League International Labor Office Reports on Palestine Immigration

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency Mail Service)

During the year 1924, 13,553 immigrants entered Palestine, of whom 42 per cent came from Poland and 39 per cent from other parts of Eastern and South Eastern Europe, according to figures published by the International Labor Office of the League of Nations. The corresponding figure for 1923 was 7,991. The increase was particularly marked among persons of independent means, merchants, shopkeepers, and manufacturers who, by their activity and need of houses, created a demand for labor, the report states.

In the second half of 1924 there was very little unemployment among the Jews; this is attributed to the abovementioned fact, to the reaction upon Palestine of a world-wide economic revival, and to careful restriction of immigration in 1923. Practically no unemployment in the accepted sense of the term exists among the Arabs.

Emigration amounted to about 2,500 as compared with 4.947 in 1923. Exact figures are available only for the second half of the year and during that time 769 pre-war residents (121 Jews. 321 Christians, and 236 Moslems) and 342 post-war residents (295 Jews. 32 Christians, and 15 Moslems) emigrated.

There was, therefore, a considerable diminution in the emigration movement accompanied by a big increase in immigration and it will be noted that the great majority of the emigrants were pre-war residents, the report states.

Of the 13,553 immigrants, 12,856 were Jews and 697 non-Jews. They may be classified in the following categories: persons of capital or assured income, 5,420; dependents of residents in Palestine, 2,327, working men and women and others coming to employment. 3,451: dependents of those in the previous category, 2,203; persons with assured incomes settling for religious purposes, 152.

The principal countries from which the immigrants came were Poland (5,702). Russia (2,157). Lithuania (750). Roumania (593). Germany (552). Ukraine (504). Yemen (445). Turkey (389). United States (361). Bulgaria (358). and Greece (337). It will be noted that the overwhelming majority of the immigrants came from Central. Eastern and South Eastern Europe.

The number of persons rejected at the frontiers or ports for failure to comply with the immigration regulations was 450.

The British Government states in its replies to the questionnaire of the Permanent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations for 1924 that immigration continues to be regulated so that it shall not exceed the capacity of the country to absorb new arrivals. It is now controlled by a Permits Section of the Government and passport control is in the hands of Customs officers. The Palestine immigration officer in Europe was transferred during 1924 from Trieste to Warsaw owing to the large proportion of immigrants coming from Poland.

The Hechaluz organization has been formed with the support of the Zionist Organization for the purpose of training prospective Jewish immigrants in agriculture and manual labor. It has branches throughout Eastern Europe and its membership reaches 20,000. It maintains training farms, apprentices prospective immigrants to Jewish landowners for instruction, and has established workshops for training in the building, engineering and metal trades, joinery, cabinetmaking, etc. 10,000 ex-members of the organization are already settled in Palestine.

The total Jewish population in Palestine amounted at the end of 1924 to about 108,000, of whom 23,000 were engaged in rural pursuits. In 1924, 21,000 acres of agricultural land were purchased by Jews and 14 new settlements were established. The total area of land in Jewish ownership was about 319 square miles.

Preliminary figures have been issued for 1923. showing that 33,801 Jews entered Palestine as immigrants in that year and that 2,141 departed.