Sessional_Paper_1946 — Page 96

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5. The response to the appeal for the public for suggestions was very disappointing, a total of only four being received. One suggestion was a hospital and a second was a sports centre; a third was the raising of a public loan for the making of a cross harbour tunnel; a fourth was the erection of a sports stadium.

6. Before the date fixed for the Second meeting a letter dated 16th September was received from the Colonial Secretary asking for the Committee views on proposals regard- ing the inscriptions on the Cenotaph contained in a despatch from Mr. G. H. Hall, Secretary of State for the Colonies. It was unanimously agreed by the Committee that it was fitting that the dates 1939-45 should be added on our Cenotaph and a minute so informing the Colonial Secretary was sent in reply (Enclosure 4).

7. (i) At the Second meeting considerable discussion centred around the possibility of the raising of such loan. The other suggestions were also discussed but it was felt that, as no big undertaking could be financed by public subscription, it might be advisable to get more information from persons in a position to know whether it were possible to raise a loan from the public on a large scale.

(ii) The formation of a Sub-Committee was proposed by Honourable D'Almada to consider and report on suggestions which Bishop Hall agreed to put in writing regarding his suggestions for such a loan. Mr. Pentreath consented to undertake the work of forming a Sub-Committee.

8. (i) Our third meeting was fixed for 7th November a date which coincided with the Second reading of the Hong Kong War Service Assistance Fund Bill. A copy of a letter which the Honourable M. K. Lo had addressed to the Secretariat was received by the Secretary of the Committee (Enclosure 5).

(ii) Mr. Lo's suggestion was that the second reading of the Bill should be post- poned to a later date as he was of the opinion that the Committee might well come to the conclusion that the establishment of the Fund envisaged in the Bill might form the basis of the Hong Kong War Memorial, there being no great enthusiasm, as far as he could ascertain, for any general concrete War Memorial. In a minute to the Colonial Secretary I supported Mr. Lo's suggestion for postponement of the reading of the Bill.

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9. Mr. Pentreath who had very kindly undertaken the whole work of collecting the views of various men with financial knowledge of conditions in the Colony made a report on the suggestion put forward by Bishop Hall regarding the raising of a public loan. Bishop Hall's suggestions are in Enclosure 6 and Mr. Pentreath's report in Enclosure 7. This report was circulated for discussion at our third meeting.

10. In addition Commander Morahan prepared a report on the question of a stadium as a form of memorial, a proposal which had been made by a Mr. Lam Chik Suen-— The proposal and his report hereon are contained in Enclosure 8. This had also been circulated for discussion prior to our next meeting.

11. The Superintendent of Crown Lands and Surveys also provided for the Committee a short report in connection with the development of various open spaces. This report and plans are in Enclosure 9.

12. At our third and final meeting the Committee discussed the reports by Mr. Pentreath and others decided unanimously against any scheme for raising a public loan. Discussion then centred round the suggestion contained in Mr. Lo's letter in connection with the Hong Kong War Service Assistance Fund Bill and it was early abundantly clear that the Committee unanimously considered it could be unwise at this period of high building costs, with very essential works still awaiting construction, to recommend the undertaking of any form of memorial such as a welfare centre or recreational ground, etc.

13. After due consideration our final recommendations were reached and Your Excellency has already received a report containing these recommendations. They are again set out below:-

Our recommendations are as follows: —

As to the form which such Memorial should take we recommend

(i) that a fund called the Hong Kong War Memorial Fund should be established to provide for (a) the objects set out in Clause 4 of the Hong Kong War Service Assistance Fund Bill and (b) undertakings of a nature to benefit the community as a whole.

Such undertakings might include measures for the amelioration of the condition of the poorer classes and for the provision of social welfare amenities for the people embracing welfare centres, recreational and other facilities, scholarships (for Hong Kong and/or England), medical and other relief. Such object might be enumerated in a Third Schedule to the Bill. They should only be proceeded with when calls on the Fund in connection with the First and Second Schedules have diminished sufficiently to permit funds to be used for any of the purposes in the Third Schedule.