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their existing establishments.
The questions of the future
administration of the port and of its physical development
are thus closely inter-related and must be considered
together.
8. On the question whether the situation demands
immediate action, it is stated that even if Hong Kong is
threatened with a decline in trade by reason of competition
with 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. This question does not
entirely depend upon the likelihood of any development or
increase in Hong Kong's activities.
"Development" does not
necessarily mean growth in size; it may also mean 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 Fort, which adjoins the Northern shore of the harbour
and which it is almost certain to be necessary to extend
within the next ten years with consequent repercussions on
the siting of new shipping facilities. imilarly, the
growth of motor traffic is already leading to the necessity
for an additional vehicular ferry across the harbour and the
siting of piera for such a ferry is a matter of some
difficulty which may again influence or be influenced by the
future plans for the harbour as a whole.