British Policy Perils Progress of Palestine

The wave of indignation which swept over Jewish Palestine when the Palestine government announced that the Jewish Agency’s request for 21,000 immigration certificates had been denied and that only 5,600 certificates would be granted, was clearly reflected in a lengthy statement issued today by the Agency on Jewish immigration into Palestine and the attitude of the Mandatory Power, Great Britain, and the Palestine government, toward the problem.

Declaring that the action of the government had made it necessary for the executive of the Agency to define its attitude, the Agency statement declared that the restriction of Jewish immigration is creating a steadily growing gap between the demand for labor and the supply, causing a loss in the Jewish economic position in Palestine and gravely jeopardizing the chances of a healthy and unhampered progress of the Jewish National Home.

JEWISH CAPITAL LEAD TO PROGRESS

The statement pointed out the inflow of Jewish capital into Palestine had led to growth in agriculture, building and industry and had produced a huge government surplus, and that the government had often admitted the acute shortage of labor and the inability of Jewish enterprises to recruit enough workers.

Some 42,000 immigrants entered Palestine between 1931 and 1933, the Agency pointed out, but the economic development far outstripped the supply of labor, even if all the tourists who entered and remained are included. The restriction of immigration to a figure far below the actual needs of the country was impossible to reconcile with the declared policy of the mandatory to regulate immigration in accordance with the absorptive capacity of the land, the Agency statement declared.

The Agency protest also pointed out that the immigration restriction had prevented the investment of new capital in Palestine; held up the inception of new business enterprises, increased the use of Arab labor and created a flow of illegal Arab immigration from neighboring countries.

DEMANDS BASED ON PLAY

The Jewish position in the world at large makes it absolutely essential that Palestine be developed rapidly, the Agency statement continued, adding that its demands for immigration certificates were based upon a careful plan calculated to insure normal, healthy economic growth. While tens of thousands of Jews in the Diaspora are striving desperately to enter, the government restricted immigration to a degree that is “singular indeed,” the Agency added, stating that it is the duty of the Mandatory Power to allow full Jewish immigration into Palestine.

Jewish immigration there has proven to be a particularly troublesome problem and a subject of continual dispute between Zionist officials and British officials administering the government of Palestine. The government has maintained a strict control over entry and has, within the past few years, sharply curtailed the number of Jews allowed to enter. The excuse for the curtailment was ostensibly the desire to avoid a depression through the flooding of the country with Jews. Actually, it has been contended, the British are afraid that the rapid growth of Jewish Palestine will dispossess the Arabs and they felt that they were under obligations to safeguard the Arab majority there.

BRITISH HUNT TOURISTS

When British restriction of immigration was met by a flow of Jewish tourists who remained in the country, although it was illegal, the Palestine government resorted to a virtual hunt for the tourists and deportation of those caught. The government also resorted to reducing the number of immigration certificates granted the Agency by approximately the number of tourists calculated by the government to have remained in Palestine.

Jewish Palestine has reacted iolently to the attempts to restrict immigration. The news of the latest cut in the immigration schedules was greeted by mass protests from all Jewish groups in Palestine.

THE AGENCY STATEMENT

The text of the statement issued by the Jewish Agency follows:

“The executive of the Jewish Agency for Palestine feels bound to define publicly its attitude on the grant by the government of Palestine of only 5,600 labor immigration certificates for the period between April and September, 1934,” the statement declared.

“The executive perceived in this grant the continuation of a policy which restricts immigration, while the steadily expanding absorptive capacity of the country is creating a steadily growing gap between the demand for labor and the supply, causing a loss of the Jewish economic position, and gravely jeopardizing the chances of healthy, unhampered progress of the Jewish National Home. The last two years were a period of unprecedented economic progress in Palestine. The collapse of German Jewry and the world-wide repercusions brought home to the masses of Jews that Palestine alone offers the opportunity for a secured existence.

GOVERNMENT’S REVENUE INCREASES

“The increasing flow of capital to Palestine, the investment in building, agriculture and industry proceeded apace. The government’s revenue has shown an enormous increase and the treasury surplus grew by 1,000,000 pounds in one year. Throughout this period, as the government so often admitted, there prevailed an acute shortage of labor, particularly felt in agriculture with the result that it was found impossible to recruit the necessary labor for wide Jewish areas in Palestine.

“Orange plantations, agricultural settlements and industry also were severely handicapped and even major enterprises like the Ruttenberg concession, the Palestine potash concession and the Nesher cement works found great difficulty in obtaining workers. The labor shortage proved that the former labor immigration schedules lagged behind the actual requirements and were grossly disproportionate to the country’s growing absorptive capacity.

IMMIGRATION INCREASED

“It is true that immigration to Palestine has shown a marked increase in the last three years. Immigrants of all catagories with their dependents numbered 4,000 in 1931, 10,000 in 1932 and 28,000 in 1933, but the economic development of Palestine far outstripped the supply of labor which the immigrants provided, including those entering as travellers and stayed after finding employment. For at least three schedule periods the rate of admission of labor immigrants was stationery and appeared to be stabilized at a rate far below the minimum claimed by the Agency.

“Schedules granted were 5,500 for October, 1933, and 5,600 for April, 1934. The Agency finds it impossible to reconcile this restriction of immigration with the declared policy of the Mandatory Power that immigration will be regulated in accordance with the economic absorptive capacity of Palestine, a principle which the Agency always agreed to. But this does not only mean that immigration is not to be authorized in excess of the absorptive capacity, but should be authorized to the fullest extent.

“Moreover a restrictive policy is gravely prejudicial to the structure of the Jewish National Home and threatens to undermine the economic positions acquired by the Jews with so much effort and sacrifice.