CO129-608-7 Future policy- Report on Port Administration by Sir David Owen 24-2-1941 - 24-2-1941 — Page 206

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Mr. Thomson's Views.

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Mr. Thonson said he was against a Port Trust for the same reasons as Mr. Roberts. He agreed with the Hon. Mr. Morse (representation No.20) that there had been a lack of co-ordination and there had not been sufficient @o-operation between private interests and Government. He felt that there should be a Committee of some kind, whatever it was called, and he would rather that Committee were formed on more or less the same lines suggested by the Hon. Mr. Morse. The Chairman should be someone from the commercial community. The Government should be represented, probably by the Manager of the Railway and the Director of Publi, Werks.

The department of Government which in future took over the Trade and Industry Section of the Supplies, Trade and Industry Department, might also be represented on the proposed new Committee...

He thought that the Advisory type of Committee would be rather oak unless it had direct access to Government and he would suggest that a Secretary for Transport be appointed, as Mr. Colman had suggested. There would be many outstanding problems in the near future which must be co-ordinated and he felt the proper place for such co-ordination would be in the Secretariat where someone, not necessarily a Government official but with administrative experience, of a standing equivalent to that of the Financial Secretary, would have the right of direct access to the Colonial Secretary.

Views were expressed that it would not be the best arrangement to appoint an officer with responsibilities in connection with road and rail transport, ferries, &c., utilities which, unlike the Port which should remain outside the sphere of hunicipal activities, would almost certainly be the concern of the Municipality. It was further argued that preoccupation with the problems of a different nature which would arise in connection with the other utilities, would divert the attention of the Secretary for Transport from concentration on Port matters..

Mr. Thomson said he felt that as it would be some time before a Municipal Council took over, during the next few years there would be many Port matters allied to a certain extent to questions concerning buses, ferry services, &c., which would justify the appointment of a man of the seniority he had in mind as a Secretary for Transport. He agreed, however, that in suggesting a Secretary for Transport with duties, including the formulation of policy, in connection with matters other than purely Port matters, he partly had in mind increasing the importance of the work so as to ensure that the post was regarded as a very important one.

The Chairman remarked that, thinking of the difference which had been apparent since financial matters had been dealt with by a Financial Secretary in the Secretariat instead of a Treasurer housed in the Treasury, he liked the idea of a similar post in the Secretariat covering Port matters. He mentioned that various transport matters, including questions concerning ports, were co-ordinated by a Ministry of Transport in the central governments of several countries.

Mr. Roberts said if there was the necessity for a Secretary for Transport we should have one, but he should be a member of the Port Committee. The man in charge of the development and administration of the Port should not be the Secretary for Transport they should be concerned with two different functions.