The years from 1899 to 1940 - apart from some short-term setbacks brought about by the strikes in 1922, the strike-cum-boycott in 1925, the Great Depression in the early 1930s, and the Sino-Japanese conflict throughout the 1930s - witnessed a rapid growth of trade in Hong Kong. During this period, more than 100,000 vessels, with a total tonnage of more than 18,000,000 tons, were involved in trade. The rapid growth in trade brought about more demand for the services provided by the Harbour Master’s Office (1899-1904) / Harbour Master’s Department (1904-1929) / Harbour Department and Directorate of Air Services (1929-1940). The rapid growth of trade, together with the expansion of the territory in 1898, and the introduction of aviation to Hong Kong in the 1930s, made it necessary for the department to expand and undertake the necessary structural changes.^[25]

The Harbour Master was the head of the department responsible for supervising the harbour’s operations. He was also responsible for conducting reviews of policies related to maritime matters in Hong Kong and for making related proposals to the Governor. In 1899, the Harbour Master’s Office was headed by Commander Murray Rumsey, who held the post of Harbour Master for 11 years. The practice of concurrently appointing the Harbour Master to be the head of the Marine Magistrate, Emigration and Customs Office continued from 1899 to 1940. In 1903, Commander Rumsey retired, and Captain Lionel Aubrey Walter Barnes-Lawrence, Captain of the Port of Gibraltar, was transferred to Hong Kong in 1904 as his replacement. On his appointment, Barnes-Lawrence was required to take up an additional concurrent position as Agent for Commercial Intelligence for the Board of Trade.^[26]

In September 1906, a typhoon caused severe damage to Hong Kong, resulting in extra workload for Captain Barnes-Lawrence. He became seriously ill and died. He had held the post of Harbour Master for only two years. Lt. Charles William Beckwith, who was the Navigator from HMS Diadem, was appointed acting Harbour Master to direct the repair work of the harbour as he had experience of dealing with disasters, such as rescuing the crew from a wrecked submarine.^[27]

After Hong Kong had recovered from the typhoon, the Governor Sir Matthew Nathan promoted Commander Basil Reginald Hamilton Taylor, the Assistant Harbour Master, to Harbour Master in March 1907. Lt. Beckwith then became the Assistant Harbour Master and was promoted to Commander in 1910. Commander Taylor was promoted to Captain in 1919. Captain Taylor held the post of Harbour Master until he retired in 1920. Commander Beckwith was then promoted to Harbour Master. Unfortunately, Commander Beckwith suddenly became seriously ill and was forced to retire in 1924. The British Colonial Office appointed Commander George Francis Hole, who was the Master Attendant of the Port of Colombo in Ceylon, as the Harbour Master. Commander Hole served for 16 years and retired in 1940.

With the continuous development of aviation in Hong Kong, the colonial government decided to form a Directorate of Air Services, which was associated with the Harbour Master’s Department in 1929. As a result, the office was renamed the Harbour Department and Directorate of Air Services. Commander Hole was appointed the Director of Air Services. A number of positions, such as Wireless Telegraphy Staff, Airport Ground Staff and General Staff, were established under the Harbour Master for the operation of the Directorate of Air Services.^[28]

Before 1926, the Assistant Harbour Master was directly under the Harbour Master. From 1899 to 1909, the major duty of the Assistant Harbour Master was to assist the Harbour Master in supervising the department’s operations. In 1904, in order to avoid the overlapping of duties between the Police and the Harbour Master’s Department, and to provide more training and more thorough instruction to the Water Police, the Assistant Harbour Master was concurrently appointed as the acting Assistant Superintendent of Police, in charge of the Water Police. This arrangement only lasted for a short period and its effectiveness cannot be assessed. In 1909, the Governor Sir Frederick Lugard decided to resume the arrangement of concurrently appointing the Assistant Harbour Master as the Assistant Superintendent of Police. Unfortunately, this arrangement had to be terminated in 1920. Severe understaffing at the Harbour Master’s Department made it difficult for the Assistant Harbour Master to spare sufficient time to discharge properly the duties of Assistant Superintendent of Police.^[29]

