(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
An optimistic view of the present situation in Palestine and the prospect of the future development of the Jewish National Home there, as well as agreement with the present policy of the Mandatory Power, was expressed by the report of the Permanent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations.
The report, which expresses the opinion of the Commission following its examination of the various reports concerning Palestine at its last session in June, deals with the report of the British Government as the Mandatory Power, the report of the Zionist World Organization as the Jewish Agency and with the petitions of the Palestine Arab Executive, the Orthodox Jewish World Organization Agudath Israel, and of the delegation of the Vaad Leu###, the National Council of Palestine Jews.
AGREES WITH MANDATORY’S POLICY
The report dealing with the memorandum of the British Government maintains a general tone of agreement with the policy of the Mandatory Power, “which is doing its best in a difficult situation.” Although the Jews are justified in demanding the support provided for by the Palestine Mandate, the Mandatory Power is acting wisely in its endeavor to avoid serious conflicts between the two sections of the population, the report observes. The Permanent Mandates Commission notes with satisfaction that political unrest in Palestine is decreasing, that order has been observed, and it is confident that the Mandatory Power is capable of, preventing, by local forces, any trouble which would constitute a menace to any part of the population. The Permanent Mandates Commission follows with interest the measures to develop the electrical system and to encourage local autonomy. The Commission also trusts that every effort will be made to hasten the completion of the land survey, which is important for the general development of Palestine and particularly for the establishment there of the Jewish National Home.
Concerning the petition of the Palestine-Arab Executive, the rapporteur of M. Leopoldo Palacios of Spain declared that the Commission has received no new information on the matter. It has not received from the British Government the promised documents concerning the Ruttenberg concession and the petition of the Palestine-Arab Executive cannot therefore be considered. The last petition was only a reiteration of the previous petition. The situation has not changed and the decision therefore must be the same as last year. It is obvious, however, that for the first time the Palestine-Arab Executive is not in total opposition to the Palestine Mandate. It merely complains of the alleged non-application of a part of the Mandate. This is a definite step forward, M. Palacios states in his report.
In adopting the report of M. Palacios, the Permanent Mandate Commission expresses the hope that Jewish immigration to Palestine will be regulated in proportion to the country’s power of absorption on land.
THE MEMORANDUM OF THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION
MANDATORY’S POLICY VIEWED AS WISE
The policy of the Mandatory Power {SPAN}###ming{/SPAN} the land question has been {SPAN}####{/SPAN} and he hopes that it will continue a encourage close settlement of the Jews on the land. Concerning the explaint of the Vaad Leumi with re{SPAN}###{/SPAN} to the grants to the Jewish schools, the Permanent Mandates Commission has been informed that these {SPAN}###{/SPAN} will be largely increased. Concerning the Jewish health services in Palestine, the Mandatory Power is not required to grant special subsidies. The {SPAN}###{/SPAN} of the Mandatory Power’s administration in Palestine, as well as the statistics concerning the economic position and the public revenues, do not support the allegation that the Government has not given sufficient {SPAN}###cial{/SPAN} aid to the development of industry, he stated in his report.
Concerning the internal organization of the Yishub, the Permanent Mandates Commission cannot deal with the dates Commission cannot deal with the question until the Palestine Communities Ordinance has been issued. The Permanent Mandates Commission also found that the complaint concerning Jewish membership in the Palestine defense forces is without foundation. The complaint that Hebrew is not sufficiently used in the Palestine Government offices is inevitable in a country where three official languages exist, M. d’Andrade stated.
The Mandatory Power has given Palestine peace, tranquility and development. The Permanent Mandates Commission hopes that understanding between the various sections of the population will develop rapidly, for the purpose of promoting the progress of the country.
BREVITIES
The Brooklyn Museum announces that an important addition has been made to its permanent sculpture exhibition through the gift by Felix M. Warburg of New York and Edward C. Blum of Brooklyn of Malvina Hoffman’s bronze figure of Ivan Mestravic, the great Yugoslav sculptor. This statue was first shown in its plaster form at the Brooklyn Museum last April, when it was a part of the exhibition of the National Society of Women Painters and Sculptors.
A bronze fountain, gift of Louis Bamberger, donor of the Newark museum, has been placed in the archway of the museum building. The fountain is the work of Ernest Wise Keyser, New York sculptor.
As a tribute to Lord Balfour for his services to the Jewish people in connection with the establishment of the Jewish National Homeland in Palestine, the sponsors of Pine Terrace, a recently established real estate development at Central Park, Long Island, of which Joseph Gottlieb is president, have named the principal boulevard in the development Balfour Drive.
It is planned later in the Fall to unveil a bust of Lord Balfour on the property.
Seranton, Pa., is the first of the smaller Jewish communities to have a survey made of its problem of Jewish religious education. The survey was made at the request of the Jewish Federation, through its Survey Advisory Committee.
The survey was made by Mr. Ben Rosen, educational director, of the Federation of Jewish Charities, Philadelphia.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
