CO129-608-7 Future policy- Report on Port Administration by Sir David Owen 24-2-1941 - 24-2-1941 — Page 33

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part of Government he says, "it must be admitted that private

enterprise has succeeded to a remarkable degree in meeting the

needs of the situation".

The sum of the criticism or suggestions in this part of the

report is that there is need for some reclamation in Western

Victoria for the relief of the congestion on the praya (and

Sir David would in any case leave reclamation work to the

Government see para. 102 (18)), that the policy as to pier

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leases requires decision and that the Western Victoria piers

require reconstruction.

The Committee does not find in this review any substantial

reason in support of the proposition that a change in the form

of administration of the Port is necessary or desirable.

(B) We turn therefore to that part of the report (paragraphs

61 to 83) in which Sir David considers who should control or

administer the Port.

The author deals first with the question whether matters

should be allowed to remain as they then were, that is to say,

whether the position which then, as now, existed, with the Harbour

under Government control or administration, should continue.

His

proposition is that if this position is perfectly satisfactory,

then the adoption of any other measure does not arise.

The Government, the author says, may be said to control or

administer the Harbour, as it owns all the land, has granted the

Jeases under which piers have been constructed and has laid down

coring buoys and provided navigation lights. Apart from this

there has, he says, been very little control or administration, it

having been left to private enterprise to do all else that was

...ecessary, and he adds that it must be admitted that private

enterprise has succeeded to a remarkable degree in meeting the needs

of the situation.