Vaad Leumi Memorandum on Questions of State Lands and Hebrew School System

The questions of granting government land for Jewish colonization, a government subsidy for the Hebrew school system and the industrial development of the country are dealt with in the memorandum of the Vaad Leumi.

On these questions, the memorandum states:

“In accordance with article 6 of the Mandate for Palestine, the duty devolves on the Government of the country to ‘facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions-encourage close settlement by Jews on the land, including State lands and waste lands not required for public purposes.’ During the whole period since the Mandate was given until the present time this article has remained inoperative. The Jewish Yishub, comprising thousands of men and women who have adapted themselves to agricultural pursuits and who aspire to an agricultural mode of life–have not been able to avail themselves of the provision of the said article, except in one exceptional case. Nothing has been done in order to satisfy the imperative need of the Jewish community for lands for the purpose of settlement, a need which the Zionist institutions are unable themselves to gratify in spite of the millions that have been invested in Palestine during the recent period in the purchase of land for agriculture.

“During a discussion on this point at a meeting of the Permanent Mandates Commission, Mr. W. G. Ormsby-Gore, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, representing the Mandatory Government at the Commission, replying to a question by Sir F. Lugard, said that ‘the delay in the grant of Government lands to Jews is connected with the question of the survey, which has not yet been effected.’

“The Jewish Yishub cannot refrain from pointing out that although the Government survey has not yet been completed, hundreds of thousands of Government lands, particularly in the Beisan district, one of the richest natural tracts in the country, have been distributed among Arab fellahin (peasants) in lots of such size that they are unable to work them properly, being of an extent far above that usual in Jewish settlements, while the Jewish demands for land have been rejected, the claims even of the discharged and demobilized Jewish soldiers who had participated in the British military conquest of the country being disregarded. A special Land Commission appointed by the Government some time ago is carrying out a liquidation of the Government estates without taking into consideration the desirability of promoting an intensive settlement of Jews on these tracts which could be an aid to the development of the whole country.

“We are of the opinion that the local administration should adopt the necessary measures immediately to terminate the work of the Commission, which is apparently directed towards a liquidation of the estates for the purpose of handing them over to the Bedouins who use for pasturing herds of goats land suitable for the most intensive cultivation.

“The Government cannot possibly be interested in having the best and most important tracts of the country–west of the Jordan–inhabited by a sparse settlement of Bedouins pursuing their nomad life in contrast to the speedy development in all other parts of the country. This tendency ought to be replaced by a regulated system of granting Government lands to Jews for settlement in accordance with the provisions of the Mandate and the best interests of the country.

BURDEN OF EDUCATION RESTS ON JEWS

“At the seventh session of the Mandates Commission, the question of the participation of the Palestine Government in the expenditure on Jewish Juvenile education in Palestine was discussed with the representatives of the Mandatory Government. Whilst refraining from comment on the letter of the Foreign Office of the Mandatory Government signed by Mr. Lancelot Oliphant, we must state that to this day almost the entire burden of education rests upon the Jewish population itself. From Sir Herbert Samuel’s report it is evident that the Palestine administration is itself aware of the defects in the present educational system in the country. whereby the entire burden of the education of the Jewish children is laid upon the shoulders of the Jews themselves, in addition to the Government taxes which they pay for the maintenance of the Government educational institutions–the Arab schools.

“The maintenance of the Hebrew schools and other educational institutions in the country during the last six years amounted to approximately £800,000; during this period we have received from the Government Treasury a small subsidy which amounted in 1924-1926 to £3,065 (approximately 3% of the general educational expenditure.)

“In 1925-26 the Government subsidy to the schools of the Zionist Organization amounted to £2,664. Even in urban and rural districts which are entirely Jewish, such as the Tel-Aviv area with its tens of thousands of inhabitants, not one Jewish School is maintained by the Government.

JEWISH LABOR CONDITIONS AFFECTED BY GOVERNMENT POLICY

“The Jewish Labor population in the country which in 1921 numbered about 4,000, had in 1926 reached a total of 25,000, of whom about 7,000 are engaged in agriculture. A large part of the urban workers are equally desirous of engaging in agricultural work, but owing to lack of land and funds for settlement, continue in urban occupations.

“The development of the Jewish labor population in the country and the amelioration of its living and working conditions is retarded mainly by the following three factors: Firstly, the shortage of land for settlement affects the Jewish worker without capital more than any other class of the Jewish population. Secondly: the right of the Jewish worker to a fair share in the public services of the Government and the Municipal bodies which are as yet controlled by non-elected bodies appointed by the Government, is persistently infringed upon. A request to remedy this state of affairs was submitted to the Government in accordance with a resolution passed at the first session of the second Convocation of the Elected Assembly but was rejected by the Government in its official reply of February 4th, 1926. Thirdly; the country particularly suffers from the absence of a code of regulations controlling the conditions of labor and ensuring to the worker a minimum working day, compensation against accidents, protection of juvenile employment, etc. Despite the pressing need of a comprehensive Labor Statute, as recognized and promised by Sir Herbert Samuel, on his first appearance before the League of Nations as the representative of the Mandatory Government, and as particularly demanded by the representatives of the International Labor Bureau, no decisive steps have as yet been taken in this direction.

ASK FOR MEASURES TO PROMOTE INDUSTRY

“The past few years have been marked by the establishment of many new industries in the country.

“The technical difficulties encountered by the new industrial enterprises in the country are serious enough in themselves. The lack of coal and metal, the absence of modern harbors, the great distances from European ports, the limited purchasing power of the inhabitants, are important factors which, in the ordinary course, retard the development of a young industry and prevent its stabilization. Without systematic state assistance development is impossible. Even the Turkish Government, administering the country before the war, which concerned itself least of all in the industrial development of the country, took this need into consideration.

“An industrial act was proclaimed in December, 1912, granting to newly established factories, upon application, certain areas of State Land, not exceeding 5 dunams, and also granting exemption from import duties on machinery, building and raw materials not obtainable in the country, and relieving the new enterprises from taxation for a period of 15 years. As against this the industrial policy of the Mandatory Government marks important steps backwards. Not only is land for the erection of factories not given free, and thereby assisting the owners in question to escape exploitation by land speculators, but from the very first day of their commencement the industries are subjected to taxation by the Government particularly on land and buildings. There is no doubt whatever that a law, that would contain provisions for the promotion of industry in the country is a vital immediate need. The Government system of custom duties is also not calculated to protect and promote young industries; and particularly well-founded and justified is the demand for the removal of import duties on raw material imported for industriel purposes. It is quite clear that there is little likelihood of the industries of Palestine becoming paying concerns if they are not only compelled to use imported raw materials but also to pay heavy duties on them. It is true that of late the Government has commenced to take into consideration this demand, which is an elementary requirement in every country, but both the range and the speed with which it carries out measures of improvement do not in any way meet the need.”