Jews First Among White Russian National Minorities in Number of Schools and Soviets Says President O

Jews hold the lead among the minority nationalities in White Russia in the number of their schools and their Soviets, M. Alexander Chervyakov, the President of the White Russian Soviet Republic, declared to-day in opening “White Russian Week”.

The Jews of White Russia, he said, have 141 four-year-course schools, exclusive of other seven and nine year course schools to which their children are admitted, and there are 22 Jewish village Soviets, the largest number of Soviets possessed by any national minority.

M. Chervyakov also reported striking development in the industrialisation and agricultural movement among the Jews. Thus, prior to the Revolution, he said, only 1,964 Jewish families with a total of 10,751 persons were engaged in farming, while at present there are 9, 303 Jewish families with a total of 49,296 persons engaged in farming, as for industry, Bobruisk, which is wholly a Jewish town now has large lumber works, Homel, likewise with a large Jewish population has become a manufacturing centre for farm machinery, and Mohilev has a new electric station, which forms the nucleus for other industries. The general trend of industrialisation in White Russia, M. Chervyakov said, is indicated by the figures of the growth of the working class. In the pre war period, White Russia had only 23,000 workers exclusive of railway workers. The figures for 1931 indicate that the working class numbers approximately 93,000, with the Jews predominating in numbers. M. Chervyakov referred also to the great educational advance made by the Jews. Illiteracy, he said, has been reduced from 68 per cent. in 1928 to 27 per cent. in 1931. There are twelve higher schools of learning, and 65 technical schools and factory schools with a total of 26,000 students.