600 Industrial Firms Employ 6,000 Workers, Near East Exhibit Shows

Six hundred industrial firms employing 6,000 workers now comprise the industries of Palestine, initiated and developed by Jewish settlers, it was brought out in the Palestine and Near East Exhibition which was closed here this week.

The exhibition was regarded by all as an unqualified success. The industries represented included textile, furniture, agricultural and other machinery, soap matches, tobacco, chocolate and novelties including ladies’ leather bags. Some of these products have a market in the European capitals and the ladies’ handbags have even been sold in Paris. At the exhibition goods amounting to £40,000 were sold outside of the important orders filled previously for foreign markets.

A feature of the exhibition was the thorough participation on the part of the Palestine government. The government had two pavilions containing the exhibits of the health department and the post office department. The government encouraged the participation of foreign firms by reducing fares and custom duties. The fair was opened by the High Commissioner, Sir John Chancellor, and closed by Civil Secretary H. C. Luke. Perfect order was observed during the entire time. The Jewish youth organization B’rith Trumpeldor and the Hapoel sport association, were in charge of traffic.

The city of Tel Aviv derived an income from the exhibition of £150,000, 1,200 workers and standmen having been employed.

The net profit resulting to the organizers of the exhibition was ten times as great as the actual cash outlay. The profit is to be shared by the Mischar V’taaseya Company, which was the technical organizer, and the Judea Industrial Company, which owns the exhibition grounds and the buildings. Mark Schwartz, formerly of New York and now director of the Judea Industrial Company in Jerusalem, was the one who put forward the initiative for the exhibition.