CO129-594-3 Rehabilitation of Hong Kong University. For extracted photographs see CN 3-45- Advisory Committee- minutes of... 18-1-1946 - 9-4-1946 — Page 79

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HONG KONG UNIVERSITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

DRAFT MINUTES OF THE FIRST MEETING of the

Hong Kong University Advisory Committee held

2D

at 2.30 p.m. on Friday, the 18th of January, 1946, in the Conference Room, Dover House.

Present:

Mr. C.W.M. Cox (in the chair)

Mr. Walter Adams

Dr. H.J. Channon

Sir

Herbert Eason

Mrs. L. Forster

Sir Edward Gent

Mr. M. Hezeltine

Professor W. J. Hint on

Sir George Moss

Professor L.M. Penson

Sir Humphrey Prideaux-Brune Dr. R.E. Priestley

Mr. D. J. Sloss

Mr. N. L.

Smith

Dr. J.A. Venn

Miss A.M. Ruston (Secretary).

Mr. . Burney and Mr. A. Morse were unable to be present.

The Chairman in the name of the Secretary of State welcomed the members and after explaining the origins of the Committee, invited Sir Edward Gent to make a statement on the background to the questions on which the Committee were asked to advise.

Sir Edward Gent stressing that he spoke in a purely personal capacity, said that the Committee were asked to make proposals of lasting importance to the British position in the Far East. He referred to papers before the meeting. Bearing in mind the political and economic position of Hong Kong, it was, in his view, important that the University should be developed on the lines laid down by its founders. Referring to the possible future development of a form of municipal government in Hong Kong he thought that in the next twenty to fifty years we should have to rely in large part on the "products of Hong Kong University" and it was important therefore that there should be no rift between them and their colleagues in China. He thought that if the University came to serve only the narrower needs of the Colony, the future of Hong Kong might be seriously compromised.

Mr. Sloss asked if the Committee could assume that it was the policy of His Majesty's Government to support the reconstruction and development of the University having in view not merely local interests but broader Chinese interests also.

Sir Edward Gent replied that the policy of the Colonial Office was expressed in HKUAC. No. 1 and reaffirmed in HKUAC No. 3. but that if the Committee were of opinion that this policy was wrong it was at liberty to say so. For this reason section (a) of the

terms of reference had been included.

The Chairman referred to the adverse view expressed

by Sir Andrew Caldecott (HKUAC No. 7) and to a suggestion in HKUAC No. 2 (paragraph 10) that an alternative to a reconstituted University at Hong Kong was a British University of the Far East to meet the needs of both Malaya and Hong Kong.

/Sir Edward Gent