Berl Locker Champions Policy of Cooperation with Britain

way of doing our work.

“Previous executives, and I think also this executive, have shown that they have the courage to speak quite forcefully and to represent our demands and our views quite clearly to the mandatory government. It is important that we have a sense of proportion in our dealings with the British government and that we recognize its standing under the mandate.”

Discussing the executive’s view on the subject of immigration to Palestine, Mr. Locker said, “There should not be any limit of entry if the absorptive economic capacity allows for larger entry.”

He declared that there should not be any “political reasons for limiting the number of emigrants,” and pointed out that the need for emigration has never been greater than at the present time.

PALESTINE ONLY HAVEN

“The only spot in the world to which we can turn is Palestine,” he said. “We have only one spot in the world where Jews can go not by sufferance but as of right, and thanks to these rights and to the flow of Jewish capital and Jewish man power into the country, Palestine may be able to absorb more than 40,000 Jews, some think as many as 60,000 or 70,000 per annum. We thankfully acknowledge the 40,000 which is after all ten times the 4,000 which had been entering only a few years ago. But we still believe that a considerable number could have come which was prevented, and for this we are really sorry and so we tell the government.”

On the subject of an Arab-Jewish understanding, Mr. Locker had the following to say:

“Jews should not make the mistake of understating the Arab national spirit. There is a very serious and very sincere national movement among Arabs, especially among the youth. We should understand it. On the other hand, we should not measure the Arab spirit merely by what Arab politicians say. There is more cooperation between Jews and Arabs than the general public knows. Arab masses are coming closer to Jews. For the past two or three years steps have been taken to provide closer understanding among Jews of Arab life.”

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

In his report on the executive’s stand with respect to the projected legislative council, Mr. Locker said:

“We tried to impress upon the government and especially upon the High Commissioner why we were opposed at this moment to a legislative council. The most important point of the position of Palestine is the mandate, and the building up of the Jewish National Home. Any step which is taken, the result of which is to put the Jews in Palestine in the position of a minority, is against the spirit and letter of the mandate, according to our view.”

Another speaker at yesterday’s session was Leo Herrmann, representative of the Keren Hayesod, who reported on the finances of the executive and outlined the budget for the forthcoming year.

Among those who took part in the discussions following the reports were: Felix M. Warburg, Dr. Cyrus A. Adler, Dr. Stephen S. Wise, Dr. M. J. Karpf, Judge Mack, Mr. Laski, Baruch Zuckerman, James Becker, Jacob Fishman, Robert Szold, Alexander Kahn and Bernard Given.

More than 60,000 Jews entered Palestine in 1934, Dr. Maurice B. Hexter, American member of the Jewish Agency Executive in Jerusalem estimated Monday.

Reporting on progress made in Palestine, Dr. Hexter contrasted immigration figures for 1929 with those of the past year, describing the latter as “a gratifying advance.”

WEALTH NOT ATTAINED

Stressing the importance of acquiring land and the need for an influx of capital, Dr. Hexter dwelt on the capacity of Palestine to advance funds for its own development.

“So far as I know,” he said in part, “no one has acquired wealth in Palestine. There are a large number of people, for which we may be grateful, who have begun to lift themselves by their bootstraps, by their savings.

“When I tell you, for example, that one can go to Palestine now and find 1,000 and 1,500 agricultural laborers who can put into their own colonization a sum of 200 to 250 pounds, you can understand something of what has been going on in Palestine during the past two or three years, because previous to this particular epoch the utmost one could expect colonists to participate in the cost of colonization was approximately thirty to fifty pounds, and with great difficulty.

ONLY ONE HAS DEFICIT

“In the first place one must mention the fact that most of the colonies now are more than self-supporting. I know perhaps of only one colony which is still in red figures. In the second place, the investment in the orange plantations in the past two years or two and a half, have begun to pay back interest on the investments, plus, and all of that money, I may say, remains in Palestine because although a large number of orange groves are owned by people away from Palestine they are owned by people who have a stake in{SPAN}###{/SPAN} country and an interest in {SPAN}###{/SPAN} country and who reinvest {SPAN}###{/SPAN} money there.

In the third place, both ### large and the small industries have ### done very well. All of these profits ### and all of these continuing investments and fresh investments to which I have referred above are responsible, for this present economic condition in Palestine, and I believe, as I say, that one may well be proud.”

FIRST SESSION MONDAY

The first meeting in this country of the administrative committee of the Jewish Agency was opened Monday afternoon at the Federation Building by Neville Laski, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and chairman of the committee. The meeting, held in executive session, will conclude this afternoon. Dr. Cyrus Adler, vice-chairman of the committee, greeted the members.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Laski paid tribute to Louis Marshall and other deceased leaders of Jewry. He expressed the regret of Sir Osmond D’Avigdor Goldsmid, Anglo-Jewish leader, at being unable to attend.

Outlining the chief aims of the session, Mr. Laski said in part:

“We have met here, representatives of two hemispheres, to pay