Toh Chin Chye
Singapore
“--- And meet their friends. I do not know. How do we go about it? Supposing we have an impasse. We cannot find anyone who is willing to take on the job of the President. It is a lonely job, yes. I have no ambitions to be called "His Excellency".”
“28 also provides that if the Government is going to change the Constitution in order to modify the powers of the President, he must go and seek a mandate from the people twice (not once, but twice) - first,in a general election and win a two-thirds majority, come back to this House, change the Constitution, and then take the amendment bac…”
“The Minister has not made it quite clear what is tax avoidance, what are the examples of tax avoidance that he would like to close. The Comptroller of Income Tax no doubt has many cases on his hand. If the public, who are paying taxes, are given to know what is legitimate and what is illegitimate, then I think they would be more at ease.”
“It will be invidious for special legislation to be passed for companies that provide essential services so that Government control over them can be maintained.”
“For a whole family to lose their property just because of the act of one is unjust. It is similar to what happened during the days of the Emergency in Malaya when whole villages were resettled because a few were deemed to have collaborated with the Malayan Communist Party. It is exactly the same principle.”
“And, of course, on the HDB side, its accounts will show a deficit because it has to pay high interest, or vast amounts of money in terms of interest, back to the Government. Yesterday the Member for Rochore pointed out to this House the sum of $8.8 billion which was loaned by the Government to the HDB.”
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“Therefore, we have to be very careful that we do not air-condition every part of the University. The workshops and the corridors are decidedly not going to be air-conditioned. The whole campus complex is being planned on a modular basis so that, where necessary, air conditioning can be installed as and when members of the staff feel fit. And when it is not necessary, the air-conditioning can also be turned off. This is uppermost in our minds. It is not just the capital expenditure which is required to put up the University at Kent Ridge but the annual recurrent costs as well. I hope I have answered all the questions which have been raised by the Members for Sembawang and Whampoa. 3.15 p.m.”
“I believe there is at the moment an examination of the needs of this token force which will be in Singapore. But our intention is that, as far as possible, the locality in Pasir Panjang should be made available for economic and educational development. However, where possible and where land is available, it will be the intention of the University to build flats for housing its staff, and similarly I have also suggested to the Polytechnic that when it moves over to Dover Road, flats ought to be built to house its staff. In this way, we can bring the staff nearer to the campus. These two problems are being looked after. As for air-conditioning, I am more concerned with the annual maintenance costs and the public utility charges which the University will have to pay, than with the capital expenditure which will be incurred by installing air-conditioning plants. I believe that the annual operating cost of air-conditioning is $1.10 per square foot per annum. The Faculty for Engineering alone is asking for a total floor area of 393,750 square feet. But of this area, a total of 315,000 square feet is to be air-conditioned, because laboratories which contain sensitive equipment will have to be air-conditioned and it is the intention to provide air-conditioned rooms in the lecture theatres as well as in seminar rooms and staff rooms. The annual operating cost of air-conditioning this space alone for the Engineering Faculty is $346,500. If you extrapolate the cost of maintaining air-conditioning for all other faculties - Science, Architecture, Business Administration and ultimately the Teaching Hospital - you can imagine how much the annual recurrent costs of upkeeping the University will be.”
“But we have to make optimum use of existing facilities. There is already in existence a sports complex about 300 yards north of Kent Ridge, next door to the St. John's International School and the Polytechnic which will be sited at Dover Road. This sports complex has been built at very heavy cost. Several claims have been made for the sports complex which includes a swimming pool, a pavilion and changing rooms. I believe the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Education are also making a claim. But until a final decision has been made, I cannot guarantee that we need to plan for another swimming pool, because I believe that whatever facilities are available in that area should also be made available to the whole community and not to the students only. As for University staff housing, I am told that there are existing, as of this moment in Kent Ridge, houses which are now being occupied by officers in the British Army. Of this number, about 55 will have to be demolished in order to make way for Phase One of the development project. So there will be 45 houses left which can be used to house the University staff. There are also houses in Medway and Sussex Parks which are adjacent to Kent Ridge. Again I have made a bid for them on behalf of the University and the Polytechnic as well, so that we can utilise them for teachers who wish to teach at the University or the Polytechnic. But no final decision can be made on the utilisation of these houses because, excepting those at Kent Ridge, real estate problems have to be solved between the Singapore Government and the British, Australian and New Zealand Governments which are proposing to place a token force in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I will reply in a language which will be familiar to both Members who have asked me the questions. First of all, to answer the Member for Sembawang on the question of the $l0 vote. This signifies that the Ministry has staked a claim for furniture and equipment and for land. Of course, you cannot buy a table these days for $10 unless it is a second hand table. But the $10 vote is to indicate that in future, if it is necessary for the University to acquire equipment, a submission will be made to the Ministry of Finance. In the case of land, nothing has been settled. I have no idea at all how the University is going to pay for the acquisition of land at Kent Ridge. This is a problem which is beyond the University, and it has to be settled between the Bases Economic Conversion Department, representing the Singapore Government, and the British Services. To date, what has happened is this. We have submitted five papers providing the data which have been asked for by the World Bank. The World Bank has sent officers periodically to discuss with the University Development Unit the progress that is being made in planning. We are now waiting for an appraisal team to come out from Washington so that studies can be further elaborated if necessary, and the World Bank can make a final decision on how much of the application which we have made will be supported. With regard to the question of the sports complex which has been raised by the Member for Whampoa, I would just like to point out that it is very far distant in planning. We have no immediate plans for it, although the intention, of course, is to devote a part of the land to sports activities which will include facilities for students and staff who wish to play soccer, rugger, hockey, and cricket if necessary.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the bulk of the provision for transport and travelling goes towards reimbursing transport claims made by the Assistant Inspectors of Dangerous and Hazardous Materials. These inspectors are engaged in performing statutory testing and inspection duties on tankers and ships under the provisions of the Petroleum Ordinance. Before 1968, most of these n1spections were carried out in shipyards at Keppel, Kallang and Tanjong Rhu. But since October 1969 the number of inspections performed at shipyards has increased because new shipyards are being built in the Jurong industrial estate. Also from 1969 these inspections have included the Sembawang Shipyard as well. As more shipyards are established in Singapore, there is greater need for these inspectors to travel to these places to perform their task, and because of the distance of Jurong and Sembawang the cost of travel has concurrently been raised. In the coming year, the Chemistry Department is also playing an active role in helping industries by engaging themselves in research and development projects and consultative work for industry. Hence, the chemists have to pay visits to factories, and again their travel expenses are chargeable to the departmental vote. It is because of these many reasons that the vote of $2,800 provided for last year has been proved inadequate.”
