The development of the labor movement, its aims and present strength, was the theme of an address delivered by Joseph Sprinzak, secretary of the Zionist labor party in Palestine, at the second session of the ninth annual convention of the National Labor Committee for Palestine at the Hotel Pennsylvania Saturday.
The speaker emphasized the underlying motif of the movement to settle Palestine as a national homeland for the Jews, as the establishment of “the productive life along the lines of self-labor,” meaning in effect that the time-honored habit of Jews to engage in business is to be discarded.
“Up until the present time,” said Mr. Sprinzak, “progress achieved along these lines has been great indeed. The Labor Federation has grown from 4,000 members in 1920 to close to 40,000 members at the present time.
“The percentage of labor people in the total Jewish population of Palestine is higher than that of any other country. The same applies to the farming population.”
Saturday evening many of the delegates listened to entertainment provided by Jewish stage and cinema stars in Town Hall. Throughout Saturday messages of greeting from the British labor party, the Palestine Federation of Labor and trade unions in the United States poured into the Hotel headquarters.
The convention concluded Sunday night. It is estimated that approximately 800 delegates atended daily.
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.
