Palestine Could Easily Support Five Times Present Population if Modern Methods of Farming Are Introd

If modern methods of farming can be introduced and the resulting correspondingly increased industry and trade is taken into consideration, Palestine should easily be able to support some five times the population which is to be found there to-day, Sir Philip Dawson, M.P., the Conservative member for Lewisham, who is one of the leading authorities on electrical and power supply, said in addressing the Anglo- Palestine Club last night.

Of the total area of Palestine, Sir Philip proceeded, 2½ million acres are called cultivated, but a large proportion of this land cultivated by the primitive methods still used by the Arabs, brings in but a small return. Six hundred thousand acres can be cultivated, but are still lying fallow. Something like two million acres are occupied by urban areas, forests and pastures, while there are nearly two million acres denominated as uncultivated.

Palestine produced to-day 650,000 quintals of wheat which, per hectare under cultivation is just over one-third of that produced in Canada. Palestine also produced 467,000 quintals of barley, and 3,000 quintals of tobacco, which is about one-half of that produced for the same area in British North Borneo. The main industry of Palestine must, as far as can be foreseen to-day, Sir Philip said, remain agricultural. In addition, the development of smaller mechanical industries should become possible with the increase of motor transport, proper irrigation, and proper water supply. The country is also suitable in many places for the mulberry tree and for silk production. Wine production is also an important industry. The industries that are already established in Palestine are soap-making, building materials, tobacco and cigarettes, salt production, furniture making, textiles and silk hosiery, and the pearl industry, largely located around Bethlehem, where so far very primitive methods of production are still practised.

In considering the position of Palestine and its possibilities for the use of electricity, Sir Philip said that certain factors must be borne in mind, the most important of them being the very great difference in the standard of living of any European and of the Arab population, as well as their much lower efficiency in production, which as far as agricultural production is concerned, means wasteful exploitation of the land by the use of the most primitive methods of agriculture, very similar to those used two or three thousand years ago, and a cheapl, though inefficient labour, all of which means small field for the use of electricity among this part of the population.

How much greater the agricultural productivity of the Jews is as compared to the rest of the population, he said, is shown by the fact that while the average export of agricultural produce per head of population engaged in agricultural produce per head of population engaged in agriculture is £ 2 per annum. that of the Jews is £31 per annum. Conditions as regards the possibility of using electricity alter entirely when applied to the Jewish population, both as regards those located on the land and engaged in agriculture, and those occupied in industrial organisations.

Probably from a quarter to half-a-million horse power can be produced by harnessing the river Jordan, Sir Philip suggested, and the efficient utilisation of this power can be materially improved by means of oil-operated stations, located in various populous centres where oil can be readily and economically obtained.

The already increasing use of electricity in the industrial centres, he concluded, is shown by what has already been achieved by the power station of Tel Aviv, which in 1929 supplied 460,000 kilovats as compared with 39,700 in 1924.