CO129-608-7 Future policy- Report on Port Administration by Sir David Owen 24-2-1941 - 24-2-1941 — Page 182

2

18M

The Chairman reported that the following papers would be circulated to members in the course of a few days:

(i) Report by Commander Jolly on the Future

Administration of the Port.

(ii) Memorandum by Commander Jolly on the proposed

re-allocation of the duties of the Harbour Master's Department, and comments on that memorandum by the Secretary of the London Consultative Committee.

(iii) Memorandum dated 18th September, 1945, by

Mr. A. Nicol, on the port engineering

aspects of the Owen Report recommendations.

The Chairman said he presumed that members would treat the papers ciroulated to them as confidential documents and would appreciate that the opinions expressed by others, for example, the members of the London Consultative Committee, were not necessarily the views of the Hong Kong Govornment.

MR. COLMAN'S REMARKS ON THE CHARACTERISTICS AND MERITS OF THE PORT TRUST FORM OF ADMINISTRATION.

The Chairman then asked Mr. Colman to address the Committee.

Mr. Colman prefaced his remarks by referring to the Chairman's opening statement in which he had said that it was to be understood that Mr. Colman would not be influenced by considerations of personal interest when addressing the Committee, and said he wished to clarify the position. Mr. Colman said that while it was true that he did not wish it to appear that he was trying to prove a case for himself, he also felt that when the constitutions proposed for the Port Trust by Sir David Owen and provided for in the draft Ordinance ciroulated to the Committee, were compared with the membership of this Committee, it would be found that they nearly corresponded, and therefore if there were any tendency in this Committee not to want a Port Trust he had no wish to be put in a position to persuade them to recommend the formation of a Port Trust and then to become the Chairman, because he would consider that to be a most unpleasant position. He wished them to know that the views he expressed he sincerely believed.

Mr. Colman began by picturing the stages in the growth of a small village to large port and said that early in its growth the need for some control would be felt; that considerations of safety necessitating the provision of lights and buoys would bring into being a controlling authority, possibly consisting initially of elected representatives of the shipping community, or alternatively the Municipal Council would assume control. Later, as trade grew and rail communication with the interior became important, the situation sometimes arose where the railway was the main factor in the port and in such circumstances it was not uncommon for the Railway Company, upon making representations to the Central Government, to be given statutory control of the port. He believed that most railway-operated parts were run very successfully, although a drawback existed in that as the railway companies were business concerns with various interests they might subsidize a deliberate loss inourred to defeat competition elswhere by means of a profit on the port.