CO129-625-4 Hong Kong University- rehabilitation (1951) 1-12-1950 - 30-11-1951 — Page 139

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COLONIAL UNIVERSITY GRANTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Agenda Item No.10

23.ii.51

C.U.G.C./8/51

UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: BUILDING PLANS.

(Note by Secretary)

1. At its last meeting, the Committee agreed (Minute CUGC. 14/50) to recommend that a grant of £250,000 from the C.D. & W. higher education allocation should be made to the University of Hong Kong to assist the schemes for capital development described by the Inter-University Council visitors to the University in their report which was approved by the Council. This grant was additional to the £250,000 promised by His Majesty's Government in 1948, about which the Colonial Office note circulated to the Committee stated that "the Treasury are being approached with a view to securing the release of a substantial portion of the provisions already made on the Colonial Office vote for this year to meet certain capital projects referred to in paragraph 8 of the Visiting Mission's report, and thereafter of the balance at such rate as the progress of the work demands."

2.

The allocation of £250,000 from C.D. & W. funds was approved and will be paid directly to the University, which has been recognised as an administering authority for this purpose. The £250,000 from the Colonial Office vote will be paid through the local government, and will be subject to different audit arrangements. The Colonial Office has suggested that a single inclusive scheme should be made for the whole £500,000, and that issues from the two component parts of this should be made concurrently on a 50/50 basis. The University was asked to estimate the amounts it would need to withdraw in the financial years 1950/51, 1951/2 and 1952/3, and provided the following estimates:-

Expenditure to 31st March, 1951, £82,000, covering the

Duncan Sloss School of Engineering and architecture (8640,000), Vice-Chancellor's Lodge (8385,000), site formation for flats ($55,000), rehabilitation of Great Hall ($220,000).

Expenditure to 31st March, 1952, £293,000, covering the

main buildin: ($2,500,000), construction of flats ($1,300,000) and Union building (8900,000).

Expenditure to 31st March, 1953, £125,000, covering the

balance of the building programme.

The Hong Kong government informed the Colonial Office on 29th December, 1950, that arrangements would be made for the early submission of a detailed scheme covering all the capital development expenditure of £500,000. This detailed scheme has not yet been received.

3. In order to obtain steel and an option on fittings needed for the buildings, the University arranged for its irofessor of Architecture, irofessor Gordon Brown, to visit London recently. He obtained an option on 750 tons of steel in Belgium and an option on all the fittings required. He estimated that the expenditure involved would be £42,000 for steel and £30,000 for fittings, which together with shipping costs and contingencies would involve securing authority for the release of £100,000 of the £500,000. Professor Gordon Brown has returned to

Hong Kong/