16.
(h) The necessary staff for the working of the Trust to be
supplied by the Government, from their official establishment, for the experimental period of three
years.
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NOTE. I visualize at the end of the three years a permanent Trust with its own staff. This staff should not be a large one, in fact, it should be kept as small as possible, and would consist of a small secretariat, an engineer with the necessary assistants and a Harbour Master without any extraneous duties.
It should not involve, on the whole, any staff increase to the present Government establishments, for, as the Trust would merely be taking over duties now performed by the Government, all that it should mean would be a transfer of staff, which should not be a real difficulty if the staff were guaranteed no worse terms and conditions than they now enjoy. The superannuation might present a difficulty, but seeing that the staff entered the Government service in the first instance, it would only be fair for the Government to assume the responsibility for the superannuations.
(i) The Trust to regulate its own procedure, with the proviso
that a quorun at any meeting should be four, but no Trustee to be allowed to vote on any question directly affecting his own or his firm's business.
NOTE. This is common form.
(j) The policy to be adopted by the Trust to 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 let private enterprise do its own "operating".
NOTE. I would strongly recommend this line of policy, having regard to the conditions in Hong Kong. It would mean that the leases of the existing piers would be renewed and new ones granted as occasion arose, although, as I mention later on, it might be wise for the Trust to construct some new piers to replace those that are dilapidated, and let them at appropriate rentals. In all cases, however, the lessees or tenants them- selves should be left to "operate" the piers without inter- ference, so long as they coped with the requirements of the trade of the Port. In this way there should not be any fear of increased charges on the shipping trade.
On the matter of renewing the leases of the piers on their expiration in 1949, I might venture to suggest that the term of the renewal is perhaps not very important if the lessees knew that the policy to be adopted was as indicated herein. A period of ten, or perhaps twenty, years with the option of further renewal at the end of the term, might be regarded as sufficient to give them security.
I should like also to emphasize that it would seem dosirable that every future lease should stipulate that the lessee is to use the pier only for the purposes of his own business, which must be connected with shipping and that under no circumstances will sub-letting be allowed. I understand that some lessees have sub-let their piers at a profit rental which increases the charge the sub-tenant levies on ships using the pier. This is highly undesirable.