Mandatory Power Been Playing Passive Part in Palestine Dr. Weizmann Says at Manchester Public Meetin

The Mandatory Power had been playing apassive part in Palestine, Dr. Weizmann said in addressing a big public meeting held at the Paramount Theatre here to-night. It had contented itself with watching the Jewish National Home grow. It had left the effort of building entirely to the Jews, and it had in part also neglected the Arab population. The result was that the Arabs were backward, and the fact that the national home was growing caused them fear and anxiety, and they became restive and opposed the incoming Jewish immigration.

I think, Dr. Weizmann went on, that the Mandatory Power is now embarking on an active policy. It seems to me that two kinds of obligations are expected in Palestine as far as the Mandatory Power is concerned, Dr. Weizmann said. First, it is the duty of the Government to improve as much as possible the lives of those in its care; and secondly, it is the duty of the Mandatory Power to help actively to build up the Jewish National Home. This active duty, he said, does not consist merely of standing by and watching others do it.

In spite of recent reports, in spite of the enquiries that have been made, the purely commonsense view of the entire situation gives us enough courage and enough encouragement to go on with our work, knowing that there is a vast construction programme in front of us, Dr. Weizmann declared. We were alarmed, he continued, by the statements published authoritatively that one-third of the Palestine agricultural population of Jews and Arabs, particularly Arabs (almost 30,000), are landless. We were further alarmed by the statement published on authority that the quantity of cultivable land in Palestine is much smaller than what was usually assumed, and Palestine suddenly shrank in size. Palestine is a small country anyhow, Dr. Weizmann said, and if under the influence of reports it is subjected to shrinkage there is very little left after the publication of two or three reports.

I speak with the fullest sense of responsibility, Dr. Weizmann pursued, when I say that I think that a great deal can be done in improving the agriculture of the whole country so as to improve the standard of living of the entire population there. I think that there is room in Palestine for a considerable number of agricultural cultivators. If Palestine is worked by modern methods, irrigated and drained, there is room for 50,000 agricultural families in addition to the existing population, and the bringing in of these families will in no way affect the life and economic position of the existing population.

The eyes of the civilised world are turned upon Palestine, Dr. Weizmann went on, and whatever will happen to Palestine, whatever will be the number of people who will ultimately enter Palestine, we do not wish to dominate, but neither do we wish to be dominated. We do not go to Palestine as colonisers or as conquerors. We go to live there in peace and justice.

DR. WEIZMANN MUST REMAIN LEADER OF ZIONIST ORGANISATION MR. NATHAN LASKI CHAIRMAN OF PALESTINE COMMITTEE OF JEWISH BOARD OF DEPUTIES SAYS.

Dr. Weizmann, who had been received on his arrival at the station from London by a crowd of about three thousand people, and by a guard of honour of Jewish ex-soldiers, most of whom had fought in Palestine during the war, was presented at the meeting with an album containing signatures representing synagogues, institutions, friendly societies, and literary societies in Manchester and other provincial towns, and also of individual contributors to the testimonial. The contributions which have been raised in connection with the testimonial amount to nearly £5,000, and are to be handed over to the Keren Hayesod.

Dr. Weizmann, who used to live in Manchester, where he was a Reader at the University, spent the morning and the greater part of the afternoon visiting old friends and associates. This afternoon he was given an informal luncheon attended by about 200 old acquaintances and friends, at which reminiscenses were exchanged and speeches of friendly greeting were delivered. The Lord Mayor and Mayoress of Manchester, and the Mayor and Mayoress of Salford were among those present.

Mr. Nathan Laski, the President of the Palestine Committee of the Jewish Board of Deputies, who was in the chair, repeated the appeal to Dr. Weizmann to remain as leader of the Zionist Organisation and the Jewish Agency which he addressed to him last week at the dinner given to Mr. Lloyd George. With the authority of my position as Chairman of the Palestine Committee of the Board of Deputies and with the consent of the President of the Board, Mr. d’Avigdor Goldsmid, Mr. Laski said, not only do I speak for Manchester Jewry, but I speak for the Jews of the Empire, that only one leader is possible and that leader is Dr. Weizmann.

Mr. D. Kostoris, who made the presentation to Dr. Weizmann, said that as one who called from house to house to obtain contributions for the Keren Hayesod, he wanted to say that he had met everywhere with unanimous confidence in the leadership of Dr. Weizmann. We, of Manchester, he said, say that Dr. Weizmann must not retire at this stage. Tributes to Dr. Weizmann were also paid by Mr. Ben Tillett, M.P., Mr. P. M. Oliver, M.P., Mr. J. Toole, M.P., Mr. A. W. Haycock, M.P., Professor Alexander, O.M., Rabbi Yoffey, and others. Congratulatory messages were received from the Home Secretary, Mr. J. R. Clynes, Mr. C. P. Scott, the editor of the “Manchester Guardian”, Mr. Nahum Sokolov, Dr. Eder, and others.