J.D.B. News Letter

(By our Montreal Correspondent)

With the opening of the schools and the High Holiday season, the Jewish community here is once again resuming its activities. Visitors from the surrounding districts came to Montreal, which has the largest Jewish community in Canada, and every available space was utilized for places of worship for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The Jewish school children have resumed their studies at the Protestant schools, at which little if any increase is noted in the enrollment, the only change being in the shifting of the Jewish population from the center of the metropolis to the more distant parts of the city. As yet here is no indication that there will be any radical change in the position of Jewish children at the Protestant schools, but it seems likely that the Protestant Board of School Commissioners will come before the Quebec Legislature with a bill to claim the privileges they recently won by all the courts. Just what action will be taken by Jewish taxpayers who were interested in the recent Jewish school question here, it is difficult to say. As yet everyone seems to be marking time and none of the leaders are ready to make any comments.

The question which agitated a part of the Jewish community here, or rather those who adhere to laws of Kashruth, was whether or not the strike raging between the wholesale butchers and packing houses and the schochtim would be settled in time for the housewives to be supplied with fresh Kosher meat for the High Holidays. Because of the strike, Jewish housewives did without fresh kosher meat for several weeks. The schochtim were not satisfied with the agreement entered into by the Vaad Ha’air with the wholesale butchers and packing houses on their behalf and demanded more payment on a different scale. A settlement was expected a few days ago.

Announcement has been made by the Hon. L. A. David, Provincial Secretary, that the Provincial Government has made a grant of $125,000 towards the cost of erecting a new and up-to-date building for the Mount Sinai Sanatorium at Ste Agate, a constituent society of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies here. In the last year or two the Quebec Government has been generous in its support of Jewish institutions. Last year it gave $50,000 towards the erection of the Home for Old People, another constituent society of Federation, and which is now in process of erection.

The new Mt. Sinai Hospital building will fill a much-wanted need in the community. The present building, erected fifteen years ago, was equipped to care for forty tubercular patients only and is now totally inadequate for the care of the present sixty-eight inmates of the institution. The cost of maintaining this sanatorium is borne by the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and its budget last year was $42,000. The Sanatorium is non-sectarian and receives from the Provincial Government a subsidy of $1.34 per day per patient, for all inmates who have been in Canada for over five years. The erection of a new building to house 100 patients, with a possible expansion for additional patients, is being planned. It is estimated the building will cost about $250,000 when finished. Mr. Louis Salmon is the president of the Mount Sinai Sanatorium and Mr. Michael Hirsch the honorary president of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies.

The Jewish community is also showing interest in the plans being made for a Jewish general and maternity hospital. The present Hebrew Maternity Hospital has been declared unfit for its purpose and is being closed, although the Board of Directors of the hospital are arranging to look after and help needy cases. At present some $29,000 has already been pledged by members of local loan syndicates towards a Jewish general and maternity hospital, both of which are much needed in Montreal. The question of a Jewish general hospital has been raised again and again in Montreal but although plans have been formulated, nothing definite has been done. Now with the closing of the Hebrew Maternity Hospital, it is hoped that a combined campaign for the two will bring results.

The question of Canada’s attitude towards British and continental immigation is assuming prominence in offical and non-official circles. The present visit of Lord Lovat. Under Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs and chairman of the Overseas Settlement Committee, is for the express purpose of making some arrangement between the Canadian Government and the British Government in regard to English settlers. In an address at Winnipeg recently. Lord Lovat declared: “The thing that we in Great Britain do not understand is the fact that Canada can bring in 51,000 immigrants from non-preferred countries annually and only 50.000 from the British Isles. Surely we are not entirely wrong in believing that Britishers could fill some of those jobs you have given to foreigners.”

While in Ottawa Lord Lovat. assisted by Mr. G. F. Plant, secretary of the Overseas Settlement Committee, and Mr. F. Skevington, representing the British Treasury, was in conference with the Hon. Robert Forke, Canadian Minister of Immigration and Colonization and other officials of the department. There is reason to believe, from rumors attending the results of this conference, that practical schemes for the stimulation of British immigration upon a much more liberal and comprehensive scheme will be adopted. Just how this will affect the policy of this country towards nonBritish immigration it is yet too early to say. A definite re?ult of Lord Lovat’s visit here, however, is the undertaking of the Canadian Pacific Railway to place 1,000 British families in Canada in five years and to provide for the building of one hundred cottages by the Canadian Pacific for the use of British families. The latter will be selected and brought to Canada by the Department of Colonization and Development of the railway and secured in some farm work established in the cottages, and, after gaining the necessary experience, will be facilitated in settlement on their own farms.

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