Miss M Lackey
2
17 AUGUST 1972
Commercial Relations & Exports Dept Department of Trade & Industry
persuaded by the local arguments just because I happen to be on the spot. I can think of many Whitehall arguments against it. But hav- ing made all due allowance for that, I remain convinced that there is more than a little in this, and that we are in danger of losing ground here, simply because we are not striving hard enough to hold it. The Japanese with all the advantages of being just round the corner, but also the Germans and to a lesser extent the Italians and the French are doing their utmost to cultivate Hong Kong Industry, Hong Kong businessmen of the future now going through Polytechnic and the University. They have for example offered the new Polytechnic (which was formally launched on 1 August) equipment on which to train the students, no doubt because they are alert to the possibility that a man trained on a particular type of equipment from a particular country will think that way when he comes to the position where he can influence buying decision Indeed the Japanese Government offered to provide a fully equipped electrical laboratory, and staff to run it, long ago when the Polytechnic was still only an idea; so far their very pressing overtures have been held off - but now that the Polytechnic is a reality temptation to accept it is growing strong. There is a real risk that the up coming generation - who have nowhere near as much cause as their fathers to feel any attachment towards Britain - will be weaned away from us by this sort of brainwashing. I suppose, to some extent, we must accept and expect this from Japan after all Hong Kong is an Asian country but I find it hard to relinquish ground to other Europeans.
4.It is against this general_background that I would like to put for- ward four separate, but related propositions that have been made to me in the course of my rounds.
C5.
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First, there is the proposal that a substantial sum of money should be given to the Polytechnic for the purchase of their library. I shall not persue this further in this letter because I understand from the Governor that he has already put forward the case to Whitehall and is awaiting a reply. I would certainly not presume to embelish his presentation of the case and I am anxious not to get under gis feet, as it were, on this. I will, therefore, only say that seen from my vintage point there is absolutely everything to commend the proposal.
6. Secondly it has been suggested to me by both the Chairman (Dr Y C Chung)
and past Chairman (Mr H J C Browne, of Butterfield and Swire) of the Polytechnic Board that Britain's manufacturers of industrial machinery might offer some machinery free to the
Polytechnic for/
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