The Israel Parliament today passed a bill extending the Mandatory Government’s Emergency Defense Regulations for another six months, thus giving the government legal authority for price controls, import and export controls and rationing of various essential items.
The extension had been requested by Minister of Justice Pinhas Rosen, who said that government-drafted legislation to cover the same areas would require at least six months of discussion and debate in Parliament before it could be passed and put into effect. The Knesset also adopted a bill giving the Finance Minister the power to levy a tax on transportation abroad, up to 50 percent of the cost of the ticket. However, he is permitted to waive the tax for “essential trips.”
A bill establishing the normal work week was today sent back to the legal committee for a second reading. The bill provides that Saturday shall be the official day of rest for Jews, while non-Jews shall be guaranteed a day of reat either on Friday or Sunday. The Minister of Labor is empowered by the bill to make exceptions in the case of essential services. During the debate on the measure the Religious Bloc demanded that the Chief Rabbinate be the agency to rule on what shall be classified as essential services but later agreed to leave the matter to the Cabinet as a whole.
David Hacohen, member of the Knesset and head of Soleh Boneh, the Histadrut building cooperative, was seriously injured today in an automobile accident. Mr. Hacohen, a former mayor of Haifa, was returning to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem where he attended today’s session of the Knesset.
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