we shall no doubt be congã tảng you officially about it later on, if the Committen's main recomast tion should be rejected.

In the light of the foregoing, Bloss has (discussed with us your telegram to him, No.618 of the

18th of July, about the provisional date for re-opening the University. As indicated in the telegram which be has sent you in reply, he is not in favour of re- opening in October. He considers that not only will the necessary equipment not now be available by the date, but that, if the University sere formally reconstituted then, it would be prejudicial to consideration at the Committee's recomendation that, unless the University omn be reconstituted on the vider basis, it would be better that it should not he

-astablished at all.

that

6. &loms argumma that once the University is a-opened it would in fact be ingrastienhle to aless it again; that the admission of students to long courass would create locally expectation of continumnos† and that, therefore, in order to awid the risk of a possible breach of public faith, it muld be necessary to indicate that not only the fukwe of the University but even its contimanoe is under consideration.

7. A further point on which he feels strongly is that, mere the University reconstituted in October, the University staff would have very inadeqanta representation on the Commoil and on the other University bodies. At the same time both be and

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