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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT
Fishermen's Credit & Marketing Society. The functions of this Society are the same as those of a thrift & loan Society, but in addition it owns and operates a mechanized collecting vessel, which brings members' catches to market where the Society arranges the sales.
Salaried Workers Thrift and Loan Societies. There are at present two Thrift and Loan Societies. Their aims are to encourage members to save a portion of their income and to utilize these savings for small individual loans.
Irrigation Societies. These two Societies own and operate pumps, irrigation channels, etc. through which their mem- bers are helped to obtain water for their fields.
Draft Animal Society. To obtain draft animals and make them available to members for ploughing.
Co-operative Building Societies. Thirty-three of these Societies have been registered as part of Government's plan to provide improved housing for members of the Civil Service. They provide legal entities with which Government can deal and agencies which can ensure that Government loans are promptly and properly repaid.
Fish Pond Society. Situated at Luk Keng, near Sha Tau Kok, this Society aims to improve and develop pond fish culture.
Credit and Consumers' Society. Formed by members of the Forestry Division of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in 1955, its aims are to encourage members to save and to utilize savings for small individual loans. Another function of this Society is the purchasing of consumer goods in bulk for re-sale to members.
The growth of the Co-operative movement in the Colony has been due in very large measure to encouragement given by the Government, and the part which has been played by the Fish & Vegetable Marketing Organizations. Additional financial support has come from the Kadoorie Agriculture Aid Loan Fund and from the J. E. Joseph Trust Fund.