Private capital invested in Palestine agriculture is concentrated in the citrus industry rather than in the raising of food crops for home consumption, it was declared here by Dr. Georg Landauer, director of the Central Bureau for the Settlement of German Jews in Palestine.
He said in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the agricultural basis of Palestine’s economic system was too small, and urged national enterprise in agriculture. Improvement in this field, he added, depended on colonization.
“This must be understood,” he declared, “to comprehend why the Jewish Agency for Palestine wants to secure more means for colonization, which would strengthen the whole economic structure. A firm foundation would make Palestine crisis-proof.”
German settlers in Palestine have given impetus to the trend toward middle-class agricultural settlement, he declared. Dr. Landauer described as essential the provision of funds for training and funds for extension of credits to middle-class settlers.
“Without budgets for these activities,” he said, “there can be no successful immigration. As this applies for all, so does it apply to the German Jewish immigrants.”
Discussing new plans for settlement, Dr. Landauer said the Rural and Suburban Settlement Co. will begin colonization this year on suburban land near Tel Aviv and near Herzliah, Afuleh, Haifa and other centers of agricultural development. In addition, it is expected that three or four new German-Jewish settlements will be started.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
