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the consent of the Governor thereto having been
first obtained.
Note. It is customary in Port Trusts for the
legislature to fix a maximum scale of charges
beyond which the Trusts cannot go without
further Parliamentary sanction. This proviso
is made with the object of protecting the
public, that is, the shipowners and merchants,
against unduly heavy charges, although
naturally it is to the interest of the Trusts
to keep their charges as low as possible. I
have inserted this provision with an eye not
only on the maximum charges but on the
minimum as well. It might be conceivable,
for instance, that the proposed Trust would
suggest too low rentals for the renewal of
the pier leases, in which case the Governor
could refuse his sanction and call upon the
Trust to reconsider the matter. At the same
time, as far as I can gather, the holders of
the pier leases which expire in 1949, do
expect to be charged higher rents for renewals,
but not unreasonably higher. What would be a
fair rental is the crux of the matter, but it
should not be difficult to arrive at it.
(h) The necessary staff for the working of the Trust to be
supplied by the Government, from their official
establishment, for the experimental period of
three years.
Note. I visualise at the end of the three years
a permanent Trust with its own staff. This
staff should not be a large one, in fact, it
should be kept as small as possible, and
would consist of a small secretariat, an