CO129-608-7 Future policy- Report on Port Administration by Sir David Owen 24-2-1941 - 24-2-1941 — Page 208

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He should co-ordinate the requirements of private enterprise and as a result of that co-ordination he should make recommendations to the Government. He should not on any acogunt be in the Secretariat, but he would suggest that he should have an office amongst the persons conserned so that if he were a live wire he could disturb not only the Secretariat but everybody else concerned in order to ferse agreed recommendations through.

He thought the Port Director should use existing Government facilities to put these recommendations into effect, and possibly later, during the last stage, it might be that he would need to augment his staff and increase his duties, but first he should concentrate on the Port.

He thought that something should be done now, and that we should not wait for a final plan that would last indefinitely, but deal with the matter in progressive stages.

Mr. Wickerson's Views.

Mr. Wickerson said he thought most of the members agreed that there was nothing radically wrong with the administration of the Fort and there was no reason to set up a large new organization. It might be that the administration of the Harbour Master's Department or the Public Works Department needed overhauling, but the main thing was to agree on a plan. Having agreed on a plan, then a Committee should be formed to carry out the plan, the Director of Public Works being the co-ordinating officer.

He commented that all the plans he had seen included schemes for the New Territories. He could not imagine the Royal Naval Depot leaving their present position for a place in the New Territories, whose lease would not be renewed, and he thought any concentration of development should be within the ceded area.

He did not think an Advisory Committee would be of any use at all, and that what was required was either an Executive Committee or ane Executive Officer possibly the Harbour Master with additional

powers.

Mr., Id Koon-chun'.

J

Views.

Mr. Li said he agreed with Mr. Roberts that there was no necessity for a Port Trust. The Port did not call for much improvement except dredging and piers. He thought that what Government had to decide was which of the various reclamations to go ahead with, both on the Island and at Taikoki sui..

As far as the Harbour administration was concerned, he would suggest that it might be left in the Harbour Master's hands, or he might be given wider powers and be called the Director of the Port. Port development work could easily be undertaken by the people who had done it in the past. A Port Development Committee might advise as to where piers required for river and coasting steamers should be built.

He suggested that the filling in of the Yaumati Typhoon Shelter was not advisable because first we should have to find an alternative site and to the northwards there was insufficient shelter; and second, the building up of the area would only make room for a bigger popula- tion, for which work might not be available. More sites for factories were needed for the development of industry. There was a great demand

for land on the Island of Hong Kong, and he would suggest that the reclamation along Connaught Road should be carried out as soon as possible.