In 1926, in order to alleviate the Assistant Harbour Master’s workload, Commander Hole requested the Governor Sir Cecil Clementi to create the post of Deputy Harbour Master to share some of the duties of the Assistant Harbour Master. Finally, with the consent of the Colonial Office, the Governor approved the request.^[30]

Beneath the management level, there were a number of sub-departments within the department. From 1899 to 1905, there were five sub-departments in the Harbour Master’s Office, and later the Harbour Master’s Department from 1904 onwards. They were the Harbour Office, the Gunpowder Depot, Lighthouses, the Marine Surveyor's Office and the Imports and Exports Office. In 1905, the Mercantile Marine Office was established as a sub-department of the Harbour Master’s Department. The number of sub-departments was reduced to five again as the Imports and Exports Office became an independent department in 1913. From 1913 to 1940, there were five sub-departments in the Harbour Master’s Department.

The Harbour Office

From 1899 to 1940, there was a continuous increase in the size and functions of the sub-departments. For the Harbour Office, which took up central administrative duties, its staff included administrative personnel, boarding officers, inspectors of junks and cargo boats, signalmen, constables and shroff. The total number of staff increased from around 60 in 1899 to around 140 in 1938. In 1899, it was responsible for the basic administration and accounting work of the Harbour Master’s Office; emigration; inspection of junks and ships; issue of licences and permits; examination and issue of certificates for masters, mates and coxswains according to the requirements set by the Board of Trade of Britain; and collection of dues and fines. After the New Territories became part of the territory of Hong Kong, for better control of the port, the sub-department established harbour stations in Cheung Chau (1899), Tai O (1899), Tai Po (1900), Deep Bay (1901), Sai Kung (1902), Long Ket (1905), Ping Shan (1910), and Lantau (1912). Among these stations, those in Tai Po and Deep Bay were established on police launches. The services provided by the harbour stations included collecting government dues and fines, and issuing licences and permits.^[31]

According to the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1899, private shipping companies could lay down buoys in the harbour with the approval of the Harbour Master’s Office after paying a monthly rent of HK$5 a buoy. These shipping companies were responsible for managing and maintaining the buoys. In 1907, there were 43 buoys in the harbour. As most of the wharves and godowns were located in Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island and in Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon Peninsula, the buoys were densely located in the western part of the harbour. Nearly all the buoy owners did not allow non-buoy-owners’ ships to use their buoys. Even though there was a high demand for buoys, more than half of those in the harbour were unoccupied most of the time. Non-buoy owners repeatedly complained about the problem and urged the government to intervene in the management of the buoys.

In 1907, in response to the complaints, the colonial government suggested a scheme whereby the government would help assign ships of non-buoy owners to the unoccupied buoys. These non-buoy owners would, however, be required to pay fees to the government. Both the buoy owners and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce opposed the scheme. They thought it was unfair as they were required to pay rent to the government for laying the buoys on top of the maintenance fees. During the negotiations between the colonial government and the shipping industry on improving the buoy system, the government asked the buoy owners to relocate the buoys which lay across the route of ferries operating between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula, since the high density of buoys in the western part of the harbour had become obstacles for these ferries. This aroused further discontent from the buoy owners as the government refused to compensate them for the costs of relocating the buoys.^[32]

Since the scheme for improving the buoy system and the request for relocation of the private buoys were rejected by the buoy owners, and there was continued growth in the demand for buoys, the government decided to acquire all the private buoys and manage them by itself. Starting from mid-1914, the government started to acquire the buoys from the owners by paying compensation, the amount of which was decided by a committee consisting of the Harbour Master, the Government Marine Surveyor and three local experts. Finally the government acquired and removed all the private buoys and introduced the Government Harbour Mooring System in 1916. The Harbour Office of the Harbour Master’s Department was responsible for operating the system.^[33]

