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Public Works is responsible for dredging and the maintenance of sea walls. Sir George Trimmer, formerly Chairmen of the Singapore Harbour Board has expressed his willingness to provide information on particular points concerning the organization of that Board about which the Committee may desire to have information.
8. Colombo. The Port Commission functions as a Government Department under the Minister of Communications and Works. Under the Chairman of the Commission is a Secretary responsible for the general administration and finance; a Master Attendant responsible for nautical matters including pilots and lights; and a Harbour Engineer responsible for maintenance and dredging. It is believed that the Collector of Customs at present continues to control the Shipping Offico.
9. The following notes may be of interest in determining such re-allocation of duties as may become necessary.
(a) In the Colonies where the Harbour Administration is a separate unit the Mercantile Marine or Shipping Office is sometimes a separate, and suitably staffed, section under the Controller of Customs.
In Hong Kong I imagino that the Imports and Exports Office would be the appropriate department to control these functions.
(b) The view is generally held that pilots should be licensed, and their employment controlled, by the Port Authority. Mr. R.H. Thornton of Messrs. A. Holt & Co. has expressed the opinion to me that the application of RADAR to the improvement of the pilotage services at Hong Kong during the period of the spring fogs, is a matter which should receive early consideration by the body concerned with the improvement of the ports facilities.
(a) I have been informed that the practice in the Indian porta where a Harbour Trust has been set up is for the Harbour Master to be a member of Courts of Enquiry and to arrange their work, he inviting a senior visiting master to act as President and a Naval Officer to complete the
Court.
(a) Where a logical division of -responsibility between the Government and the Port Trust would result in either body being left with residual functions which it would be difficult to organise into an economic unit, it is common practice for the Trust or, more usually, the Goverment to carry out those functions, on a repayment basis.
10. I understand that in Hong Kong the staff under the Harbour Master and his Deputy were organised into the following five sections:-
Chief Boarding Officer.
(b) Chief Inspector of Junks. (c) Chief Inspector of Lights,
Mercantile Marine Office Surveyor's Department.
Assuming that the recommendations of the won Report are put into effect, it would appear that the Port Trust would be concerned with the first three sections, leaving the remaining two to function as separate sub-sections or to combine to form a Marine Department. For the purpose of facilitating discussion at the next meeting of the Committee the main duties of the Harbour Master's Department as formerly constituted are listed below together with a suggested re-allocation of those duties between the Port Trust, the Mercantile Marine Office, and the Marine Surveyor's Department.
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