10.
(i) Change the name of Harbour Department to Marine Department and the title of Harbour Master to Director of Marine or Secretary for Marine. (Please see paragraphs 2 and 8, PART III.)
(ii) Set up a Port Commission with duties as outlined
in paragraph 7 PART III, and comprised of
men representing the interests I mention. (See Appendix I.)
(iii) As any form of controlling body will be practically
dependent on Government subventions, and with a view to keeping costs down during the early experimental stage, I feel that the Director of Marine or Secretary of Marine should be Chairman until such times as the necessity for full autonomy is indicated.
(iv) An elected body, perhaps in the form of a Trust,
could follow or would be evolved as the necessity for extensive construction and development became apparent.
(v) Such a Trust should then direct its policy towards the
acquisition of all port facilities and be self- supporting in every way. (Please see paragraphs
N.B.
4 and 5, HART III.)
Carriage of goods by sea will play a large part in post war reconstruction and every effort will have to be made to see to it that British tonnage, in addition to obtaining its fair share of business, receives every assistance in regaining supremacy as world wide carriers.
(2) Shipping operating in Far Eastern Waters will require tactful supervision especially considering our established policy of strict adherence to the various Rules made under the provisions of the Merchant Shipping (Safety and Loadline Conventions) Act, 1932. Several signatories to the Convention have vessels more or less based on the Far East, and it will be necessary to keep an eye on their policy concerning strict compliance with the Convention before we proceed to enforce the letter of the Rules on British Ships and thus impede the Owners' efforts to regain a foothold in the Far Eastern International Trade.
In this connection we must remember that a Chinese Meroantile Marine will come into being and compete with established British Coast Services.
(3) I am not suggesting deliberate relaxation of the Rules, but a "wide awake" policy to give British Owners a helping hand.
(4) We can always, of course, check up on foreign vessels but constant boarding by our surveyors is bound to be irksome and may lead to complications and the embarassment of Government.
(5) Personally I favour the discontinuance of the Shanghai Registry because I feel that British Ships operating from there, and infrequently visiting British Ports, are perhaps not equipped and manned so well shall I say as vessels on the Hong Kong Registry.
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