Committee

[Mr SPEAKER in the Chair]

Clause 3-

Mr J. M. Jumabhoy: Mr Chairman, I move,

At page 17, line 8, after the word "office", to insert the words "or offices".

The reason for this is to bring the wording in line with the wording in the remaining portion of the Bill.

Amendment agreed to.

Mr R. Jumabhoy rose-

The Chairman: The hon. Member wishes to move an amendment?

Mr R. Jumabhoy: Yes, Sir, to clause 3 (2).

The Chairman: It is too late.

Mr R. Jumabhoy: Can I ask you when I can move it?

The Chairman: The hon. Member should have moved it before the Hon. the Minister rose.

Mr R. Jumabhoy: But I thought, Sir - just on a point of information and for guidance in the future - that when a Member of the Assembly sits down thinking that the Minister might be moving this, but the amendment is different from what he expected-

The Chairman: Notice of amendment was given. The notice appears in the Order Paper.

Clause 3, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 5-

Mr Lim Choon Mong: Mr Chairman, Sir, if this roster system is a means of-

The Chairman: Is the hon. Member moving an amendment?

Mr Lim Choon Mong: No, Sir, I am speaking on it.

The Chairman: The hon. Member should wait till the Question has been proposed. If any Member wishes to move an amendment before clause 5, page 19, line 30, he should do so now.

Mr R. Jumabhoy: Before page 19, can we take page 16?

The Chairman: On clause 5 only.

Mr J. M. Jumabhoy: Mr Chairman, Sir, I move,

At page 19, line 31, to leave out the words "agreements for their employment", and insert the word "articles".

This, again, is to bring the wording into line with the rest of the Bill.

Amendment agreed to.

Mr J. M. Jumabhoy: Mr Chairman, I move,

At page 19, lines 34 to 35, to leave out the words "the agreement for employment", and insert "articles".

The reason is the same as for the previous amendments.

Amendment agreed to.

Mr J. M. Jumabhoy: Mr Chairman, I move,

At page 19, line 41, to leave out the word "seamen", and insert "seaman".

This is a typographical error.

Amendment agreed to.

Question proposed, "That clause 5, as amended, stand part of the Bill."

Mr Lim Choon Mong: Mr Chairman, Sir, if this clause 5 is for the protection of local seamen so that they can have full employment, then I think it may, in reality, deprive them of employment. The Minister has realised that the working of this roster system depends on the goodwill on both sides, employer as well as employee. I know that in this Assembly everybody is trying to give a good deal to workers, but if they are going to introduce what they think are good measures but which finally deprive them of employment, then they will not be doing a good turn to the seamen.

From the Select Committee Report, I know that shipowners are not very happy about this, and that they need a great deal of persuasion by the Department concerned to co-operate in this matter.

Even if this clause is adopted, I think there is still another escape for ship-owners - they can employ seamen who are in transit: these people can come to Singapore to join their ships. I know that ships come to Singapore because this is a convenient port and because they make Singapore the focal point for trade in South-East Asia - and Singapore has benefited from this to a great extent.

We are trying to protect seamen, but I hope that this protection is for local seamen only and not those who come here, park themselves in this Colony, owe allegiance to other lands and then benefit from our laws. I think protection should be given only to the citizens of Singapore, to those who will become citizens, and not, indiscriminately, to people who owe allegiance elsewhere.

I have heard that a number of ships which contemplated registering in Singapore have transferred their registration to other countries. This means a loss to us. This also means that these ships need not comply with our laws. This will mean that shipowners may not offer their co-operation, and may take seamen from other ports instead. Again, some local ships, I have been informed by reliable people, have avoided Singapore and, instead of coming from Bangkok to Singapore and then going to other South-East Asian ports, have proceeded straight from Bangkok to other ports like Kuching. In such cases, not only will our seamen lose their chances of being employed, but Singapore will also lose a great deal of its entrepot trade.

I hear the Minister say that he is going to devise a system whereby there will be sub-sections in his rosters according to race of seamen, and types of work. But if the roster system is implemented in this way, what will prevent seamen from a particular race being left out all the time? If you have many ships which employ Chinese seamen, and only Chinese seamen, where will the Malay seamen find employment? How will the roster system help them in securing jobs? It seems that with a roster having many sections, a seaman will not get much protection. It will probably turn out to be a white elephant to be discarded after some time. The main-

4.00 p.m.

The Chairman: Order. Moment of interruption.

Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the Assembly.

Mr J. M. Jumabhoy: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to report progress on the Seamen's Registry Board Bill and ask leave to continue discussion at tomorrow's sitting.

Mr Speaker: Tomorrow it shall be.

Remaining items on the Order Paper read, and items Nos. 8 and 9 set down for tomorrow.