Future Administration of the Port of Hong Kong
49
The development of the harbour of Hong Kong has largely been left to private enterprise. Numerous piers of varying design and utility have been constructed from time to time to serve the needs of particular trades. The majority of these are in private hands, being leased either as "permanent" piers, in which case the rights are due to expire on the 31st December, 1949, or on annual licenses as "temporary" piers. The storage of merchandise for local consumption, export, or in transit, is carried out by a multitude of private firms, each owning or leasing go-dows around the harbour. Strategic water-fronts have been acquired by private enterprise and a further obstacle to unified development on modern lines is the accumulation of "marine frontage rights" resulting from successive reclamation schemes.
2. Thus the development of the port to the best advantage has become a problem of increasing difficulty, and the knowledge that heavy compensation might have to be met has at times deterred Government from proceeding with urgent works. The matter has been under consideration for a number of years; but it has now assumed a special urgency owing to the necessity for an early decision as to whether the Government will be prepared to renew the pier leases due to expire in 1949. In October, 1938, the Governor made an announcement in the Legislative Council to the effect that it was not the Government's present intention to renew any of these leases, as it had in fact been the Government's policy for the past 17 years to take possession of all pier sites in 1949. The Governor, however, promised that the question of the future organisation of the port would at once be taken into consideration.
6. The fundamental issue of the problem may be summarised in the questions - By which of the following methods has the future development of the port to be undertaken?
(a) By Government?
(b) By an independent corporation such as a Port Trust or Harbour Board (such as the Colombo Port Trust or the Singapore Harbour Board?)
alone
c) By private enterprise on its own?
(d) By private enterprise under some form of Government supervision and direction?
7. Until the existing wharf companies know definitely by which of these methods the future development of the port is to be undertaken, they will naturally be reluctant to spend anything more than is necessary for the maintenance of their existing establish- ments. The questions of the future administration of the port and of its physical development are thus closely inter-related and must be considered together.