ADD. I
3.
34
(3) In June of this year the Secretary of State for the
Colonies intimated that in view of the changes which had occurred
and the lapse of time since the Oven Report had been considered by
the Executive Council, reconsideration of the main proposal for
the creation of a Port Trust appeared to be necessary. The Secretary
of State painted out that the importance of the Port in the Colony's
economy, the social and political adjustments necessitated by the war
and the constitutional changes which are now under consideration,
clearly made it desirable that all practicable methods of control and
operation of the Port should be thoroughly investigated before any
decisive step is taken. It was these circumstances which lead to our
appointment and our terms of reference called for an investigation on
the lines suggested by the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
Method of conducting the Inquiry.
5.
(1) The Committee met on seven occasions and the procedure
described in the following paragraphs was adopted in order to arrive
at our recommendations.
(2) The Committee considered the Owen Report, the proceedings
of the London Consultative Uommittee, various reports submitted by
Mr. James Jolly, O.B.E., Harbour Master, and Mr. Andrew Nicol, A.M.I.C.E.,
the Executive Engineer, Port Works Office, Public Works Department, at
the time the Owen Report was prepared, and the draft Port Trust Ordinance
prepared by Mr. Colman. Copies of these papers were furnished to all
members of the Committee and, with the exception of the Port Trust
Ordinance, are appended to this Report ar Appendix I.
(3) Although the Committee comprised a number of members qualified
to express the views of shipping and other interests likely to be
affected by changes in the form of the administration of the Port, the
Committee felt it was desirable that the public should be informed of
the Inquiry and its scope and that any persons wishing to represent the
vicws of sections of the community likely to be affected, should be
invited to make their views known to the Committee. Accordingly aïl
invitation in that benalf was published in both the Chinese and English
Press on the 15th September, 1946.