Sessional_Paper_1938 — Page 211

No. 514.

207

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONG KONG, 27th June, 1938.

SIR,

I have the honour to refer to correspondence on the subject of the report of the Hong Kong University (1937) Committee.

2. Full consideration was given to the report by the Governing Bodies of the University during the past winter. The important conclusions now reached as regards the Engineering Faculty, the Professorships of Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, the Department of Education in the Faculty of Arts and the Medical Faculty, as also on general financial questions, are discussed in the following paragraphs. The decisions subsequently reached on the subject of the University's constitution will be reported to you in due course.

3. Meetings of the Senate, following meetings of Faculties, were held on February 3rd, February 24th, March 3rd, March 10th, March 17th, and April 7th, 1938, to consider the report of the University (1937) Committee. Before the Senate had completed its consideration of the report, the University Council by resolution. of 11th February called on the Vice-Chancellor to give his views on the issues raised in the report. This he did in the form of motions for discussion by the Council. At meetings on April 8th, 25th and 29th the Council first considered the resolutions of the Senate and afterward the motions of which notice had been given by the Vice-Chancellor. Where the resolutions of the Senate and the motions of the Vice-Chancellor touched the same issues, and advocated change in the existing organizations or arrangement, they were deferred and considered together. All the remaining resolutions of the Senate were considered, but the Council took no action. upon those that were in the nature of replies to comments by the Committee beyond forwarding them to the University Court.

No. 1.

4. The Court met on May 23rd, 1938, under the chairmanship of myself as Chancellor a copy of the relevant portion of the minutes of the meeting is Enclosure attached. The agenda consisted of the resolutions of the Council, that is to say. of the motions proposed in the Council by the Vice-Chancellor as they were passed, sometimes with amendments by the Council. Ten days before the meeting of the Court a printed paper was sent to all members of the Court which gave in parallel

columns-

(a) extracts from the report which were the matter of resolutions passed

by the Senate or the Council.

(b) resolutions of the Senate and resolutions of Faculties endorsed by the

Senate.

(c) resolutions of the Council.

No. 2.

5. A copy of this printed paper is the second enclosure of this despatch. Enclosure Members of the Court were asked to inform the Registrar of their intention to move amendments to the Council's resolutions which were the agenda of the Court meet- ing, and in the same notice attention was called to the resolutions of the Faculties and Senate. Notice of two amendments was received; the one given by Mr. S. Caine, the Financial Secretary, deferring to a committee of the Court to be appointed by the Chancellor all proposals relating to modifications of the machinery of the

The Right Honourable

MALCOLM MACDONALD, M.P.,

&c.,

&c.,

&c.