!
462
districts and so would tend to relieve the constant over- crowding in Victoria.
3.
It will be seen from the above that free competition had been eliminated and was not to be looked for, and that the crowded condition of the Harbour would in any case have made the rivalry of competing ferry companies dangerous and undesirable. Money spent on improving or adding to the existing piers will all be spent in the interests of the travelling public.
4.
At first sight, to give a monopoly to the highest tenderer without reducing the current fares might appear to be inconsistent with the deliberate statement of the Goverment that their main object was not revenue, but it is not really so. The chief object of the present licence is to gain experience, both as regards fares and as regards general working, and that is why the present term was made so, short.
5.
The special Committee to which the draft regulations were referred consisted of the Secretary for Chinese Affairs and three unofficial members of the Legisla- tive Council. The latter included the senior Chinese member of Council (Mr. Lau Chu Pak), the member who raised in Committee the question of the petitioners' rights, (Mr. P. H. Holyoak), and a member of Council suggested by the petitionere themselves (Mr. R. Shewan). I enclose a copy of the minutes of a meeting of the Committee, which shows (1) that the Committee gave an exhaustive hearing to the petitioners' case, (2) that they recommended that the ferries in question should be put up to public tender, and (3) that they held that in dealing with the tenders the existing ferry companies should be given as much consideration as possible. As requested,
the tenders were referred to the Committee and on the 16th
October, 1915, they unanimously decided in favour of the
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.