The Rumanian Government has drafted a bill providing that 75 per cent of the employes of commercial, industrial and financial enterprises must be of “Rumanian ethnical origin,” it was disclosed today.
The remaining 25 per cent may include Jews, Hungarians and Germans who have acquired Rumanian nationality as a result of the post-war treaties. The only foreigners to be permitted, it was learned, will be specialists not available in Rumania.
It was expected that the Jews would be the hardest hit by the proposed law because, observers pointed out, they are mostly town-dwellers and many work in Government offices.
The bill was drafted by Commerce Minister Valerius Pop, a former adherent of the Cuzist anti-Semitic party. It was reported the Government hoped the bill would serve as a compromise to Rightists who are protesting against the curbing of the Iron Guard’s terroristic activities.
Curierul Israelit, organ of the Union of Rumanian Jews, reported the Bank of Rumania had notified its branches not to make advances for bills of exchange to members of national minorities.
Since numerous Jewish credit enterprises have functioned thanks to such advances, Jewish circles feared the affects of the reported action.
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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.