CO129-582-1 Administration of the port of Hong Kong 25-7-1939 - 20-1-1940 — Page 6

despatch, efficiency and economy on the method of

Profit and Loss."

6

Commander Hole, the Harbour Master, urged

that the administration of the Port should be placed

under the control of a Port Commission on the lines

of that obtaining at Colombo. As against this,

however, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce

has declared that the development of the Harbour

should be left as at present in the hands of private

enterprise on the grounds that this is most likely to

secure that harbour facilities be kept as cheap as

possible and that the Wharf Companies who have

developed their frontages should be able to look for-

ward to assured possession and control of their own

activities. The Hong Kong Government has made it

clear that it cannot accept any suggestion that past

expenditure by existing private enterprise gives the

latter any claim to the perpetuation of their present

rights of user; and it is not irrelevant to quote

the following paragraph from Mr. Nicol's report

"It is known that certain pier owners

exploit shipping and that large rentals are paid

for very indifferent berthage. Further, there

is an outcry from time to time for the construction

Some

of berthage that would give a protection to

shipping during the approach of typhoon storms,

but the construction of such works, if desirable,

would seem to be beyond the means of privaté

enterprise."

It is, however, difficult to assess the ulative

opinions

value of these various homes without reference to

the adequacy of the exis ting harbour facilities. The

volume