Ruppin Urges Palestine to Spur Close Settlement of Jews

Government facilitation of close Jewish settlement of Palestine, as provided in Article 6 of the League of Nations Mandate, was urged before the British Royal Commission today by Dr. Arthur Ruppin, head of the special economic department of the World Zionist Organization.

Dr. Ruppin said there were great possibilities for energetic development, even if the land reserves in Beer Sheba and the Transjordan were not considered.

Referring to the fact that the Government has greatly aided agriculture in other parts of the British Empire, he voiced the belief that a solution could be found in Palestine where the position obtained that Jews possessed money and Arabs land.

In reply to a question by Sir Laurie Hammond on the policy of not employing Arabs on land owned by the Jewish National Fund, Dr. Maurice Hexter, of the Jewish Agency’s Jerusalem executive, replied:

“I measure every word. When the Arabs open their market to Jewish labor, we will reconsider this decision.”

Dr. Hexter went on to criticize the Government definition of cultivable land, asserting that marshes could easily be drained and rocky areas be made fertile by skill and labor.

Declaring that the Government underestimated the cultivable land area Dr. Hexter urged that since no soil survey had previously been made, judgment on that score be reserved.

Lord Peel, chairman of the commission, stated at this point:

“According to you, very little Palestine land may be described as uncultivable.”

Dr. Hexter replied:

“Yes, although that is not to say that every inch of land is cultivable. Of our 600,000 dunams (about 150,000 acres) under cultivation, the Government considers only 150,000 dunams cultivable.”