Harbours
with I'm assistance fthe advisory
Chulter
Sir G. Gater.
In your minute of the 23rd of March you authorised us to go ahead with consultations with the Ministry of ar Transport on a proposal te appoint a Full-tire officer who would become Head of the Hong Kong Harbour Trust, recommended in Sir David Owen's Report, and who would in the meantime proceed with the preparation of plans for the rehabilitation and re-organisation of Hong Kong Harbour Services on the lines recormended by Sir David Owen.
As a result of our consultations with the Ministry of Wer Transport, it is proposed that a Mr. Colman, at present serving as Chairman of the Port of Basrah, should be selected for this post if he is willing to take it on. As to this, Mr. Cohen (the Chief Planner the Singapore and Penang Harbours) was authorised to sound Mr. Colman in the course of his recent visit to Indis, Mr. Colman is attracted by this prospect and has arranged to come home for discussions with us and is due to arrive next Wednesday. He will, however, only be in London for a short time (probably a month) after which he will have to return to Basrah until the
end of the year. We understand from Mr. Cohen that Mr. Colman will not wish to continue his service in Basrah after that date when he may become
available to us.
The difficulty has been to devise machinery for this planning work which would function, under Mr. Colman's direction, even while Mr. Colman is not in t is country.
This matter has been discussed with Mr. Gent, Mr. Cohen and representatives of the H.K.2.U. and we have come to the conclusion that the only workable arrangement would be somet ing on the following lines.
Mr. Colman wo la require a small permanent staff consistin of an aministrative Assistant who would ultimately become t e decretary of the Harbours Trust. He would also require some Technical Assistants (a Marine Adviser and a Civil Engineer), but this Technical Assistante can as an interim mensure be provided by the staff of the H.K.P.U.
In addition, it is felt that there should be an Advisory Committee, representing the users of the Port, in the same way as Mr. Cohen's Own Malayan Planning Unit is assisted by such a Commitee.
The conception is that, if Mr. Colman is agreeable to taking on the job, and approves this machinery, he should before returning to Basrah, lay down the broad lines of policy, to be worked out by the Committee in London with the assistance of the staff to be provided; and that thereafter the Secretary should communicate with him in Basrah as may be necessary for further guidance in the work of planning.
As Mr. Colman's time in London will be so short, we shall want this machinery to start working as soon as possible after he has expressed his agreement · with it. I should therefore now be glad to have
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