Far from withdrawing the statements which have caused offence, Dr. Malan by his explanations would appear to justify them, the “Rand Daily Mail” writes in an editorial on the letters sent by Dr. Halan, the Minister of the Interior to the South African Jewish Board of Deputies in reply to its protest against his threat “to rouse a feeling of hatred towards the Jews in the country”, In spite of assurances given by the Loard, it says, he repeats that a section, and “a very large one”, has organised and is still organising Jews, as such, for the purpose of defeating the Government, and is with this object exploiting the feeling aroused by the Quota Act. Actually he considers his original observation both “necessary and timely”.
Dr. Malan, the paper declares, does not seem to realise the mischievous character of his remark that “it is very easy to rouse a feeling of hatred towards the Jews in the country” Political parties “being only human after all, his warning that “if they (the Jews) want to hit us, they may be assured that we will hit back” has been allowed to stand. In short, it cannot be said that Dr. Malan has done a great deal to eliminate the justifiable irritation aroused by his injudicious interview.
From the national point of view, it concludes, the whole incident is deplorable. It is all the more regrettable because it was, so far as an unprejudiced observer can conclude, entirely unnecessary. The Jews have made, and are making, an important contribution to the building up of this country. South Africa is grateful to them, and the large majority of the people who do not belong to their community will resent equally with them both the tone and the text of the “Die Burger” interview. Dr. Malan, too, has chosen a particularly unfortunate moment for his attack. To estrange a large section of the public at this time is unworthy of a minister and unfair to the Union itself.
According to the report of the recent meeting between Dr. Kalan, Minister of the Interior, and a deputation of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, the Minister said far too little after saving far too much, is the comment of the Johanneburg” Sunday Times”.
A Minister of the Interior should be almost the last person in South Africa to cast reflections on any section of the community. There must be many people who will regard Dr. Kalan’s attack and his rather futile reception of the deputation as tending towards antisemitism. The whole thing is regrettable, and the Minister would have left behind a much better impression if he had done the fearless thing and with-drawn his implications.
EXPERIMENT LIGHT BE TRIED OF BRINGING INTO SOUTH AFRICA JEWISH FARMING IMMIGRANTS FOR SETTLEMENT ON ALMOST ABANDONED IRRIGATION SCHEMES SAYS ” NATAL MERCURY”: JEWISH TRADE HAS PLAYED VALUABLE PART IN COUNTRY IT SAYS BUT SATURATION POINT BEEN MORE THAN REACHED
We would suggest that if any amelioration of the terms of the Quota Act is under consideration, the “Natal {SPAN}ercury{/SPAN}” says in an editorial on the same question, the interesting experiment might be tried of bringing in Jewish farming immigrants with the express intention of settling them on one or two of the almost abandoned irrigation schemes in the Union.
In Palestine, it writes, the Jew has been conspicuously successful at this type of agriculture. Some of the most successful farmers in the Union, it must be remembered, are Jews. A scheme of this sort would not only put to their intended purpose some of our virtually derelict irrigation ventures, but would give the Government an opportunity of proving its protestations of friendship towards the Jews, and of smoothing the ruffled feathers of South African Jewry whose only sin has been its considerable contribution to over-trading in this country.
And in emphasising this aspect of the part played by the Jew in South Africa, the paper remarks, we are not unaware of the fortitude and enterprise he has so often displayed in opening his little store in parts of the country that otherwise would have been without the amenities of even the “Goedkoop winkel”. The Jew has taken his trade where the Christian would often have lacked the courage to go or the character to live, still retentive of his religion and individuality. To this extent the Jewish trade has in the past played a valuable part in opening up new channels of distribution. When saturation point had been more than reached, however, a halt had to be called.
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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.