“Secondly, with regard to the building itself, the Board has been fortunate in securing assistance from the Asia Foundation which recently sent out a two-man team of architects and consultants to advise the Board on drawing up a brief for the building. It is the intention of the Board that the erection of the building will be open to competition. Thirdly, the Board is actively looking for a suitable person for appointment as Director of the Science Centre. This is a difficult task, as we need to find a person who knows what the philosophy of the Science Centre and its purpose are. It is true that under Head 1303, Contributions and Charitable Allowances, a sum of $201,150 has been allocated for the workings of the Science Centre Board, but part of this money will be spent on paying architects' fees and the salaries of the Director and other staff whom the Science Centre Board may feel it necessary to recruit. I hope my explanation will satisfy the Member for Telok Blangah.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I feel that my Ministry is partly responsible for confusing the Member for Telok Blangah by listing the vote for the Popular Science Centre under subhead 3004 of Head 0301 in the Estimates. Originally when this vote was inserted in the 1970-71 Estimates, it was intended to pay for local costs for visiting experts who would advise us on the setting up of the Science Centre. Since then two reports have been submitted by them, and I have mentioned this to Parliament. And for the 1971-72 estimates there is a $10 token vote against this subhead. The position at this moment is that the Science Centre Board has been appointed with Mr Wee Cho Yaw as Chairman, as everybody knows, and Mr Ronald Sng as Deputy Chairman. Several other persons have also been appointed as members of the Board. Although the Board is now working independently of my Ministry, there is a representative of my Ministry on the Board. The Science Centre Board is now in the transition stage and until it has been properly built, it will continue to operate within the precincts of the National Museum and to enlist the services of the staff of the Museum. However, when the Science Centre is open for operations, the Ministry of Science and Technology will dissolve the National Museum, and the staff thereof will be distributed between the Science Centre itself and other departments of the civil service. At the moment, the Board is looking into the following aspects regarding the establishment of the Science Centre. First, a 16-acre site fronting Jurong Lake has been earmarked for the centre, and negotiations are going on between the Board and the Jurong Town Corporation for leasing this area.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the temporary staff as provided for in subhead 3001 are required to start the Metrication Board which has been set up recently. It is not envisaged that the Metrication Board will continue as a permanent feature in my Ministry because at some future date it will be dissolved when the major task of the Board has been performed and Singapore is well on its way towards metrication. Therefore, the staff which are now being gathered to assist the Board in its functions need only be temporary as they will not form a permanent feature of the establishment. This is the reason for listing this subhead as "Temporary Staff". To enlighten the Member for Potong Pasir a little further, I must say that, besides the temporary staff provided for under this subhead, two members of the staff from my Ministry are also assisting the Board full-time. One is acting as Secretary to the Board, and the other is the Deputy Chairman of the Board. So the duties of the Board are well covered both by executives and by appointees to the Board itself. The Metrication Board was formed in December 1970 with representatives from the Chambers of Commerce, the Manufacturers Association, interested Ministries such as Education and Finance, and interested bodies like S.I.S.I.R., as well as the relevant professional bodies. The Board has had several meetings and a plan has been drawn up to introduce metrication to Singapore as early as possible.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am grateful to the Member for Mountbatten for his great concern for my Ministry. I just wish to correct the Member of his impression that I have been the Minister for Science and Technology for four years. The fact is that I have been the Minister for only 2 1/2 years. The first reason why there is no Permanent Secretary for my Ministry is simply that the Establishment Branch of the Ministry of Finance has not been able to find a suitable person. The second reason, of course, is that as the Minister I am very much conscious of Parkinson's law, and therefore I do not want to create the impression that the moment we start a Ministry, we must have a Permanent Secretary. However, the Ministry of Science and Technology is being looked after by a Principal Assistant Secretary, and my recommendation to the Ministry of Finance is that since my Ministry has now shown that it has been functioning for the last 24 years and that the work is developing in volume, my Ministry would need to have at least a Deputy Secretary. I hope that satisfies the Member for Mountbatten.”
“Bill considered in Committee: reported without amendment: read a Third time and passed. ENLISTMENT (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.55 p.m.”
“Mr Govindasamy, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Weights and Measures (Amendment) Bill seeks to legalise metric units for use in trade in Singapore. The existing imperial units and local customary units shall remain legal, but the Minister may declare, not less than five years after the coming into operation of the Act, any unit or standard to be illegal and void in Singapore. However, there is a provision for the Minister to exempt any person or body of persons, department or agency, from the operation of such notification. The Bill also increases the penalties for offences against the Ordinance. It increases the effectiveness of measures against malpractices by extending the powers of inspectors of weights and measures to assistant inspectors and to senior officers of customs. It empowers the Minister to declare that the Weights and Measures Ordinance shall apply to the sale of gold, silver or precious stones, drugs, and carriage of goods, which are at present not covered by the Ordinance. The Metrication Board, with Mr Baey Lian Peck as Chairman, has already been formed and the function of the Board is to ensure that there is co-ordination between Government Ministries and the private sector during the process of metrication. I may, for clarification, also add that the administration of the Weights and Measures (Amendment) Act comes under the Trade Division of the Ministry of Finance, although for purposes of convenience I am moving this amendment Bill. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. -[Dr Toh Chin Chye].”
