TNAG-0649-FCO40-797-Study-of-labour-relations-in-Hong-Kong-by-Professor-H.-A.-Tu-1977 — Page 145

11x8

The University of Sydney

Department of Industrial Relations

Mr. T. Duffy,

Foreign & Commontealth office,"

London, S.W.1.,

31

2 STAY 1977

England.

Dear Tom,

HKK 212/17

du. Dolly way

have already

י 77

5th May, 1977

ython Scen

Mir MM

We served the Twas four yfterio

M

July 01.0

11

boller (Ao lea Probolow)

Min

May, 2415.

I simply haven't had time to reply before to your sof 4th April about excess expenditure on the Hong Kong survey by Dr. Fosh and myself, nor can I now deal with it in detail; though I am naturally glad that some concession has been made I hope that she is reasonably satisfied with the outcome.

-

(which seem to total about £1500)

As regards the residual disputed items in my own account, many of these are trivial, and I am not going to argue though I could say, for instance, that bills presented after 31st December are not necessarily in respect of work unconnected with the report but reflect HKU accounting; or that the courier service limited my transmission of documents from HK to confidential material, so I was obliged to despatch other working papers separately.

However, 1)

2)

3)

4)

I did warn Stewart that to combine presentation of a reasonably complete (if only interim) report by 31st December with my Sydney responsibilities might necessitate a third trip back: the BTC has a receipt covering it; and it seems illogical (to say the least) to allow me 52 days subsistence on the second round, but an air fare which only covers a 28-day excursion return! A reasonable compromise might be to add the difference between the latter and the normal return fare Sydney/HK, which I think is about $A375, or some £250.

So far as I can discover, I have only been paid £25 for "sundries" on the November/December round not 125 as you state. Your letter to me of 8th October and the BTC's of 6th December refer.

I certainly did spend time in Hong Kong in January and February, "clearing-up", setting up the two Australian post-graduates' exercise (of which the Hong Kong government has now had the benefit in the form of drafts), or in consultation undertaken after discussion by phone in the UK with the Govenor, on my interim conclusions and possible further work; and I emphatically feel some maintenance should be allowed for that.

I was certainly involved in extra cost in returning to Sydney via Hong Kong, instead of direct, for the same consultations.

Adding these things up, I total about £1000. Since I hold some $HK7678 (or £950) outstanding from previous allocations, I would be prepared to call it quits on an exchange, and forget the balance of my claim.

Best wishes,

P.S.

Sincerely,

Вежт

H.A. Turner

There is a new Overseas Courier Service which the University is using as allegedly faster and more secure than the normal mail for many countries. I'm sending this in copy both ways as an experiment: you might tell me which arrives first. If the 0.C.S. works, the FCO might well consider using it. Stewart's letters to me of 21st April took 12 days to reach me, and would probably have taken 14 if I hadn't fetched them from the Consulate General myself.