ENG-1959 — Page 137

108

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

available from two sources: the J. E. Joseph Trust Fund and the Vegetable Marketing Organization Loan Fund. Since the establish- ment of the J. E. Joseph Trust Fund in July 1954, farmers have received 6,117 loans totalling approximately $6,052,534, while 446 further loans totalling some $1,555,747 have similarly been made from the Vegetable Marketing Organization's Fund.

The main types of vegetables, both locally grown and imported, are shown below together with their average wholesale prices:

Average whole- sale price in cents

Piculs Tons

Locally-produced

White Cabbage . Flowering Cabbage

per catty

344,577 20,511

15

179,650 10,693

27

Leaf Mustard Cabbage

108,295 6,446

16

Chinese Lettuce...

70,323 4,186

13

Chinese Kale

69,508

4,137

22

29

Imported

Chinese Melon ...

10,522

626

15

Turnip

8,715

519

09

Tientsin Cabbage

8,001

476

21

Cucumber

5,527

329

11

Round Cabbage

5,303

316

16

CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES

The first appointment of a Registrar of Co-operative Societies was made in May 1950, and the combined Co-operative and Marketing Department (now known as the Co-operative Develop- ment Department) came into being in October of the same year. Since 1950 the Co-operative movement in Hong Kong has made rapid progress and is being accepted by an increasing number of persons, including peasant farmers and fishermen, as a sound and democratic method of improving their lot.

Inevitably, particularly among farmers and fishermen, the main weight of effort has been directed towards the physical formation of societies and towards ensuring that these are organizationally and economically sound. The next step, which can only be achieved over a period of years, will be the development of the existing societies into a fully effective co-operative movement.