15
20th of December that the question does
not depend upon the likelihood of any increase
in Hong Kong's activities. It is a matter
of securing the most economical working of the
Port as a whole, and if Hong Kong is
with
threatened a decline in trade by reason of
competition by other Ports or otherwise, it may
be all the more necessary to adopt the form of
organisation most likely to produce the
minimum Port charges. Moreover, "development"
does not necessarily mean growth in size. It
may also mean simply change in methods or
circumstances.
Changes in other conditions.
in the Colony have also to be taken into account
in planning the future of the organisation
of the Port, e.g. the growth of the Air Port
which is almost certain to be necessary within
the next ten years and may have repercussions
on the siting of new shipping facilities.
Similarly, the growth of motor traffic is
already leading to the necessity for an additional
vehicular ferry across the harbour and the
siting of piers for such a ferry is a matter of
some difficulty which again may influence or be
influenced by the future plans for the Harbour as
a whole. I mention these as examples of the
kind of "developments" which inevitably arise,
and in dealing with which a coherent plan would
be very useful. In fact, both these particular
matters are of such urgency that they will
probably