Senior Stories Henry Chia

 GENESIS

by Henry Chis

Everything starts from something! A Christian hymn “Pass It On” has this introductory line: “It only takes a spark to get a fire going”.

Recently my longstanding friend, Emeritus Professor, Dr Edwin Thumboo told me, the Economic Journal published by the Economics Department of the National University of Singapore is enjoying great success, and people are enquiring on how it got started.

In my second year, 1955/56, as the honorary secretary of the student Economic Society I published the first Economic Journal. Immediately after its the successful publication, Professor T H Silcock, Head of the University of Malaya Economic Department called me over to his office. He told me that the department was interested in taking over the publication and wondered whether I had any objection to the transfer. Unhesitatingly, I gladly agreed because I knew I could not give any more of my time as I had to prepare for my impending examinations.

The idea of the publication struck me during lecture: students listened and jotted down notes; but the thought came to me that lectures basically ed up our minds, widen our knowledge. I approached all the teachers in the department and put forward to them my belief that they could help students widen their perspective, and enjoy the study of economics if they would expand their lectures with additional information through a publication that I proposed to produce. They accepted my idea and agreed to contribute articles to support the production of such a journal. Their unreserved responses showed their collective objective of educating high quality students. 

The publication of the journal required an editor who would handle the articles submitted by the teachers, to have them arranged in a systematic order. I assigned an honours year economic student to carry out this responsibility. He agreed to commit himself to the work without reservation, even though the work would greatly impinge on his study time. Unfortunately, I cannot recall his name. It’s difficult to recall anything that took place so far back in time. It was about 56 years ago when I started this project. I am now 89 years of age; past events have got somewhat foggy. I don’t have a copy of the journal where you can find his name: I think there’s a ‘K’ in it. But I can recall our very good relationship. He worked according to my intended plan and schedule of production, and willingly accompanied me on several occasions to the printer’s office, by public transport, to discuss with the printer the format of the journal. He carried out all the necessary editorial functions and he finalised the presentation with the printer. A quiet and trustworthy man.

After arranging the publication part of the journal, I then gave my attention to other aspects of book production: importantly, payment for the printing. I dismissed the idea of getting a financial sponsor as there was no precedent. Who would agree to support it financially? I decided to take this problem as a personal challenge: be self-reliant. I was confident as I could fall back on my past experience of getting financial backing for the production of my school magazines (Victoria School) before and after I became the business manager of the first issue of the Combined School Magazine.        

I renewed contact with the company which printed the school magazines. As I had no financial resources, no money to back up the production, I made a deal with the printer. I explained the objective of the publication and promised him that I would do my very best to get enough advertisements to cover the printing cost. He trusted my word that I would honestly work to meet the production cost and agreed to print a specified number of copies (I cannot remember how many). A true gentleman, he did not talk about profits.

Having got the printer’s agreement to do the job, I then went about to tackle the next part of the production: find enough money from advertisements to pay the printer. The companies I had in mind were spread out throughout the city. I could get to them by the only means of transport available to me: using my bicycle. Fortunately, the bosses of these companies were good listeners with a good heart. They listened to the objective of the publication, they were sympathetic and they applauded the idea that students would benefit from their study of economics, and that the teachers had given their wholehearted support. 

The publication of this student Economic Journal was successfully completed in about three months. I requested a committee member of the student Economic Society, A Mahadeva, a schoolmate to complete the publication’s financial transactions, and take care of its distribution. He said to me, “You published the Journal, your name is not it!” My reply was that it didn’t matter. At his insistence I wrote a notice in my capacity as Secretary of the student Economic Society encouraging students to join the Society, and had the notice stuck at the inside of the back cover of the book. 

It was just prior to a lecture when Professor Silcock called me to speak with me about the Economic Department’s desire to take over the Journal. After the meeting I returned to the lecture room and I informed the class about my agreement to the transfer.

I had no extraordinary feeling of exhilaration about the publication and completion of the journal. What mattered most to me was that the objective of the publication received the warm response of everyone who supported it: the teachers in the Economic Department, printer, bosses of companies, and fellow students. And for me, I learned a critical life lesson: the importance of getting the trust of people I need for my endeavours.

Henry Chia Soo Boon PPA (G); BA Hons (1958) University of

 Singapore