CO129-618-7 Port Adminstation Inquiry Committee- report and minutes of meetings 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1946 — Page 105

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APPENDIX I (D.3)

CONFIDENTIAL

Minutes of the Third Meeting of the Hong Kong Fort Consultative Committee held at the

Colcial Office at 2.30 p.m. on 17th April 1946.

Present:

Mr. N. L. Smith, O.M.G., Chairman

Mr. R. A. C. North

Mr. S. H. Dodwell

Mr. A. Lang

Sir John Masson

Mr. C. Wurtzburg, M.0.

Mr. C. J. Colman, Chairman-designate of the Hong Kong Port Trust, also attended this Meeting.

Mr. W. J. Keswick and Mr. G. W. Swire sent messages regretting that they were unable to attend the Meeting.

1. Minutes.

With the consent of the Meeting the minutes of the Second Meeting held on the 13th December, 1945, which had been circulated to the members were taken as read.

2.

Harbour Master.

Greater Ma

The hairman said that Commander Jolly, the present holder of the post of Harbour Master, was, of course, the officer chiefly affected by the proposal that a Port Trust be set up. Commander Jolly had been specially selected for the post and was very highly qualified. I was understood that the Harbour Master would in any case no longer carry on the duties of Director of Air Services which was to become a separate appointment.

Commander Jolly had seen the Memorandum on the re-allocation of the Harbour Master's functions, had commented on it, had discussed the matter with Mr. Colman, and had agreed that the "Board of Trade" matters should not come under the control of the Port Trust. Chairman said that he thought that there were three possible courses of action with regard to the future employment of Commander Jolly.

(a)

That he be appointed officer in charge of a Marine

Department if one were set up to control the "Board of Trade" functions not taken over by the Port Trust.

The

(b) That a new appointment be made by the Hong Kong

Government in charge of those residual functions and that Commander Jolly be appointed a Principal Officer of the Port Trust.

(c) That Commander Jolly should somehow combine the posts

of Head of the Government Marine Department and of Port Officer in the Port Trust.

In the course of the general discussion it was said that it was not unusual, in ports where a Trust was in being, for the Principal Surveyor of Ships and the Shipping Master to control separate departments, but that in some circumstances it might be desirable to have these departments constituted as separate sub-sections in a single department of the Government distinctly outside the sphere of activities of the Port Trush.