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9. The Harbour is not run as a separate department, the engineering side of it being a sub-department or section of the department of Public Works. The control of navigation within the Port is under the Harbour Master whose department is a separate one, but his functions are wider than those usually performed by a Harbour Master, as he is also apparently Emigration Officer, Superintendent of Mercantile Marine, Registrar of Shipping, Principal Examiner of Masters and Mates, Director of Air Services, Marine Magistrate and a member of the Harbour Advisory Committee.
10. Work in the Harbour, such as the reclamation of land from the waterway, piers for Government use, and dredging, etc., have been executed by the Department of Public Works, but beyond the provision of moring buoys, navigational lights for ships, and an amount of dredging, not much money has been spent by the Government on accommoda- tion in the nature of piers, etc., for shipping and for goods imported and exported, that having been left to private enterprise, the Government merely leasing the necessary land.
11. HARBOUR ADVISORY BOARD AND COMMITTEE. In the year 1927, a suggestion that an Advisory Body, tu be called the "Hong Kong Harbour Board", should be established, was approved by the Governor. The idea apparently originated with the Harbour Master who reported that all great Ports of the size of Hong Kong had such Boards of one sort or another and, as he had been in Colombo, he seemed to think that the system there was the ideal one. It was not until 1929 that the "Hang Kong Harbour Board" was actually formed and it consisted of the Harbour Master, as Chairman, with seven Government officials as well as four members recommended by the General Chamber of Commerce and two nominated by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, together with representatives of the Royal Navy and the Mercantile Marine, respectively.
12.
The duties of this Board were to advise the Government in any matter concerning the Harbour as to which the advice of the Board might be sought by the Governor.
13. It is interesting to note that when the General Chamber of Commerce was consulted before the appointment of the Board, they stated at first sight it appeared that the appointment of such a Body without executive powers would lead to slight, if any, improvement upon the then existing organization as regards the Harbour. Later the Chamber expressed themselves as apprehensive that the formation of such a Harbour Board would eventually lead to increased expenses being placed on shipping. They also stated they were generally in favour of the establishment of a Harbour Board provided that the ultimate aid of Government was to form a Body which would eventually be given limited authority with moderately wide terms of reference in respect of general questions of policy in Harbour development.
14. Later the idea grew that a smaller and more flexible Body would be desirable, and in 1931 the Board was dissolved and a small "Harbour Advisory Committee" was substituted, consisting of four Government officials, three unofficial members who were British subjects and one of
The Colonial whom was of Chinese nationality, and a Naval officer. Secretary acted as Chairman of this Committee. matters were referred to the first Advisory Board and subsequently to the Advisory Committee.
From time to time various
It
15. It seems that the Harbour Advisory Committee is still in existence in name, but no meeting has been held for about two years. cannot therefore be said to have a marked influence on the policy of the Port. I will, however, refer to it later in this Report.