FISHERIES CO-OPERATIVE

Mr Ho Kah Leong asked the Minister for Law and National Development whether he will consider setting up a fisheries co-operative to assist fishermen in Singapore.

Mr E. W. Barker: Mr Speaker, Sir, one of the principles of the co-operative movement is that before a co-operative society is formed, a group of people with identical interests should voluntarily come together to discuss their various problems and form a society for their mutual benefit. If there is such a group of people who desire to form a fisheries co-operative, the Primary Production Department will be glad to assist them in any way possible.

Very often, however, co-operative societies are formed with the intention of getting money from the Government. The Government believes that it is better to train our fishermen to catch more fish rather than to give them money.

A fisheries training school is being established at Changi to train fishermen so that they can go farther out to sea and catch more fish. At the same time, a fishing port and fish market facilities are being constructed in Jurong to provide centralised marketing facilities so that fishermen can get a better price for their catches.

These measures, we think, are more effective ways to help fishermen than to give them money in order to help them form a fisheries co-operative.