“In Germany, the length of the road, now known as the rod or pole or perch, was established by a random sample of 16 men coming out of church: they stood toe-to-heel, and the overall length was accepted as the standard. The Romans measured out their mile. Their mile was a thousand paces, equivalent now to 1,618 yards. A pace, however, is a variable unit, and so the mile has varied. The British and American mile was standardised at 1,760 yards, but in a number of European countries, the mile ranges from less than a British-American mile to six such miles. So while there was much in the old days to commend the units based on the human body, however, the units based on the anatomy of the human being were too variable, and therefore the standards used varied from country to country. For example, in the North of Italy in Leonardo da Vinci's time, lengths were in braccia or arm lengths. Leonardo was a tall man and could outreach most of his contemporaries. If he was using his own braccia, he must have run into difficulties when he had to fit something he had designed or made into-something measured according to other braccia. Even the standard braccia varied from city to city. A Florentine door would have been too big for a Milanese door-frame. Throughout the centuries, measurements proliferated in regions, countries and localities, and persisted long after their original significance and utility had been forgot- ten. As a result, there were problems, not only in fitting but also in making sure of honest measure and in avoiding confusion born of misunderstanding. The Metrication Act seeks to standardise weights and measures according to an international system. The system now is based on physical units which can be measured extremely accurately. Sir, I beg to move.”
“Mr Govindasamy. Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Metrication Bill seeks to legalise the use of the metric system and to enable the Ministers to change references to non-metric units in any written law to references in equivalent metric units and to empower Ministries to accept approximations in conversion. I have already made a statement in the House at the last sitting on the reasons why Singapore must proceed with the metrication process. However, it may be interesting to Members of the House if I read excerpts of the folklore behind the imperial Weights and Measures as compiled by Lord Ritchie-Calder, who is now Chairman of the British Metrication Board. The foot is not, as popularly believed, the size of the human foot. As human feet vary from person to person and because of this great variation, one thousand years ago 36 barley corns or 36 seeds of barley taken from the middle of the ear placed end to end were regarded as one foot. And three of these barley seeds placed end to end constituted one inch. A yard was the distance from the tip of King Edgar's nose to the tip of the middle finger of his outstretched arm. A fathom was said to be the length of a Viking's embrace. An acre was the amount of land that could be ploughed in a day by a yoke of oxen. The amount could vary, depending on whether the soil was heavy or light. In those days the larger unit was called the hide; it too was a variable measurement, being based on the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plough in a year. This amount, which averaged about 120 acres, was deemed enough to support a family.”
“For these reasons, the process of conversion to the metric system should cover a period of several years, although it is our hope that by 1975 all Government departments and three-quarters of private industries with external trade dealings will have converted to the metric system. As there is a large number of statutes in Singapore which use imperial units, it is cumbersome to take each statute through Parliament for amendment. A Metrication Bill will therefore be introduced to enable necessary legal changes to be made by Gazette notification without taking each statute through Parliament. Furthermore, the present Weights and Measures Ordinance (Cap. 230), which only legalises the local (i.e., gantang, chupak, kati, tahil) and imperial systems, has to be amended to include the metric system. Units based on the kilogram, metre and second are being used in many of the metric countries and accepted by nearly all the metricating countries. They are referred to as the International System of Units and will initially exist side by side with the local and imperial systems currently in use. There is, however, provision in the proposed Bill to empower the Minister to declare by notification, not less than five years after this Bill becomes law, any unit to be invalid for use in Singapore, with a proviso that the Minister can exempt any person or department from the operation of such notification. NATIONAL SERVICE POLICY (Statement by the Minister of Defence) 3.14 p.m.”
“It is impossible to expect housewives, amahs or hawkers to change overnight their familiarity with customary units of measures. There must be a long period of propaganda and education to orientate the public towards the new system. For example, those who are accustomed to taking a pint of beer may find that half a litre is too little while a litre is too much. Market stall-holders used to charging prices of meat, chicken and vegetables by the kati will find that charging by the kilogram will create an impression of rising prices, although a kilogram is 1.6 katis. The neater way is to use prices per half kilogram, but as this is only 82 per cent of a kati, prices should be proportionately lowered. The motorist will find that a gallon of petrol can take him 30 miles, but if he buys a litre, it will give him only one fifth the distance. Then again, dua belas batu Bukit Timah in miles is further than dua belas batu in kilometres. This can confuse the postman or someone who is trying to find his way. It is felt, therefore, that the retail trade sector should be left to metricate voluntarily and gradually since this sector involves a change of ingrained and accumulated habits of the majority of the population. However, no compensation will be paid to the private sector for costs arising out of metrication. The costs of conversion will lie where they fall. Conversion to the metric system should not be used as a pretext for price increases or profiteering. Neither should metrication cause the private sector undue or harsh financial hardships.”
