(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The industrial bill which was introduced into the Polish parliament by the previous government and which threatens the status of the Jewish artisans in the Republic of Poland was postponed for an indefinite time.
According to the bill, which was prepared by the Polish artisans associations, obligatory artisan chambers are to be created which would exercise full control over the artisan trades. Any individual desiring to establish a handicraft undertaking would be compelled not only to pass examinations with regard to the knowledge of his trade, but would also have to produce the passport of a Polish citizen and to prove that he speaks and writes the Polish language.
The bill originally stated that artisan certificates would be issued by the Guilds or the chambers elected by the Guilds. When a number of Jewish organizations voiced their protest against the proposed measure, the Minister of Public Works, in order to insure the passage of the bill without protest, altered it, claiming that a clause stating who was to issue the certificates for new artisans was tirely omitted and inserting a clause stating that the Government is to be authorized to determine the question later in a special ordinance.
The Club of Jewish Deputies has continually voiced its opposition to this bill.
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.
