CO129-592-9 Future Policy in Hong Kong- Port Administration 13-1-1945 - 4-3-1946 — Page 20

-* now changed

to Tuesday morning.

a year.

No. 2.

20

He justified this on the grounds that by then he should be able to hand over to any capable He added that he would hope to come home on leave every year. He also was emphatic that he could not undertake any work during the two months which he now expects to spend in this country. He explaine that he had had no leave for seven years, that he was an old and tired man (he repeated this phrase several times, though I understand he is in fact 55) and did not feel able to undertake any office work

now.

Moreover, he gave us the impression that, even when he was in a position to undertake this work (possibly in November) he would expect the greater part of the arduous work to be done by a younger deputy. (We on the other hand had not contemplated that it would be necessary to provide for two such senior appointments. We have not found it necessary to do so in the Singapore and Penang Harbour Planning Unit)

After a chat of about an hour and a quarter

I invited Mr. MacDougall and Mr. Rouse to meet Mr. Coleman. There was some discussion on technical problems and I then gave Mr. Coleman a copy of the Sir David Owen report to take away and study, and it was agreed that he should think the matter over and come here again at 2.30 on Monday.-X-

Our feeling is that for the reasons given above, while Mr. Colman has the experience and extremely good qualifications, he is not the man to undertake the work of planning in connection with the Hong Kong Harbour. Although they saw him for a brief time only, Mr. MacDougall and Mr. Rouse's impressions were the same. Our reasons for this conclusion are

(1) Mr. Coleman will not be free to begin any

planning until November, and even that date seemed dangerously nebulous.

-

(2) He does not wish to be tied for longer than

a year and although it may be that on Monday he will give way a little on this point, he certainly will not be anxious to stay longer.

(3)

He gave us the impression that he sees himself in the role of an "elder statesman". While T this might be most valuable in other circumstances, where a policy and a Harbour Board had previously existed, it is not sufficient where new machinery has to be devised and set up.

(4) While he showed himself interested in the

marine side, I doubt if he would take kindly to the exacting and answmnodod work/detail relating to the extremely involved legal and other issues on the land questions (e.g. in relation to the pier leases).

(5) Mr. MacDougall and Mr. Rouse feel very strongly

that it would be a mistake, and lay us open to much criticism from the commercial community of Hong Kong, if this important post were given for the first time to a man who describes himself as both old and tired.

(6)

Page 20Page 21