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2.
I told Dr. Benham that, impressed in conversations with that eminently practical officer, Mr. F.L.C. Tsui (who had particularly enjoyed sitting at Professor Firth's feet during the London part of his First Devonshire Course), I believed it important that no survey should be attempted except under somebody who had had some training and knew what he was up to.
I added that longkong was sensitive as
to the political trouble that would follow any but taetful handling of this question.
I said that on both grounds I personally would feel most happy if the investigation were in the hands of Mr. Tsui himself, but added that the usual shortage of staff made it impossible for him to be spared.
3.
Dr. Benham remarked that he thought it would be a good thing to publish our pilot desk survoys.
4.
Dr. Benham pressed me sa to the indispensability of Mr. Toui. I told him that it might certainly be possible for Mr. Tsui, once he has got into the saddle as District officer south, to start a survey of selected areas in his own District, but added that that District was not fully representative. In reply to Dr. Benham's question why not, I said that it was a poor District, and on the whole sparsely inhabited. I added that Mr. Taui had already in his spare time done some very useful work in the Taipo District, where his former ful home is.
Dr. Benhams suggested that Mr. Taui should
be put in charge of the work, but given the assistance of a team which he should be allowed to select himself. The work of the toa:s would not be confined to Mr. Taui' own District.
Dr. Benham went on to ruminate over the principal heade of enquiry, which he foresaw would be the land held by the family under survey, and their insome, He mentioned also education and housing.
Dr. Benham was anxious that, if the survey tended to disclose low standarde, we should be careful to see that the report, when published, should stress the inevitability of relation between B.T. standards and standards over the border.
5.
It may appear from the foregoing that Dr. Benhain was clearly prejudiced by me in favour of putting är, Taul in charge of the survey. Though I have made it clear that there is nobody I would rather see in charge of it, I did not stress that too heavily and I think Dr. Benham would confirm that the underlining is his rether than mine. It would not of course be fair
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