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maintenance of lighthouses and the application of the explosives regulations. The Surveyor General of Ships is responsible for marine surveys, and an Immigration and Passports Officer is responsible for the collection of landing fees and fines, and the issue of oertificates of admission. The Director of Public Works is responsible for dredging and the maintenance of sea walls. Sir George Trimmer, formerly Chairman 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 Office.
9. The following notes may be of interest in determining such re-allocation of duties as may become necessary.
10.
(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 imagine 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 port facilities.
(c) I have been informed that the practice in the Indian ports
where a Harbour Trust has been set up is for the Harbour Master to be a member of Courts of Inquiry 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 organize into an economic unit, it is common practice for the Trust or, more usually, the Government to carry out those functions on a repayment basis.
I understand that in Hong Kong the staff under the Harbour Master and his Deputy were organized into the following five sections:
Chief Boarding Officer. Chief Inspector of Junks. Chief Inspector of Lights. Mercantile Marine Office. Surveyor's Department.
Assuming that the recommendations of the Owen 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.