14
In paragraph 102 (10) of his report, Sir David Owen specified
that the policy of the Trust should be that of seeing that adequate
and proper facilities are available in the Harbour for ships and
their cargoes, but to allow approved private enterprise to provide
these facilities as far as possible and also to let private
enterprise do its own operating.
This has been the general policy in the past and the Committee
feels that this policy could be pursued with the aid of a strong and
representative Advisory Board as effectively as it could be pursued
by a Trust, particularly if such Advisory Board were given the
necessary powers to see that any of their recommendations which may
be approved by Government are carried out.
At a later stage of this report we submit recommendations as to
the formation of such an Advisory Body.
This Committee does not feel that it is necessary to constitute
a Port Trust in order to ensure effective control of the matters which
Sir David Owen proposed to place under the control of that body or
that it would be justifiable to constitute a Trust for the control of
sc limited a range of matters.
As stated by Sir David Owen in paragraph 83 (h) of his report -
"the Trust would merely be taking over duties now performed by the
Government", and there has been no serious criticism of the way in
which those duties have been performed.
In Sir David Owen's words, "the Harbour is the Colony and the
Colony is the Harbour" ̧ If a Trust were to acquire and operate all
the facilities of the Port, including piers, wharves and godowns,
shipyards, and the Railway, also the control of foreshore rights and
reclamations, it would indubitably become the master planning unit of
the Colony. It is conceivable that a Port Trust of such importance
might, by unifying control, effect certain economies, but before it
could come into being immense capital expenditure would be involved,
and there is no evidence before the Committee that this proposition is
practicable or desirable. It is completely against Sir David Owen's
recommendations, which do not advocate the creation of an operating Trust.