CONFIDENTIAL
APPENDIX IV
Mr. Colman's remarks on the 14th October, 1946, when he addressed the Committee and commented on the representations received by the Committee, and suggested alternative forms of administration in the event of a Port Trust not being formed.
APPENDIX IV
17:
Mr. Colman said:
I told the Chairman of this Committee after the last meeting that I did not consider that I was entitled to enter into any discussion unless specially called upon to do so, but to my surprise I found that he expected me to make any comments at any time. Therefore to avoid any misunderstandings I take this opportunity to refer to written remarks that have been received from the outside public.
So far you have received thirteen replies, eight of which support a Port Trust and five oppose it.
Those in favour are (I give them in the order in which they replied):
Hong Kong & Kowloon Wharf & Godown Oo. Ltd.
Java-China-Japan Lijn, N.V.
Gibb, Livingston & Co. Ltd.
Gilman & Co. Ltd.
Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China.
W. S. Bailey & Co. Ltd.
De La Rama Steamship Co. Inc.
Lowe, Bingham & Matthews.
Those against:
Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels Ltd. (Mr. F. 0. Barry,
Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co.
Wang Kee & Company.
Managing Director)
Hong Kong & Yaumati Ferry Co. Ltd.
Bank Line (China) Ltd.
The Hotel Manager says
a. Sir David Owen's Port Trust is a compromise. This is an incorrect statement.
b.
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The inconvenience of decentralization. This is an echo from the Harbour Master's remarks. It only applies to British ships others sign on and pay off their crews through their Consuls. It would be arranged by a Port Trust in the most convenient way for all concerned. In the foreign port of Basra the bulk of the shipping was British and the British Consul had his shipping office five miles from the port. He could quite easily have been accommodated in the port if it had been necessary, but such a thought was never hinted at. This is not a grave
issue.
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The Hon. Mr. Landale intervened in the course of
Mr. Colman's remarks that the representation referred to by Mr. Colman as being the views of the Hong Kong & Kowloon Wharf & Godown Company were, in fact, the personal views of Mr. J. Moodie, the Acting Manager and Secretary, and not those of the Directors of the Company.