Labour Legislation in Palestine: Committee Appointed to Recommend Amendments or New Legislation: Wil

A Committee of which Major Campbell, the District Commissioner for the Jerusalem District, is Chairman, and the members are Colonel Heron, Director of the Government Department of Health, Colonel Hudson, the Postmasyer-General, Mr. Bowman, the Director of Education, Mr. Hyamson, the Chief Immigration Officer, Miss Nixon, the Welfare Inspector, Mr. Pinchas Rutenberg, Mr. Auni Bey Abdul Hadi, Mr. Elias T. Gelat, and Dr. M. Smoira, has been appointed by the High Commissioner, General Sir Arthur Wauchope, to consider the operation of existing labour legislation in Palestine and to make recommendations for its amendment, if necessary, or for the introduction of new legislation.

The Committee will review in particular the provision in force as regards the protection of children in wage-earning employment, the prevention of sweating evils, compensation for industrial accidents and compulsory sickness insurance. It is also to examine the question of creating machinery for the fixing of a minimum wage in Palestine and whether measures should be introduced with a view to ensuring that in all Government and Municipal Works, whether carried out by the Government or Municipality direct or through contractors, there shall be conditions of labour similar to those guaranteed in works carried out under the Palestine and East African Loans Act of 1926.

The question of fixing a higher minimum wage for Arabs and whether it is likely to cause an influx of Arabs to the towns which would swell the ranks of unskilled labour in the towns is also to be examined by the Committee.