J.H. Thomas, Colonial Secretary, announced to the House of Commons today the determination of the British Government to proceed with institution of a representative legislative council in Palestine despite Jewish protests.
“I think that no one would challenge the council for being contrary to the mandate,” he replied heatedly to a question by J. J. Davidson, Laborite, on whether a council on which Jews would be in a minority would implement the promise contained in the League of Nations mandate for Palestine to facilitate establishment of a Jewish national home.
To a query from F. Messer, Laborite, on the question of increasing Jewish immigration into the Holy Land in view of a shortage of labor, the Colonial Secretary replied that he was unaware of any labor shortage.
Geoffrey Le M. Mander, Liberal, interrogated Mr. Thomas on purchase of land in Transjordan, a separate territory under the Palestine mandate, asking why the Jews had not been granted permission as yet to buy land there.
Conditions have not changed from last year, and the possibility of Jewish settlement in Transjordan must depend on local conditions, in which the advice of the High Commissioner is followed, the Colonial Secretary replied.
Mr. Thomas added that the position of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, which represents the Jews in Palestine dealings, with respect to the Government would be safeguarded.
The council question was raised on the floor of Commons by Mr. Davidson, who asked whether the Government contemplated amending the constitution of the projected council.
The query elicited a flat “No, sir” from Mr. Thomas.
Replying to a question by Emanuel Shinwell, Laborite, the Colonial Secretary compared the present proposal with a projected council in 1922, asserting, “I would say that from the Jewish point of view there is a considerable improvement.”
He referred to the project of Sir Herbert Samuel, then Palestine High Commissioner, for instituting a council, after Mr. Shinwell had asked the relative position of the parties in the two projects. Under the present proposal the Jews would be entitled to seven out of twenty-eight seats.
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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.
