CO129-608-7 Future policy- Report on Port Administration by Sir David Owen 24-2-1941 - 24-2-1941 — Page 31

6.

We do not unanimously aceept this as the sole or even

principal cause of past failures to develop or to maintain the

facilities of the Port, but we recognize that in some cases it

may have been a contributery factor. We are, however, strongly

of the opinion that, irrespective of any decisions which may be

taken about the future form of port administration, in view of

the stage which the rehabilitation of the Colony has reached, it

is a matter of great urgency that the possibility of delays through

apprehension as to or ignorance of the Government's plans for

development should be removed

In a Colony where a chronic land hunger gives rise to conflict

between the need of land for housing purposes and a need for areas

close to the water front for storage and other port requirements, it

is obvious that port development cannot be planned either by

Government or by private enterprise except as an integral part of a

comprehensive plan for the development of the Colony as a whole.

Accordingly we decided to submit interim representations to

Your Excellency that it was our considered opinion that the lack of

an agreed and comprehensive plan was now retarding further

rehabilitation and that we felt that it was a matter of great

urgency that such a plan should be prepared and agreed as speedily

as possible, so that any plans for the improvement of port facilities

could be co-ordinated therewith.

These representations were contained in a letter addressed to

the Colonial Secretary dated the 11th October, 1946.

7.

Consideration of the late Sir David Owen's Report and Recommendations.

(a) Sir David Owen devoted considerable space in his report to

a review of the then existing facilities of the Port and the Committee

gave most careful consideration to this review, as it might be expected

that there would be found therein the reasons leading to the author's

conclusion that the then form of control of the Harbour was

unsatisfactory and that the establishment of a Port Trust was desirable.