“The Singapore Telephone Board has been informed by a telephone cable supplier in the United Kingdom that new cable specifications in metric units would be adopted in August 1970. It is apparent that as time goes on, the market for goods with specifications in imperial units will get progressively smaller and those for goods in metric units will, ipso facto, get larger. Metrication will be introduced by administrative action first in the Government departments and statutory bodies. The Ministry of Science and Technology has made a study of the technical problems involved in conversion to the metric system and the political and economic consequences. A report of the study has been tabled in the House. Chapter 4 summarises the findings concerning Government departments and statutory bodies, excluding the Singapore Armed Forces. It has been found that conversion can commence as soon as possible in most of the Government departments and statutory bodies without incurring excessive costs, which fall mainly in the purchase of equipment. Some Government departments and statutory bodies, in fact, need to metricate irrespective of the Singapore Government's decision, because of international requirements. One cannot introduce metrication in Government departments without affecting the private sector, as members of the public have dealings with Government departments. The problems of metrication in the private sector are more complex and it is therefore intended that a Metrication Board, which will consist of representatives of various industries, will liaise with Government departments to ensure that metrication is introduced gradually and smoothly without dislocation of production and trade.”
“Because it is decimally based, the conversion from one unit to another requires only the shifting of the decimal place. Its inherent simplicity in use will benefit all sectors of economic activities and the time saved in learning other systems of weights and measures in schools could be more profitably spent for other purposes. The overall cost of conversion in a country depends on the degree of industrialisation, but if conversion is necessary, it should commence as soon as possible, as it has been estimated in the United Kingdom that the costs of conversion increase at a rate of 8 per cent for every year of delay. It is difficult to quantify the overall costs of conversion, which should include not only direct costs, but also costs due to wastage and initial loss in efficiency arising from lack of familiarity with the new system. In any case, any meaningful estimate of the total capital expenditure required to convert is difficult, but with careful planning, expenditure could be reduced to the minimum. For example, in India, the cost of converting petrol pump dials to measure in litres turned out to be only one per cent of the original estimate. A very rough estimate of expenditure to be incurred by Government departments and statutory bodies for metrication is $5.6 million. As Singapore's economy is very much dependent on developments outside the country, we must move in step with the metricating world. The rubber trade in Singapore and Malaysia, for example, has decided to metricate with effect from 11th February, 1971, following its acceptance of the recommendations of the Metrication Joint Working Committee set up recently by the Rubber Association of Singapore and the Malaysian Rubber Exchange.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I take this opportunity to clarify a little the Report on Metrication lest rumours spread around of the intentions of the Government with regard to adopting a new system of weights and measures. The metric system is currently used in more than 120 countries in which 90 per cent of the population live and which account for 60 per cent of the Gross National Product of the world. Furthermore, the major non-metric countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, with the exception of the United States of America, are either metricating or contemplating to go metric. The United States can afford to be less hasty in metricating as more than 90 per cent of her industrial products are internally consumed. Nevertheless, a congressional committee has been formed to study the measures to be taken for metrication in the United States. In Asia, almost all countries other than Hong Kong, Burma and Brunei, are either already using the metric system or are metricating. Japan and India have recently completed the conversion. Among Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are already using the metric system. Ceylon has announced her intention to metricate. In 1969, Singapore's trade with countries using the metric system and those committed to the changeover constituted about 90 per cent (by value) of our total external trade. Although Singapore's trade with the United States has expanded from 4.7 per cent of total trade in 1965 to 9.1 per cent in 1969, the items likely to be affected by metrication form only about 12.7 per cent. There are obvious advantages of adopting the metric system.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, several Members have made inquiries concerning the running expenses of the Science Centre, and raised questions on the future of the anthropological exhibits which are at present located in the National Museum. I would like to add that the members of the National Museum Board have recommended that the Science Centre be located at a new site. I have no doubt that when the Science Centre Board has been appointed, it will be actively engaged in searching for a new location for the Science Centre. I am hoping that the anthropological exhibits in the National Museum will be permitted to remain there, and that they, together with paintings and other artefacts, can form an art gallery for the future. The Ministry of Culture has been responsible for raising funds for an art gallery. At present, although we are not quite certain what progress has been achieved in its fund-raising campaigns, I have no doubt that the Ministry of Culture will be only too happy to acquire the present building, which is now the National Museum, so that it can house the art gallery and whatever ancient antiques that we may collect from time to time. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Dr Toh Chin Chye]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. AUDIT (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 4.05 p.m.”
“The strongest claim for proceeding with the Science Centre lies in the ability of such a centre to supplement science and technical education at a time when this is one of Singapore's greatest needs. The centre will certainly be the first and only one of its kind in the region. It can well attract considerable attention from visitors coming from other nearby Asian countries as well as serving the needs of Singapore. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 3.49 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir,I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Government has received two studies on the modernisation of the existing National Museum. In brief, the conclusion is that the Natural History Division of the National Museum should be converted to a Life Sciences Division which will display the functions of the cell; how genetics lead to the existence of species, methods of reproduction, locomotion and control of behaviour by the brain. The other proposal is that there should also be a division which will show applications of scientific principles in engineering and technology. There will be in this division a science arcade given to a series of small rooms which will cover exhibits relating to specific aspects of science, for example, the atom, sound, radar, geophysical exploration which is very relevant in Southeast Asia today. There will also be an Industrial Technology Hall dealing with the techniques made use of generally in industry. Thirdly, there will be a Communications and Transport Hall which will show the technologies used in modern communication science and transport, and will link this to the importance of Singapore as a communications and transport centre. These two divisions will constitute the Science Centre. It will be an autonomous statutory body responsible to the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Science Centre will be managed by a single body, and this body will have access to the public in the collection of funds. It is estimated that there will be 340,000 visitors annually to the Science Centre. It is believed that the scope and organisation proposed for the Science Centre is such that it can form a new institution with an immediate useful function and considerable potential. It is a challenging concept.”
