CO129-586-6 Administration of the port of Hong Kong 27-1-1940 - 24-7-1940 — Page 115

Administration of the Fort or

113

The development of the harbour of Hong Kong has

largely been left to private enterprias.

Kumer.ue piers of

varying design and utility have been constructed from time to

The majority of

time to serve the needs of particular tradea.

these are in private hinus, being lensed either as "permanent"

piers, in which case the rights are due to expire on the 31st

December, 1949, or on annual Licenses sa temporary" piers.

The storage of merchandise for local consumption, export, or in

transit, is carried out by a multitude of private firms, each

owning or lessing go-downs around the harbour. Strategio

water-fronts have been acquired by private enterprise and a

further obatɛcle to unified development on modern linea is the

edcumulation of "merine frontage rights resulting from

successive reclamútiwa achemes.

Thus the development of the port to the best

advantage has become a problem of inaressing difficulty, and

the knowledge that heavy compenestion might have to be met has

at times deterred Governeent from proceeding with urgent

works. The matter has been under conaider:tion for a mumber

but it has now assumed special urgency owing

or yokra;

the necessity for an early decision as to whether the

Government will be prepared to renew

pier lasses due to

sxpire in 1949. In cotuber, 1938, the overnor made an

announcement in the Legislative Council to the effact that it

was not the Government's present intention to renew any

these leases, as it had in feat been the Government's policy

for the past 17 years to take possession of all tier sites

in 1949. The Governor, however, romised that

romised that the question

of the future organisation of the port would at once be

taken into consideration.

3.