CO129-602-6 Harbour Department- proposed reorganisation 17-10-1946 - 8-1-1948 — Page 26

Secretariat File:

8/1523/46

No. 101

STAFF

CONFIDENTIAL

5-3908/47

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONG KONG,

26

12

14 August, 1947

RECEIVED

1- SEF ..47

C. O. REGY

Quais

Sir,

I have the honour to address you on the subject of a contemplated

reorganization of the Harbour Department of this Government.

2.

It is felt that the present title of the Department in no

way indicates its full functions, which in the main are comparable to

those of the Marine Divisions of the Ministry of Transport. It is

proposed therefore to alter the title to Marine Department. The

organization of the Department has grown up gradually over a period

of many years and there are a number of anachronisms and redundancies

which could conveniently be eliminated now, before the Salaries

Commission has made its recommendations.

may be obtained from the enclosed diagram.

A general view of the proposals

3. The present organization provides for a Harbour Master, one

Deputy Harbour Master and one Assistant Harbour Master, who, together

with the requisite clerical assistance, control the administration of

the harbour and its services. The administrative staff is felt to be

unnecessarily large and the administration over-centralized. It is

proposed therefore to make the office of the Ship Surveyors directly

responsible to the Harbour Master and to group under a separate

administrative head also directly responsible to the Harbour Master,

the licensing, harbour control, magisterial, craft maintenance, and

other miscellaneous offices. There would necessarily remain the close

liaison between the two branches which existed hitherto. From time to

time a separation of the Office of the Surveyors from the control of

the Harbour Master has been advocated, mainly by the Surveyors themselves,

but such a move is considered administratively unjustified and

financially undesirable.

4. In the new organization, the Harbour Master would be termed

the Port Director, and he would have one Assistant Director of Marine

(Port Control) who would combine the duties of the posts formerly

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

A. CREECH JONES, M.P.