J.D.B. News Letter

(By Our Paris Correspondent)

The total area colonized by the Jewish Colonization Association in the Argentine up to now is 372,272 hectares, of which 130,939 belong to colonists, full owners of their plots, Franz Philippson, president of the Administrative Board of the Ica, reported.

“The population of our groups at present is 5,744 Jewish families (33,084 souls), of whom 3,563 families are those of colonists (19,732 souls).” Mr. I’hilippson stated.

“The colonies are beginning to flourish and to grow in population; the means of communication are multiplying; the cultivation of the soil is improving and industrial methods are penetrating everywhere. Once the success of the parents is assured, the sons of the colonists for whom there is no room at home go out to establish new groups in other districts. Some of them go to the cities. We may regard these departures without much regret, when we recall the numerous Argentine writers and scholars, lawyers and doctors who have come from our colonies.

“Our colonization work in Brazil has made great progress during the past year. The efforts which we have made, the energy with which all our services, re-organized after two years. have been working at the preparation of new centres and managing the recently opened establishments, seems to have been rewarded. This the total population of Philippson and of Quatroirmaos had grown towards the end of the year to 3,104 souls — 986 more than in December, 1926. These are stable clements, coming from the groups of Baron Hirsch (Chalet) and Pampa. Their inaterial and moral condition is most satisfactory.

“In Brazil, as in the Argentine, the effects of our colonizing work are felt beyond the actual colonies established.

“In Canada, too. the firm application of our methods, justitied by long experience in colonization, enables us to note a remarkable progress. As in the Argentine and Brazil. We are now settling our colonist, who are carefully selected, on smaller plots of land (160 acres). sufficient, however, for a modest cultivation. They find ready for them there the necessary buildings, and our loans provide them with the animals and materials which they require. Outside of the old colonies. Where we still own important reserves of land, we acquired in 1927 not less than 65 parcels in the colonization centres of de Hirsch and of Sounenfeld (4.850 hectares).

“We have always been interested in the Jewish agricultural colonies in South Russia, Poland, and Bessarabin. In Russia our work began vigorously in 1927. At the cost of much labor and of considerable financial effort, we have created, in the districts of Mariupol, Zaporajie, and Nikopol, a number of groups covering a total area of about 50,500 hectares, which will accommodate thousands of Jewish families.

“The 1,969 colonists registered at the end of 1927 had at their disposal 956 houses completed before the winter set in. The rest will also be soon provided.

“It is more important to keep our co-religionists in the countries of their origin than to encourge them to go overseas, however favorable might be their reception and settlement in these various countries. The maintenance of our co-religionists in the lands of their birth will save not only much money, but also, frequently, disillusionment. Moreover, the emigration to overseas countries is growing more and more difficult.

“The Hias-Ica-Emigdirekt began to function on April 1. The Hicem has completely changed the old idea of aid for Jewish emigrants, the idea, that is that they are unfortunates unable to adapt themselves to economic conditions in their places of origin, and seeking better opportunities abroad. The task of the Hicem is to advise those persons who wish to emigrate, to help them in their journey if there is a chance of their succeeding; and, if it is useless for them to think of emigrating, to give them, in case of need, that professional training which may enable them afterwards to earn their living. A new activity has thus been started: the instruction in farming, trades and languages, started in Europe, is, in some cases, continued in the places of destination.

“In Poland, and in Russia, in what is known as the new colonization, we are completing the preparation of colonists by different methods. In Poland, Bessarabia, and Russia, we are assisting the colonists with loans, with land improvement, the organization of cooperative credits, the introduction or further development of viticulture, apiculture, dairy-farming, and fruit-growing. For those who cannot take up farming, we have created our trade schools, which are turning out an increasing number of skilled workers and technicians. These schools are industrializing the masses.

“We maintained in Poland, in 1927, 11 trade schools for boys and 6 for girls. These graduated 480 workers, besides 798 apprentices who attend the 8 patronages maintained by the Association. In Bessarabia, the Kishineff trade school has admitted 198 pubpils. In Latvia, the schools at Riga and Dvinsk have 167 apprentices in training as locksmiths, machinists and electricians. In Russia, we are aiding 10 trade schools, and they are developing rapidly. These had 1,368 pupils at the end of 1927. These statistics speak for themselves.

Our educational work enables the Jewish worker to earn his living. Through our loan operations, we put within the reach of the Jewish masses the means to go on living and support themselves above actual want, and to lift themselves gradually to a higher level. Our credit operations, although of long standing, were almost ruined by the War: but today they are again in full swing. In Bessarabia we have 40 loan kassas aftiliated with the Union of Jewish Co-operatives, with a membership of 28,877; in Poland, the number of loan lassas has grown in one year from 295 to 342, and the membership from 107,244 to 138,205. Considering the members of the families of these persons. about one-third of the Jewish population of the country may be said to be sharing now in the benefits offered by these institutions. In addition, there are 30 banks for smaller merchants, besides the workers’co-operatives.

“In Roumania, Latvia, Lithuania, Czecho-Slovakia, Austria, Bulgaria and Turkey, where, as in Poland and Bessarabia, we are combining our operations with those of the Joint Distribution Committee through the ‘ Foundation, Committee through the ‘ Foundation, the kassas are developing along similar lines. In these countries there were 160 kassas at the end of 1927, with about 70,000 members.

“In Russia, where the Joint Distribution Committee has been devoting itself to other tasks, and where the credit operations are conducted differently from our own, our report speaks of the existence of 370 kassas in those districts where we have intervened. In 1927 we interested ourselves in 185 of these kasas, which had at the end of the year 86,858 members. One cannot think of a method more certain and more dignified, of encouraging the workers, than by placing within their reach that minimum of credit which will suffice to assure their first establishment,” Mr. Philippson declared.