CO129-582-1 Administration of the port of Hong Kong 25-7-1939 - 20-1-1940 — Page 15

15

20th of December that the question does

not depend upon the likelihood of any increase

in Hong Kong's activities. It is a matter

of securing the most economical working of the

Port as a whole, and if Hong Kong is

with

threatened a decline in trade by reason of

competition by other Ports or otherwise, it may

be all the more necessary to adopt the form of

organisation most likely to produce the

minimum Port charges. Moreover, "development"

does not necessarily mean growth in size. It

may also mean simply change in methods or

circumstances.

Changes in other conditions.

in the Colony have also to be taken into account

in planning the future of the organisation

of the Port, e.g. the growth of the Air Port

which is almost certain to be necessary within

the next ten years and may have repercussions

on the siting of new shipping facilities.

Similarly, the growth of motor traffic is

already leading to the necessity for an additional

vehicular ferry across the harbour and the

siting of piers for such a ferry is a matter of

some difficulty which again may influence or be

influenced by the future plans for the Harbour as

a whole. I mention these as examples of the

kind of "developments" which inevitably arise,

and in dealing with which a coherent plan would

be very useful. In fact, both these particular

matters are of such urgency that they will

probably