News Brief

Judge Lewis, U. P. A. National Chairman, Reports Sentiment on Return from Tour

“The agreement reached between Dr. Chaim Weizmann and Louis Marshall is a confirmation of the old agreement concluded two years ago,” Nahum Sokolow, chairman of the Zionist Executive, stated to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency representative here, in reply to the question whether the agreement depended on the contents of the report of the Commission of Experts or whether it would come into force independent of the conclusions of the Commission. “The report of the Commission of experts,” Mr. Sokolow continued, “can in no way annul or change this agreement. The efforts with regard to the “formation’ of the Jewish Agency will continue in the various countries of Europe. It is only the constitution of the Agency which will take place after the presentation of the report. The task of the Commission in Palestine will be to work out a program of practical work in the country. It is merely a question of a detailed account which the Americans as true businessmen want to have in order to get a concrete idea on what is to be done in Palestine.”

In reply to the question whether the Agreement between Dr. Weizmann and Mr. Marshall, would have to be ratified by the next Zionist Congress or whether the Zionist Executive will act in accordance with the Mandate received from the last Zionist Congress, Mr. Sokolow said that in principle the agreement will have to be ratified by the Zionist Congress. But as the constitution of the Jewish Agency will take a long time the question of the ratification of the agreement will in all probablity not come up before the next Congress meet.

“The relations between the newly constituted Jewish Agency and the Mandatory Power,” Mr. Sokolow declared, “will be a matter of formality. According to the Palestine Mandate, the Zionist Organization represents the Jewish Agency until a new body representing all the Jewish people is constituted. Once this new Agency comes into being the Maudatory Power will merely have to be informed about it.”

Asked whether the Commission of experts will study the colonization possibilities of Syria, Mr. Sokolow said: “For the time being the question of immediate colonization in Syria has not yet arisen. I suppose that the Commission will study the possibilities of commercial relations between Palestine and the neighboring countries,” Mr. Sokolow concluded, “with the purpose of developing the industries of Palestine and also those of the countries nearest to Palestine, namely Syria and Transjordania.”