Severe criticism of the government’s inaction against non-Jewish illegal immigrants, while it “turned the screw” on Jews who entered the country unauthorizedly, featured a meeting here of the council of the Histadruth, the general Jewish Labor federation in Palestine. The council discussed labor and immigration problems and also the Kfar Ussishkin project of the Jewish National Fund.
Speaking of Arab labor from other countries, H. Frumkin, head of the Central Labor Exchange, declared that the figure of thirty to thirty-five thousand of such immigrants as reported in the Arab press of Damascus was not exaggerated. He said that they have come in illegally. He cited a few examples, pointing out that 1,400 Hauranis from Syria are working in Petah-Tikvah while residing in the surrounding Arab villages. In Haifa, he said, there are 1,200 on road and house construction alone, and including porters and others, he estimated that they must total 2,000 in all. In this city, a count of 357 Arab laborers in the building materials industry showed that 273 were Hauranis.
WORK AWAITS MANY
He then delivered his criticism of the government’s inertia in dealing with these illegal immigrants. He also dismissed as fallacious the government’s argument of a possible economic crisis among the Jews here. There is still a huge reserve capacity for Jewish labor in plantations, agriculture and industry, he said.
Mr. Frumkin also discussed particulars and highlights of an exhaustive survey he made in regard to government revenues, of imports and exports, of industry, and of State and private activity. During 1934, he pointed out, Jewish activity had increased enormously. He mentioned that the number of certified labor newcomers had increased only six per cent. from January to June. He analyzed the economic absorptive capacity of the country, showing how appalingly out of touch with the crying demand for labor were the actual labor immigration schedules granted.
DEMAND WORLD WIDE DRIVE
Berl Katzenelson, Labor leader, discussed the Kfar Ussishkin project. Citing the great importance of “national property,” he spoke of the necessity of supporting the Jewish National Fund development. He also paid a tribute to Menahem Ussishkim, after whom the village is being named.
Several other labor delegates contributed to the debate on immigration, some of whom demanded a worldwide public Jewish campaign to urge increased immigration into Palestine. Thus, they pointed out, the Jewish Agency’s efforts in its negotiations with the British authorities would be supplemented.
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.
