The government of Ecuador has officially agreed to large scale Jewish settlement, placing 1,250,000 acres of land at the disposal of Jewish colonization agencies, it was announced here today.
The agreement, which was negotiated by Dr. Brutzkus, head of the Emcol, Jewish emigration and colonization organization, has already been signed by Don Jose Velasco Ibarra, president of Ecuador, and will go into effect as soon as it is ratified by the conference of Jewish territorialist societies, which is scheduled to meet here over the week-end.
The Ecuadorian government is setting aside for Jewish colonization seven tracts of land, mainly forest land, which are capable of maintaining 50,000 families. This land is being offered on a three to five-year option. A condition of the government is that development of the land begin before the expiration of the options.
The new colonies must be built along cooperative lines and they must keep an “open door” for non-Jewish refugees as well. It is also stipulated that the colonies be so conducted as in no way to harm the economic position of the native population.
The agreement also sets forth that the colonization of Jews in Ecuador shall have no autonomous basis, and that Spanish must be the official language of the colonies.
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