CO129-592-10 Future Policy in Hong Kong- Port Administration 10-4-1946 - 15-4-1947 — Page 198

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Bridge, Glasgow, and the southernmost point of Little Cumbrae, i.e., in the River and upper estuary but not in the lower estuary. They qualify this conclusion by five provisoes:-

(1) that shipowners, merchants and others using the Port of Glasgow should not be prejudiced by uneconomic demands from any part of the unified area;

(2) that the Harbour of Glasgow should have representation on the new authority commensurate with the volume of Glasgow trade;

(3) that the new authority should have wide powers including all those held by the existing Trustees;

(4) that the new authority should not be saddled with obligations in respect of any part of the new undertaking which would not in the Authority's opinion have economic justification; and

(5) that the new Authority should have control of passenger piers, jetties, and other quay structures operated by companies, local authorities or others.

(91) The attitude of the Greenock Harbour Trustees, supported in principle by the Town Council of Greenock, is at once more bold and, more guarded. They support the amalgamation under a single new authority of the harbours and navigational facilities of the River and Firth and its tributary lochs within as wide an area as may be found practicable, but in any case within the sheltered waters of the upper estuary and river. They add two provisoes; (1) that the constitution of the new Authority should be such as will ensure the future administration of "the different undertakings with fairness and justice, including their expansion and development; and (2) that the existing statutory protection of the present channel and the interests of all parties concerned are properly safeguarded.

C

These provisoes are expanded and interpreted in the Trust's representations as referring mainly to the following matters: (a) that suitable provision should be made to ensure that the voting power of the larger and less favourably situated localities should not be used to deny to Greenock its " rightful development," viz.: by its transformation into a modern deep-sea terminal port of national status to meet the needs of Transatlantic traffic and as a naval base; (b) that the navigable channel ex adverso of Greenock must be preserved, and that the new Authority must be given no powers to cut a new channel or to straighten the present channel in this area other than those already possessed by the Greenock Harbour Trustees; (c) that equit- able compensatory provision should be made to the holders of their B Deferred Debentures in respect of their " valuable rights to benefit in the prosperity of the undertaking," and (d) that the Corporation should be relieved of their statutory liabilities as guarantors for the £100,000 borrowed under the Act of 1913.

"

(92) In supplement of these representations, the Greenock Harbour Trust, following a joint meeting with the Corporation of Greenock and the Greenock Chamber of Commerce, submitted a further proposal for the safeguarding of the interest of the lower reaches in general, and of Greenock in particular. This proposal was that the constitution of the suggested new authority should be so framed that neither the representatives of the lower reaches

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nor those of the upper reaches would have a preponderance of voting power. The model suggested was a body of 27 members composed as follows:-

Chairman, appointed by the Board of Trade.

14 appointed members, representative of the following 14 authorities,

VIZ.:-

Secretary of State for Scotland.

Admiralty.

Ministry of Transport.

Ministry of Labour.

Northern Lighthouse Commissioners. Lanarkshire County Council. Dunbartonshire County Council. Renfrewshire County Council.

Argyllshire County Council.

Buteshire County Council.

Corporation of Glasgow (a member). Corporation of Glasgow (a non-member).

Port Glasgow Town Council.

Corporation of Greenock.

12 elected members representative of payers of rates or dues, 8 for the upper reaches and 4 for the lower, Newark Castle being the demarca- tion point.

Stress was also laid upon the importance of shipbuilding in the Greenock

area.

We note that under these proposals, the members (other than appointees of central authorities) would be drawn to the extent of 9 from the lower reaches and to the extent of 12 from the upper reaches, and that Argyllshire, Buteshire and Port Glasgow combined would be in a position to outvote the Corporation of Glasgow. It is also material to observe that the riparian population of the upper reaches from Rutherglen to Newark Castle is about eleven times the riparian population of the lower reaches from Newark Castle to the Tail of the Bank.

(93) The Ardrossan Harbour Company, while prepared to collaborate and co-operate with other port and transport interests (with which their past rela- tionships have been friendly and helpful), cannot see the advantage to the community of merging the identity of Ardrossan with any other port, and they reserve their position pending the disclosure of our proposals.

(94) The Corporation of Glasgow support the recommendations of the Clyde Navigation Trustees as to the unification of the administration of the River and Estuary as far down as the Cumbraes under an authority possessed of wide powers, but not saddled with obligations in respect of any part of the extended undertaking which would not in the authority's opinion have economic justification. This support is given on the understanding that the Corporation's representation on the new Port Authority is at least proportionate to that which they enjoy in the Clyde Trust. The Corporation also stipulate that the new Authority should have control of passenger piers, jetties and other quay structures operated by companies, Local Authorities or others.

The Corporation add that in their view the improvement of the River and its facilities should be left to the discretion of the Clyde Trust who possess the requisite knowledge and experience.

(95) The Corporation of Greenock support the submissions of the Greenock Harbour Trust in favour of large-scale unified control of all ports, harbours, piers, seadromes, navigational and anchorage facilities of the River and Firth