8
193
6.
Mr. Kadourie asked for more criticism of the existing arrangements and asked whether for example there was evidence of a lack of co-ordination between departments, or the retarding of one department's work by another. Mr. Colman said that as he had not seen the port working normally he was not in a position to add to the points that had already been made namely, that separate accounts and an engineering department with a definite plan had been lacking, and that in the past the Government had done nothing positive for the port except, perhaps, the provision of the Taumati Ferry piers. The Hon. Mr. Landale mentioned that arrangements had now been made for the Government's accounts to deal adequately in future with the port finances.
Mr. Thomson inquired why Mr. Colman thought present conditions were not normal when ships were turning round in four days and in some cases unloading 1,700 tons per day. Mr. Colman said he would have expected to see more congestion along Connaught Road and more ships being worked on in the stream if conditions had been normal, and the Hon. Mr. Landale mentioned that work was being carried on under the handicap of a general lack of equipment.
Mr. Kadoorie asked whether it was argued in favour of the Port Trust that the port had outgrown what private enterprise could do. ir. Colma said that without more information as to the economic position of Hong Kong and what the port could do, he was not in a position to express an opinion, but it was clear that something more than the previously passive attitude of the Government would be necessary in the future.
Mr. Thomson asked whether the revenue of the Port Trust could be used for the development of the railways. Mr. Colman said he did not think that would be fair and such a proposal would require very careful consideration. He thought the Government should be responsible for bringing the railway to the godowns, costs being recovered in the freight charged to users of the railway. Mr. Wickerson objected that if surplus port funds were not to be applied for port improvement purposes, the main advantage of having a Port Trust would be removed. Mr. Colman pointed out that Sir David Owen had recommended that the Port Trust be set up initially for an experimental period of three years during which surpluses if any would be taken into genera. revenue by Government. Mr. Wickerson was understood to deprec ite too long an experimental period as being likely to delay the adoption of a long-term policy.
The Chairman said he noted that it was apparently proposed that a great source of revenue of the Port Trust would be the revenue from ferry leases and royalties and he asked whether Mr. Colman visualized the Port Trust making some payment to Government out of this revenue to recoup the past expenditure by Government on the erection of the ferry piers. Mr. Colman said that this was a point which would have to be considered when negotiating the financial arrangements between Government and the Port Trust.
ADJOURNMENT .
The meeting then adjourned until 4.30 p.m. on Monday, the 23rd September, 1946.