“Most museums these days devote only a very small corner of their building to taxonomy. So he has suggested that perhaps it would be more instructive if visitors to the Museum could be shown the origin of life evolution, the relation between man and his environment, that is the ecological aspects of living matter, and perhaps even school children will be able to relate how biology is integrated with environment. I shall be having a discussion over this problem with the Museum Advisory Committee and the Curator, and will put up a recommendation to the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Law and National Development. I hope that the former will give me more money and the latter will give me a site so that we can have a Popular Science Centre. Admittedly the present location of the National Museum constricts its development and it is impossible to put up any other building close by. Furthermore, the National Museum is now located in an area of land that is, very expensive indeed, and somehow I feel that it is not justifiable to go along and make a claim to very expensive land which can be used for more economical purposes. This, briefly, then is the thinking of the proposed Popular Science Centre. I hope that when the time comes for claims to be made on the Finance Minister and the Minister for Law and National Development, I will have the staunch support of the Member for Telok Blangah. Mr N. Govindasamy: I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. 3.10 p.m. The time allotted for Head 0301 having expired, the following amendment, standing in the name of Madam Chan Choy Siong, was not proceeded, with: That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0301 be reduced by $100. The sum of $455,280 for Head 0301 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0401 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for Telok Blangah for his very staunch support, and I certainly hope the Minister for Finance will take heed of what he has stated. I would like to explain to the House that the concept of the Science Centre is being revised. As Members will know, at the moment we have the National Museum, one part of which houses stuffed animals and the other part houses Chinese beads, coins, porcelain and similar antiques. We recently requested, through U.N.D.P., the assistance of an expert, Miss Weston, who was attached to the Science Museum in Kensington, to advise us on the setting up of the Popular Science Centre. She has submitted a report to the Government in which she has recommended a Science Centre, not quite similar to the one in London but one which will be able to demonstrate the application of science to technology, to be built in Singapore. We have recently been looking into this problem and have come to the conclusion that the proposed Popular Science Centre should be more than that. Since we are going to spend a substantial sum of money - $5 million and perhaps more - we ought to find, firstly, a suitable site, and, secondly, to make up our minds what the Popular Science Centre should be. The conclusion is that the Popular Science Centre should consist of two divisions. One division will show the application of science to technology, and the second division will show exhibits relating to the life sciences. Recently, we have another U.N.E.S.C.O. expert, Mr Gardner, who came to Singapore to advise us on how to modernise the National Museum. He has come to the conclusion that the animals we are stuffing in the National Museum are antiquated and out of date.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Museum is visited very largely by school students and it is, therefore, essentially an educational institution. If the Museum is to serve its purpose usefully, it is necessary indeed that we should have one officer who will be able to organise tours on behalf of schools which carry out regular visits to the Museum. It is because of this reason that the post marked "Education Officer" has been created in the National Museum. This has been done on the advice of the National Museum Advisory Committee, of which the Member for Katong is the President. If the Member for Thomson wishes further information on this aspect, he can ask the Member for Katong. However, just to inform the House, the Education Officer is, as of this moment, seconded from the Ministry of Education. But it is our intention at some future date that this person should be part of the establishment of the Museum itself. The Member for Thomson may be interested to know that during the period 1st July to 31st December last year there were altogether 55 guided visits which represented 2,080 pupils and 194 teachers from 27 schools and the Teachers' Training College. 3.00 p.m. Furthermore, the Museum organised eight practical and field courses for 117 teachers who were teaching nature science or biology. We have also plans to arrange for talks and demonstrations to science clubs in schools, and it is because of these extended and enlarged services of the Museum that we have come to the conclusion that a full-time Education Officer in the Museum will be very necessary.”
“I think the Member for Thomson really ought to know his business better. He should refer the problems he faces in his constituency to the proper quarters to deal with.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not quite sure why the Member for Thomson should ever refer this topic to the Director of the National Museum who is more concerned with exhibiting stuffed animals than live hornets.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The purpose of this Bill is to legislate for the formation of a Museum Board. Members of this board will be drawn from the public. The purpose of this board is to advise the Director of the Museum on the setting up of exhibits in the museum and generally to make the museum attractive so that visitors to the museum will find it a pleasure to do so. Members of this board will be drawn not only from those connected with education but also generally from people who find that using the museum is instructive and educational. Question proposed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Sembawang has a good idea. I shall bring it to the attention of my officials and ensure that the exhibits are explained in the four official languages - English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. May I inform Members of the House how the money which has been allocated for the National Museum will be spent? A sum of $185,000 will be spent on works and buildings. This involves the construction of a bridge to link up the eastern side of the front and rear building, the construction of an external wall to link up the northern side of the front and rear building, the demolition of garages and construction of two internal court yard s. The sum of $156,000 is allocated for the purchase of furniture and equipment. This includes electric light fittings for show cases, moveable show cases for the public galleries, shelves for reference collections and stores, a deep-freeze unit for storage of animals and carcasses, a freeze drier, an air-condition unit and two microscopes.”
“However, there is indeed a need for us to explain to students who go abroad for a higher degree, or even an undergraduate course, what studies they can profitably undertake so that when they return to Singapore they can be usefully employed. It is my concern that many of our young students who go abroad have not been so counselled and we see now the con sequences of students taking up esoteric studies and, on returning, find that they cannot obtain employment for the training which they have undergone. This is a problem with which my Ministry is faced, and as the work accumulates it is my intention at some future date to appoint perhaps a Parliamentary Secretary to assist me in interviewing some of these returned students. I hope this explanation satisfies the Member for Changi.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if the Member for Changi intends to remove even that little $10, there will be nothing left and the Minister does not exist at all. However, for the clarification of the House, Members will be aware that I also hold another post as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Singapore. I can receive only one salary and I am being paid by the University and therefore I am not receiving any emolument from the Government. The $10 vote is, of course, a token sum to indicate that the Minister does exist. As of this moment when I am building up the Ministry and the work is slowly piling up, the reason why we do not have a Permanent Secretary attached to the Ministry is that I cannot find any civil servant of that category who can be my Permanent Secretary. So I have a Principal Assistant Secretary instead. I must add that I have been relieved of a considerable load of work by the Science Council of Singapore to which I have passed a lot of the problems addressed to me. At this moment, the Ministry is involved in a sample survey of professional and technical manpower in conjunction with the Economic Research Centre of the University, and there has also been a proposal to form a placement agency attached to my Ministry. The reason is that graduates who have come back to Singapore from abroad have found that they are not able to obtain jobs according to their qualifications or training. Some have become square pegs in round holes and some have become unemployable. Sir, some of these graduates have approached or written to me for jobs. Being responsible for the University and the Polytechnic, I am in a favourable position to understand the staffing position in these two institutions. I do hope that I will be able to help them as far as I can.”
