HONG KOID UITST DVISORY COMMITTE
136
10
Confidential
No. HKUAC 10.
Extract from a le
Dated 22nd. ovenbur
Besar Digby
Lorence.
+
The anxieties I speak about concern the future of the University. The buildings have been considerably damaged; the equipment looted; our investments have lost their value; a number of the staff have been killed. But the real seriousness was the pessimistic and defeatist view that was current in Hong Kong when I left. It was being seriously suggested that the University should declare itself bankrupt and close down; but that perhaps a new University might be started in five or six years. I (and some of my colleagues) are strongly of the view that the University has played a striking part in the Far East in the past thirty-three years; that it provides a great justification for the British retention of the Colony; that even if we loft, the University must continue; that it contains a real promise of still greater
sefulness in the interests of friendship between England and China and of international learning; and that it must not be allowed to aie.
>
I feel further that it must resume its activities even 1o in somewhat limited way for a time with the utmost possible speed. If we do not rusume at once all feeding schools will fit themselves Se train for the matriculations of other Universities; our reputation will ärop; our present wonderful opportunity of supplying the Universities in China who are horse off than wo with fresh staff and helping them in other ways, will have vanished.
M
Financial support from the Foreign Office and the Colonial Office will be necessary to enable the University to carry on in
manner which would be worth while, but as spoed is so assential 7 an convinced that the University should restart at once University authorities at the same bine stating that adequate
the fumacial qupport must be forthcoming within one or two yeare 22 us are to maintain recovery or indeed continue further.
4
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.