6
Mr. Colman then referred to the ferries. He said that he certainly had no criticism to make and that personal experience had led him to the opinion that an adequate service was being run, and he did not wish to suggest that control by a Port Trust would improve the operation of the ferry services. He considered that the venicular ferry was quick and efficient and the best designed ferry of its kind that he had seen. But he thought it most desirable that all questions regarding the renewal of leases or licences, or the granting of new licences, should be in the hands of a statutory body like a Port Trust.
The Chairman in his opening remarks had referred to his inability to reconcile the factual parts of Sir David Owen's Report with the conclusions he had reached, and Mr. Colman said that after repeated readings of the Owen Report, he felt that two points which he had stressed were in themselves sufficient to justify Sir David's conclusions, namely -
(i) that the Port Authority should keep separate accounts,
and
(ii) that there should be a separate Port Engineering
Tepartment with its own budget, and with it, a chance for future planning.
He pointed out that Sir David Owen also mentioned that in Hong Kong control by the Government, by reason of the constitution here, would be a bureaucratic form of control and, in his opinion, undesirable.
Referring to the draft Ordinance which had been circulated to the Committee, Mr. Colman remarked that it had been drafted as widely as possible - deliberately so in the belief that it was far easier to be destructive than to be constructive, so that it would be a easier matter for those concerned to cut out or modify clauses wh re it was considered desirable, and he himself would be quite pleased to see one or two items in the draft Ordinance either cut out or modified. Mr. Colman said that if the Committee in the course of its work felt it necessary to comment on or discuss in detail the provisions of the draft Ordinance he would hope to be present to participate in the discussion. He thought the Committee would find that where they proposed some modification he would not wish to objeot, but would put forward the reason why the particular clause. had been inserted.
Mr. Colman closed his remarks by saying that he had no criticisms of existing arrangements to make other than the points which he had mentioned. He had never had the opportunity of seeing the port working under normal conditions. He presumed that all was not well
prior to 1941 from the facts that
Sir David Owen was asked to come here and report; Sir David Owen recommended alterations; and
his recommendations were accepted by the Hong Kong
Government.
The Chairman thanked Mr. Colman for the expression of his views and invited the members of the Committee to comment on them.