“Legislation will shortly be introduced to provide for the establishment of a National Museum Board which will advise and assist in the running of the National Museum. There is also a possibility that the services of a Museum expert may be obtained with UNESCO assistance to advise on the setting up of exhibits and dioramas in the National Museum. PIONEER INDUSTRIES (Employment figures) 2. Inche Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi asked the Minister for Finance (a) how many workers were employed by pioneer industries as at 30th June, 1968; and (b) how many pioneer industries have been and are expected to be set up and how many workers have been and are expected to be employed by such industries during the period of twelve months from 1st July, 1968.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, at the time of the transfer of the National Museum to the Ministry of Science and Technology, there were plans to modernise the public galleries and to modify the existing building to increase the exhibition space from the present 36,000 square feet to 51,000 square feet as well as to provide adequate accommodation for the reference collection, library and research facilities. These plans were based on recommendations submitted by a UNESCO museum adviser, Dr A. N. J. Vandehoop, and those submitted by the Science and Industry Museum Com mittee set up in 1961. The Government has also obtained the services of a Colombo Plan expert, Mr Y. Takizawa, of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, from September 1967 to June this year to advise on the designs and layout of exhibition cases in the public galleries. However, Members will be aware that the Museum, as it stands at the moment, is almost a junk-shop containing a hodge-podge of exhibits. You enter one room in which you see snakes and monkeys and you enter the next room and you see old Chinese furniture and sarongs. Obviously the Museum needs a new policy and, accordingly, a Gallup poll was conducted among Museum visitors to ascertain their preferences for the various categories of exhibits in June this year. The results showed a general preference for exhibits of flora and fauna. In view of this preference and of the limitation of funds which makes it impossible to build up the Anthropological Section of the Museum, it has now been decided to develop the National Museum into a Natural History Museum. In the meantime, the Development Planning Committee has given approval for expenditure of $245,000 to improve the existing building according to plans already made.”
“There may be a good reason if the Member for Choa Chu Kang can argue before the Standing Orders Committee in order to revise the times now allocated for the Budget debate in Committee of Supply. It is quite true that when the present times were drawn up, it was in the light of the situation when much of the business of the House and of the Government came under Malaysian Central Government control. Therefore, we found it was unnecessary to spend that much time as we had done before we joined Malaysia. However, now that all of the powers have reverted to the Singapore Government, it may be necessary for us to look into the matter. If the Member for Choa Chu Kang or, for that matter, any other Member of the House, would like to send in memoranda to the Standing Orders Committee, I am quite sure we will all together be able to bring up to date the Standing Orders to a state which will fit the present times. PLAYING FIELDS FOR AIDED SCHOOLS IN CITY AREA 2. Mr P. Govindaswamy asked the Minister for Education, as certain aided schools in the City Area have no playing-fields, if the Government will consider allowing those schools the use of any available State land in the vicinity of the schools as playing-fields.”
“I admire the Member for Punggol for being up to date in this sense, but I would say that, as far as principles regarding the conduct of business in the House are concerned, there has been no necessity to make any significant changes. As the Member himself has pointed out, the Standing Orders are reviewed from time to time to bring them up to date according to conditions prevailing in the House. The references that the Member for Punggol has pointed out require only minor amendments with regard to nomenclature, and I am quite sure. Mr Speaker, that you yourself can handle that, and that the Government Printer will only be too obliged to bring the present Standing Orders up to date in the light of the new Constitution.”
“Mr Speaker, there is a Standing Orders Committee and if the Member for Punggol will write a memorandum to you or to the Standing Orders Committee and indicate which sections of the Standing Orders are irrelevant or out of date, I am quite sure the Committee will look into the matter and make the necessary amendment; I, for one, am not particularly aware of sections in the Standing Orders which are irrelevant at all.”
