CO129-591-10 Military Administration 16-1-1945 - 28-3-1946 — Page 4

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Is a retly required to 67 on 55104/844?

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M. Boyle shed ofert) 24/2/45

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3. P.C. Sedgwich

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Mr. W.M. Thomson.

9.3.45

As I mentioned to you on the telephone, my general impression of the proposals put up by

Mr. Sedgwick in his minute of the 9th of March, which for the sake of clarity I have reduced to tabular form

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see (4), is that the notional war establishment of the Unit is becoming over-weighted at the top and is unlikely to be passed by the War Office in the form proposed. As you know, experience has shown that the War Office tend to give lower rather than higher military ranks to particular posts in the first stages of militarisation. On the other hand, it may be anticipated that as the establishment expands, and particularly at the operational stage, posts may be up-graded. I think, however, that we are courting difficulties if we bring in people to the Unit on the assumption that they are going to be S.0.1's when in fact they will be S.0.2's.

A number of comments and questions occur to me on these separate proposals, which I give below.

(a) S.0.1.

Harbour Planning.

At a meeting at which I believe you were present, held on the 9th of March to consider the report of Sir David Owen, it was agreed, I think, that if it were decided to adopt this report, the best course would be to appoint, as soon as possible, a full time paid Chairman designate of a new harbour authority to be called the Hong Kong Harbour Trust. He would be provided with a small staff and would be expected to begin at once planning for the restoration of Hong Kong Harbour. If this course is approved (and names for the post of Chairman are at present under consideration), clearly a S.0.1 post on the Unit for harbour planning is redundant.

(b) S.0.1. Air.

Mr. Bigg has, I think, expressed some doubt as to the necessity for filling this post now and in any case, I think it will be necessary to show good reasons why it should be rated as high as S.0.1.

I am also not clear why, in addition to an officer to plan for the restoration of civil aviation, you should also need another, at this stage, to plan for airport reconstruction (the S.0.3 mentioned in paragraph 5 (iv) of Mr. Sedgwick's minute), particularly as Wing Commander Oxford (who you nominate for the S.0.1 post) was, I think, particularly mentioned in connection with the restoration of Kai Tak.

(c)