More Jewish Labour Immigration to Palestine Wanted: Declaration at Meeting of Representatives of Jew

The total number of Jewish unemployed in Palestine at present is 800, and these are mainly in the towns, it was stated at a meeting of representatives of Jewish Workers Councils, and agricultural settlements held at Tel Aviv, which decided to transfer some of the unemployed to the colonies, where a definite shortage of labour was reported.

On the basis of figures collected from many sources, the opinion was expressed at the Conference that conditions both in the towns and the rural districts, together with the promise of employment for a fair proportion of Jews in Government works, justified an immediate increase of immigrant labour.

Industry, building, plantations, the so-called thousand-family scheme, the Jordan Power Plant, the Dead Sea Works, the drainage and irrigation work in the Plain of Jezreel and the Wadi Hawareth, it was stated, will tax the present labour market.

“International works”, such as the completion of the Haifa Harbour, the beginning of the oil pipe-line, and colonisation in the Haifa pay area – all of which are expected to absorb a substantial number of Jewish workers were also taken into account by the Conference, which decided that “a labour immigration commensurate with the prospects of work is urgently needed”, especially in view of the 17,000 additional dunams of land shortly to come under orange cultivation.”

The Palestine Labour daily “Davar” states that in Federa, where there are more than 400 Arabs at work, all unemployed Jewish labour has been absorbed, and there is now an actual shortage of labour, so that at least another 150 men are required for this colony alone.

In Jerusalem where there were 150 skilled and unskilled Jewish workers unemployed, the number has been reduced to 70, and increasing building activity is absorbing many more workers.