“There are 230,000 accounts and 100 complaints a month from these bills, amounting to 0.04 per cent. I think, all in all, the complaints are not excessive and I believe the accounting system is working well. So probably the Member for Mountbatten has come across specific individual cases and these have been brought to his attention. But it is not a general complaint among P.U.B. consumers. On the whole, I do not think there is any inefficiency or overcharging by P.U.B. accountants. In any case, when meters are finally checked, any overpayments are credited to the consumers' account, and if there have been under payments then, of course, the consumers have to pay the balance. Inche Mohd. Ariff(In Malay): I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“raised this water tariff, the cost has been borne by the Public Utilities Board. The result, of course, is that the P.U.B. has found itself in very difficult circumstances, and in order for it to obtain a loan from the World Bank, it has to increase its tariff charges on water especially, in order to guarantee that the sum returned will be able to meet the interest on the capital borrowed as well as to return the principal sum. I think that will satisfy the query of the Member for Kampong Kembangan. As for the complaints raised by the Member for Mountbatten, I can only say that there are 660,000 meters involving 230,000 bills which are dealt with by the P.U.B. each month. On the average, it has been found that 12,000 meters cannot be read per month. That is, 1.8 per cent of the total number of meters have not been accessible to the P.U.B. meter readers for one reason or another. Some of these reasons are that the houses were locked and the meter readers could not have access to the meters, or the meters were faulty or the dials were blurred and the meter readers could not read and, therefore, had to await changes in the meters. Or there may be obstructions where the meters are placed. Somebody may have placed a table, a box or a pile of firewood next to the meter and the result, of course, is that it is impossible for the meter reader to have access to the meter at all. These are some of the reasons why 1.8 per cent of meters are not read per month and, therefore, some estimates of charges will have to be inserted into the monthly consolidated account. These are based on the average consumption per month. The complaints which the Member for Mountbatten has mentioned just now amount to only about 100 a month.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in answer to the question raised by the Member for Kampong Kembangan, I would like to inform him that the P.U.B. has permitted itself to spend $140.32 million for 1968. This sum of money will be spent as follows: $57.1 million for the Jurong Power Station; $54.8 million for a system to distribute electricity; $3.9 million for the Gas Department; $9.6 million to enlarge the Seletar Reservoir and, at the same time, to increase the filter at Woodleigh; and $6.7 million to create a distribution system for the increase of water supply from Woodleigh. Of this capital expenditure, the P.U.B can only finance $45.66 million from its own funds. It has obtained a loan of $50.59 million from the World Bank to finance its power and water capital works and, at the same time, on deferred payment credit it has obtained a loan of $24.07 million. This total sum does not come up to the required capital of $104.32 million and, therefore, the P.U.B, has to apply to the Government for a sum of $20 million in order to fulfil the capital works for next year. As for the increase in the water charges, I can only remind Members of the House that the price of water charged to consumers had remained static since 1954, and for the last 13 years there has been no increase at all in the price of water although the cost of production has gone up. For example, in 1962 the cost of producing a thousand gallons of water was 72.94 cents and in 1966 it was 72.14 cents. In 1967 this year it is estimated to increase to 78.42 cents, and for next year the cost is going to rise to as much as 87.4 cents per thousand gallons. This, of course, means that somebody has got to bear the losses and up to date, until the P.U.B.”
“The reason why the wayleave payment has been increased is again explained by our take-over of external telecommunications from the former Cable and Wireless Company. The wayleave payments which were previously made by Cable and Wireless Company are now included in the payments made by the Telecommunications Department. That explains why there has been an increase. F o r m e r I y, the Telecommunications Department paid about $2.2 million. Cable and Wireless Company paid about $1.1 million. So the total sum adds up to $3.3 million. As for the second point, the interim allowance refers to an allowance that is being paid to clerks of the Telecommunications Department under an award made by the Industrial Arbitration Court in 1965. The allowance amounts to about $15 per month to each clerk. The clerks of the Telecommunications Department had asked for an upward revision of their salaries, but this had not been agreed to by the Treasury. It was referred to the Arbitration Court, and when no final settlement was forthcoming either from the Treasury or from the Salaries Commission, the Arbitration Court made a judgment so that an interim payment of this sum would be made to these clerks. So this is, in fact, an allowance payable to a clerk if the date of confirmation of his appointment is later than January 1965. This explains why this sum is now being included in the Budget.”
“Wayleave ac-counting is a form of accounting which has been worked out amongst Commonwealth countries who subscribe to a common telecommunications system. It is a very complicated form of accounting which I myself, not being an accountant, do not fully understand. But roughly it means this. If you want to send a message, let us say, to Copenhagen or Moscow, you can send it via Seacom cable across to Australia, then across the Pacific to Canada, across the Atlantic to London, who in turn will transmit the message either by radio or some other cable to Moscow or Copenhagen or whichever place you want to despatch your message. Things being centralised more or less in London in this Commonwealth network, it stands to reason that whatever revenue we collect in Singapore, part of it has got to be paid to somebody else for helping you to transmit your message. This is the essence of the wayleave accounting system. It means that all expenditure incurred by partners of the Commonwealth cable system or telecommunications system pool their expenditure together; this expenditure being the amount of money you spend on transmitting other people's messages, or expenditure incurred in maintaining sections of the cable or sections of the telecommunications system for which you are responsible. 4.15 p.m. Then towards the end of the financial year, the revenues collected by Commonwealth countries are totalled up and each Commonwealth member country is then asked to pay up what it owes to other members in proportion to the amount of revenue that it collects in its own country. This roughly is the essence of the wayleave scheme.”
“At the moment, we are negotiating with Cable and Wireless Union on transfer of the staff to Government salary scales, and negotiations have not been completed for posts relating to Division II and officers below this Division. The telegraph messenger boys' emoluments in Cable and Wireless are included in this block vote. So there has really been no reduction at all in the total number of telegraph messengers. Incidentally, there are 63 telegraph messengers in Cable and Wireless and this, together with the 55 budgetted for under the Telecommunications Head, brings the total to 121. So with that number of telegraph messenger boys, I think we can pool our resources and make the service as efficient as in the past without increasing the number of bodies.”
“For the enlightenment of the Member for Anson, I will just inform him that there has really been no increase in the number of accountants in the Telecommunications Department. What has happened is that we have taken over Cable and Wireless Limited which was responsible for external telecommunications in the past, and in the process we have taken over members of the staff as well. The three Accountants who are budgetted for in the Estimates are these: one is held against a post which is now shown in subhead 1009; the second one is held against the post of Assistant Controller, subhead 1010; and the third accountant comes over from Cable and Wireless. I would add, for the information of the House, that the essence of the Telecommunications Department is to earn revenue, and I have given directives that the Department should be spruced up so that it operates as a business concern. As the most important part of any business concern is the accounting side, we have authorised that three accountants be appointed in the Telecommunications Department. These accountants have more work to perform since we have got international as well as local accounting to look into. Secondly, on the question of telegraph messengers, there has been some misunderstanding partly because the number of telegraph messengers whom we have taken over from the former Cable and Wireless is not indicated in the Budget. But if the Member for Anson looks under subhead 3009, Telecommunications Department (External), he will find a block vote of $4,256,280. This sum of money is provided for payment of emoluments to all those now in Cable and Wireless.”