The Government Harbour Mooring System was implemented in April 1916. The colonial government laid down 45 buoys in the harbour near the north-western coast of Hong Kong Island. Among these buoys, seven were specially assigned for facilitating the coal trade and were laid in the coal anchorage in Wan Chai. Twelve buoys were specially assigned for facilitating the rice trade and were laid in the rice anchorage in West Point. The remaining buoys were laid between Wan Chai and Kennedy Town for other trades. The colonial government classified the buoys into A, B, and C buoys. Nine buoys out of 45 were classified as A buoys, 15 as B buoys, and 21 as C buoys. A class buoys were for the use of vessels over 400 feet in length and the daily rent was HK$8. B class buoys were for the use of vessels under 400 feet in length and the daily rent was HK$6. C class buoys were for the use of vessels under 300 feet in length and the daily rent was HK$4. When vessels arrived in Hong Kong and buoys were intended to be used, the Harbour Office of the Harbour Master’s Department would be informed. The sub-department would assign buoys for the vessels, and the owners of vessels would be required to pay rent.^[34]

As there was continuous growth in trade in Hong Kong before the strike in 1922 and the strike-cum-boycott in 1925 and 1926, there was inevitably an increasing demand for the buoys. In 1921, the government laid down more buoys in the harbour. In that year, the number of A class, B class and C class buoys increased to 13, 19 and 24 respectively, and the number of buoys in the harbour totalled 56. Because of changes in the length of vessels, the classification of the buoys also changed. A class buoys were for the use of vessels between 400 to 650 feet in length; B class buoys were for the use of vessels between 350 to 450 feet in length; and C class buoys were for the use of vessels under 300 feet in length. Since the buoys provided by the government could not satisfy demand, the government in 1924 granted permission for private firms once more to lay and maintain private buoys. Due to the Great Depression and the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s, Hong Kong’s trade declined. As a result of that and the rapid growth in the number of private buoys from 24 in 1924 to 54 in 1931 and to 58 in 1940, the demand for government buoys shrank. The total number of government buoys thus decreased to 52 in 1931. The distribution and the rent of the three classes of government buoys also changed in 1931. The number of A class, B class and C class buoys amounted to 19, 25 and 8 respectively. The rent of A class, B class and C class buoys was increased to HK$16, HK$12 and HK$8 per day respectively. The total number of government buoys further dropped to 48 in 1940, with the distribution of the three classes of government buoys changing to 17 for A class, 27 for B class and 4 for C class.^[35]

The Gunpowder Depot

The Gunpowder Depot was responsible for controlling the import and export of gunpowder in Hong Kong. The staff of this sub-department included the Superintendent of Gunpowder Depot, gunners, and signalmen. The number of staff increased from 11 in 1899 to 67 in 1938. To improve communication among harbour stations, lighthouses, the headquarters of the Harbour Master’s Department, and vessels sailing in Hong Kong waters, the Harbour Master’s Department established and re-established from 1920 onwards a number of signal stations, including the Blackhead’s Hill Signal Station (1920), the Peak Signal Station (1920) and the Green Island Signal Station (1928). These signal stations, operated by the Gunpowder Depot, helped ensure the efficiency and safety of shipping in Hong Kong waters.^[36]

Marine Surveyor's Office

The Marine Surveyor's Office was responsible for surveying all ships over 60 tons for Passenger Certificates or British Registration, as well as surveying emigration ships, all ships built, and all government launches. It also assisted the Assistant Harbour Master in drawing up Schemes of Defence for ships over 60 tons, holding examinations and issuing certificates for masters, mates and coxswains according to the requirements set by the Board of Trade of Britain, and measuring the tonnage of new British-registered ships. The staff of the sub-department included the Government Marine Surveyor and Assistant Surveyor. The number of staff increased from four in 1899 to 27 in 1938. Starting from 1914, due to the passing of the Piracy Prevention Ordinance, the sub-department was also responsible for inspecting coastal and river steamers that sailed to and from the Pearl River to ensure that they did not have pirates aboard, and that anti-piracy equipment was up to the required standards.^[37]

