CO129-608-7 Future policy- Report on Port Administration by Sir David Owen 24-2-1941 - 24-2-1941 — Page 143

No.5

147

CONFIDENTIAL

HONG KONG PORT ADMINISTRATION INQUIRY COMMITTEE

Representations received in response

to an invitation addressed to certain persons by the Chairman on 23.9.46.

(Continued)

From: Mr. N.0.0. Marsh,

Messrs. Mackinnon Mackenzie & Company.

Dated 30th September, 1946.

"In continuation of my letter of the 24th instant, I have pleasure in placing before you my representations concerning the future administration of the Port of Hong Kong, for consideration by your Committee.

"Having read your Terms of Reference (copy received with your Chairman's letter of 23rd September, 1946, together with copy of Report by Sir David J. Owen dated 24th February, 1941) in conjunction with para 63 - page 10 of the said report, which I quote below for easy reference:

$63. It seems to me that there are three courses

open and three only, they being:

(a) To allow matters to remain as they now

are.

(b) To adopt some improved method of

Government control.

(c) To establish control by some form of

Port Authority or Trust.'

may I, in the first instance, invite attention to sub-para (a) in your Terms of Reference and sub-para (c) quoted above, both of which concern the establishment of a Port Trust.

"From my experience and observations of the working of this Port, vis-a-vis similar experiences gained in India and Ceylon, I feel that no useful purpose would be served by any radical change in the method of administration of the Port of Hong Kong. I have doubts as to the wisdom of setting up the costly machinery of a Port Trust the burden of which would inevitably fall upon the ship and commercial community, and I am unable to envisage that the services of such a body would be so marked an improvement, if any, over the existing organisation as to warrant the extra cost which would no doubt be placed on shipping.

"Apart altogether from its excellent physical character Hong Kong already has the reputation of being a cheap and efficient port a reputation which should be jealously nurtured with a view to guarding against competitive ports. In this respect the Port of Colombo in recent years has lost ground to the Port of Cochin, on the West Coast of India. Colombo is becoming increasingly expensive; the Port Authority there is responsible to the Ministry of Communications & Works, and the revenue of the Port goes to the Government Exchequer, Who regard the Port as "the goose that lays the golden egg", and all too little comes back for the improvement of the Port.