SEAMEN'S REGISTRY BOARD (Numbers Registered and Employed)

Inche Mohd. Ali Bin Alwi asked the Minister for Labour and Law to state the total number of seamen who have registered with the Seamen's Registry Board for employment from the date of its establishment to 31st March, 1961, and the total number of such seamen for whom the Board has found employment during the same period.

Mr K. M. Byrne: Mr Speaker, Sir, the total number of seamen registered by the Board up to 31st March, 1961, is 7,435. During the same period, 455 have been removed from the Seamen's Register by reasons of death, over-age or other causes, leaving a total of 6,980 active seamen on the Register as at 31st March, 1961.

During the same period 11,123 vacancies have been filled by the Board. The total number of vacancies filled far exceeds the number of registered seamen, because some seamen may serve for a number of short periods during the year, particularly those serving in the home and local trade. It is, therefore, possible for seamen to obtain employment through the Board two or three times or even more during one year.

Inche Mohd. Ali Bin Alwi: (In Malay): Mr Speaker, could the Minister for Labour and Law enlighten me whether the Seamen's Registry Board register merely seamen who are citizens of Singapore or is registration open to all?

Mr Byrne: Mr Speaker, Sir, all those who have been to sea become registered seamen. In addition to that, Mr Speaker, Sir, there is a waiting list which is kept. This waiting list is related to the number of jobs that are available, so that when there are opportunities of increased employment, additions are made to this waiting list. The whole object of the exercise is to strike a proper balance between the demand for seamen and the number which is available for employment.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I would also like to point out to the Assembly that we have sounded the opinions of employers of seamen in Singapore, and we have been informed that, in addition to the figures that I have given just now, there are approximately 8,000 of our seamen who are serving on ships throughout the world and who are not registered in our Registry.

Inche Mohd. Ali Bin Alwi: (In Malay): Mr Speaker, the reason for my asking the question is that I would like to emphasize that there are citizens of Singapore working in Indonesian boats who have been dismissed by the Indonesian authorities because they are Singapore citizens. It is proper that this Board should assist our own citizens and that only citizens of Singapore should be registered.

Mr Speaker: That does not sound like a question to me but would the Minister like to treat it as a question?

Mr Byrne: Yes, Mr Speaker, Sir. There are lots of ships that operate from Singapore which are not registered in Singapore. There are ships which habitually sail from Singapore which are either of Panamanian registry or of Indonesian registry. Many Chinese ship-owners register their ships under the registry facilities of Indonesia. Now, it works both ways. These ships which are registered in Indonesia employ Indonesian nationals as well as Singapore citizens, and we, Mr Speaker, Sir, make no distinction between seamen who are Indonesians and seamen who are citizens of Singapore. In fact, there are many seamen from Indonesia who are our registered seamen and who have been working as seamen through Singapore. So if we were to start discriminating in this way, Mr Speaker, Sir, by making it a condition that only citizens of Singapore are to be employed as sailors on Singapore registered ships, then it would be an inducement and a temptation to ships which are registered in Indonesia to dispense with our crews. And it would be to the disadvantage of Singapore if we ever operated it on that basis.

Inche Mohd. Ali Bin Alwi: (In Malay): Mr Speaker, in future, will the Government make it a policy to give priority to citizens of Singapore because the Seamen's Registry Board is established on public funds?

Mr Byrne: Mr Speaker, Sir, we have a practically complete registry now, and there are opportunities of further employment open to people who take to the sea for the first time. And it will be our duty in that case to restrict further opportunities of employment as seamen to our citizens. That is being actively done now.