The Lighthouses

The Lighthouse Section was responsible for the operation of the lighthouses. In 1899, there were four lighthouses in Hong Kong, located at Cape d’Aguilar, Green Island, Cape Collinson, and Gap Rock. After the British acquisition of the New Territories, the operation of the lighthouse on Waglan Island was transferred from the Chinese Government to the Harbour Master’s Office in 1901. Since the lighthouse at Cape d’Aguilar was located very close to the lighthouse on Waglan Island and was less useful, the Harbour Master’s Department transferred the operation of the lighthouse at Cape d’Aguilar to the Royal Navy in Hong Kong in 1905. In 1912, an additional lighthouse was built in Tang Lung Chau, and was commonly known as the Kap Sing Lighthouse. In 1916, the Harbour Master’s Department decided to close the Cape Collinson Lighthouse.

Staff in this sub-department included the Principal Lighthouse Keeper, Lighthouse Keeper (First to Ninth), Chinese Lightkeeper, and Chinese Assistant Lightkeeper. The total number of staff remained around 20 throughout this period as there was no change in the number of lighthouses.^[38]

The Imports and Exports Office

The Imports and Exports Office was responsible for collecting trade statistics and managing trade issues. The staff of the office included the Superintendent of Imports and Exports and clerks. The rapid growth of the import and export trade in Hong Kong throughout the late 19th and the early 20th centuries made it necessary to augment its manpower. Thus, the total number of staff rapidly increased from five in 1899 to 63 in 1913. Even though the Harbour Master’s Department allocated substantial manpower to this office, the general public repeatedly complained that the trade statistics were not accurate. With a lack of resources and manpower for other services, the Harbour Master’s Department requested the separation of the Imports and Exports Office. In 1913, the Imports and Exports Office was separated from the Harbour Master’s Department and became an independent department for managing trade issues.^[39]

The Mercantile Marine Office

The Harbour Master’s Department took up the duty of managing seamen employed in Hong Kong by establishing a Mercantile Marine Office in 1905. The Mercantile Marine Office was responsible for assisting with the engagement of seamen on ships and for helping distressed seafarers return to their home countries. The staff of the Mercantile Marine Office included the Deputy Shipping Master, the Assistant Shipping Master, clerks, and a European constable. The total number of staff in this office increased from four in 1905 to six in 1938. To provide further help to distressed seafarers, the Mercantile Marine Assistance Fund of Hong Kong was established in 1933. It was managed by a committee consisting of the Harbour Master and four other members appointed by the Governor.^[40]

In 1899, after occupying the headquarters on Wing Lok Street in Central for 25 years, the Harbour Master requested that the colonial government provide a site on newly reclaimed land in Central for building new headquarters. The then Harbour Master, Commander Murray Rumsey, expounded a number of reasons for the request. He pointed out that the headquarters on Wing Lok Street were small, inadequately lit, poorly ventilated and badly arranged. In addition, with the headquarters located far away from the praya, and the harbour view cut off by surrounding buildings, the operation of the Harbour Master’s Office was impeded. It was also inconvenient for the Harbour Master’s Office to contact other government departments as it was based in Sai Ying Pun. Furthermore, due to the continued growth in trade, it was necessary for the Harbour Master’s Office to recruit additional staff to cope with the commensurate increase in workload. However, the headquarters on Wing Lok Street were incapable of accommodating additional staff or the expansion of the Harbour Master’s Office. As Commander Rumsey thought that the colonial government might reject the request due to lack of funds, he highlighted that the Harbour Master’s Office would sell the old site and use the proceeds to pay for building the new headquarters.^[41]

In 1900, the colonial government approved Commander Rumsey’s request for a site to build the new headquarters. The government provided the site on reclaimed land in Sheung Wan between today’s Connaught Road Central and Rumsey Street. The new site could facilitate the operation of the Harbour Master’s Office as it was located near the praya and offered unimpeded view of the harbour. Also, it was more convenient for contacting other departments as it was nearer to the government headquarters. The construction of the new headquarters started in 1900. However, due to very slow progress, it took six years to complete. Finally, the Harbour Master’s Office moved to the new headquarters in 1906.^[42]