“Sir, if the Member for Aljunied will write to the Director of Civil Aviation or to me indicating which signboards in which parts of the Airport have mistakes in translation or spelling on them, I am quite sure the errors can be rectified very easily. I would only point out that, as far as the translation and spelling of signboards is concerned, there is a standard procedure by which the Director of Civil Aviation refers the matter to the Ministry of Culture, and it is the Ministry of Culture which gives the purported correct version of a translation or spelling of any name that we wish to write on a sign-board. I would say that the best thing that the Member can do is to let us know specifically which signboard is in error and in which part of the Airport it is located. We will rectify the mistake as soon as we can.”
“What I hope to achieve by changing our Merchant Shiping Ordinance is that by having more vessels registered under our flag we can create more opportunities for employment of Singapore seamen.”
“The answer to the first question by the Member for Choa Chu Kang is that at present there is a total of 303 ships in the Singapore Registry totalling about 125,785 tons. The answer to the second question is that I am not satisfied with the total tonnage or with the total number of ships. The answer to the third question is that we are a signatory to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, and it is necessary that whatever regulations we promulgate must be in accordance with our adherence to this International Convention. It is true that at the present moment the Merchant Shipping Ordinance prescribes regulations which follow the British Ordinance, and these regulations are of higher standards than those required by the International Convention. I have already in draft form a piece of legislation which I shall put before Parliament sometime next year whereby I hope to revise the Merchant Shipping Ordinance and make the regulations such that while we conform to the standards required by the International Convention, we do not at the same time ask for absurd standards which are too high for local requirements or for the requirements of ships deployed in this area, so that in this way we can encourage more foreign vessels to fly the Singapore flag. I do not know whether it is wise to follow the Panamanian model for registering ships, but I would not like to make comparisons among the Liberian, the Panamanian, the Bermudan and any other flag of convenience. However, all I would say is that what we will do is typically Singaporean, and it is the intention of this legislation, of course, to assist ship owners to register under our flag. At the same time, what we gain out of it will not be in income tax or other forms of taxation.”
“If the objection is found to be genuine, and that the error lies with the Elections Office, then I will instruct my officers to pass the matter up to me and, as I have indicated to the Member earlier, in such an instance we may consider waiving the fee.”
“The first point, of course, is not uncommon at all. The Member for Kampong Kembangan refers to a situation where his constituency has been cut into two, with the result that it is inevitable that some electors who live on one side of the street will find themselves belonging to one constituency, and those living on the other side of the street will find themselves located in another new constituency. This is the case, too, for those people who live in Orchard Road. Half of the people who live on the left side of Orchard Road belong to the River Valley Constituency, and those who live on the right side of Orchard Road find themselves in the Cairnhill Constituency. The reason is that Orchard Road, like the road which the Member for Kampong Kembangan has mentioned just now, has been used as a boundary line for partitioning the area into separate constituencies. I am afraid this is a problem which cannot be avoided at all. Secondly, as far as the waiving of fees is concerned, the idea of imposing a fee is to prevent people from wasting the time of the Election Officers over frivolous claims. A fee is imposed so that whoever is prepared to pay $1 will really lay a claim or make an objection to the Elections Office because he has got serious reasons to do so. However, I will consider waiving the fee in some cases, but at the moment I do not think that we can completely remove this regulation from the Ordinance.”
“Equally so, it may well be that persons living in new constituencies will find that they will have to go to some faraway centre to vote for the same reason. However, we shall try as best we can to erect more polling stations so that as few people as possible will be inconvenienced on this account.”
“Mr Speaker, first, I would like to answer the second point raised by the Member for Sembawang -that the period of 12 days, which is now mandatory in the legislation, is considered adequate. I do not think it is necessary really to extend the period of inspection. As a matter of fact, the argument put forward by the Member for Sembawang that the period should be lengthened because there are more electors is inaccurate, simply because the increased electorate has been redistributed among more constituencies, with the result that we have opened more centres for the inspection of registers. And the period of two weeks -I am sorry I mentioned 12 days just now; I was wrong, it should be two weeks -is considered quite sufficient. If there are people who are genuinely interested in finding out whether or not their names are in the register, they should do so the moment the books are open for inspection, and not wait until the last two days or the closing day to rush to the centre to check the registers. Secondly, as for the point raised by the Member for Sembawang that some electors in Sembawang find that they have to vote in Nee Soon or Bukit Panjang, that, of course, is an indictment against the elector himself. A man who has changed his address should immediately notify the nearest police station or the National Registration Centre, so that this change of address will be noted in the registers. Consequently the anomaly that a man who lives in one constituency has to vote in another constituency will not arise. However, I presume that many people who have changed their addresses during this period have not bothered at all to notify the police or the National Registration Centre, and therefore they have to face the inconvenience.”
“The amendments proposed, therefore, relate only to hawking in the properties of Statutory Boards and do not affect the general authority of the Director or his policy-making powers in the control of hawkers. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. -[Mr Lim Kim San]. Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 3.37 p.m. Clauses 1 to 3 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. New Clause - "Amendment of Subsection (5) of section 184. section 184 of the Local Government Integration Ordinance, 1963, is hereby amended by deleting the words "five hundred" appearing in the fifth and sixth lines thereof and substituting therefor the words "one thousand five hundred".".-[Mr Lim Kim San] Brought up, and read the First time.”