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It would be unfair to make a judgement here on the achievements of the Railway Department's control of the harbour. By June 1914, which marks the end of this study, insufficient time had elapsed for the Railways to have made any major impact. A positive element of the transfer, however, was the creation of an Advisory Board which was a compromise with the previous system and gave the townspeople some voice in the operations of the harbour. The Board also initially had luck on its side because it was established as the economy of the country was again beginning to blossom. Indeed, in 1909 the gross tonnage at East London exceeded that of the preceding year for the first time since then, mostly because of the increased export of colonial produce.
The most important matter to be discussed at the first meeting of the Advisory Board in March 1909 was the question of improving the harbour entrance. It had long been recognised that steps should be taken to increase the navigable depth and width of the river mouth, especially in the light of the ever-increasing length and draught of ships plying the South African waters. Furthermore, the Advisory Board took up the suggestion that the long stretch of river frontage beyond the First Creek should be converted into further wharves but before any of the recommendations could be put into practice, however, the system was changed yet again and the Act of Union placed the harbour under the management of a Board of Railways and Harbours. The Board consisted of three commissioners, together with the Minister of State who was also the Chairman and effectively removed all local representation in the operations of the harbour.
The new Board began its considerations virtually from scratch and so for a period of about three years no further advance was made but it eventually gave its blessing to a recommendation to extend the south breakwater and remove some submerged rocks at the harbour entrance which would deepen the channel for ships of a greater mass. Moreover, it was decided to extend the western quay to further utilize that side of the river. Work on those projects began in mid-1911 but the fruits were only felt after 1914 and therefore lie outside the scope of this study.
The development of the Buffalo Harbour played a vital role in the prosperity of the region. Prior to 1872 only small vessels with shallow draughts were able to enter the river and then only at high tide or when a "freshet" had scoured the channel of sand. By 1903 the harbour was capable of holding more than 50 ships of reasonable draught at any one time, a situation exceeding Sir John Coode's expectations. Had there been a bridge over the river, with wharf facilities on the western bank, the port's potential would have been even greater.
More vigorous strides could have been taken in terms of harbour development had the affairs of the port been placed in local hands at a much earlier date and a free-trade system allowed to operate. That would have enabled a Harbour Board to be responsible for progress at the port and make use of natural advantages to counter the competition of the other ports which would in turn have made it less reliant on handouts from a Parliament that was heavily biased in favour of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.
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