Israel’s first international exhibition, the “Conquest of the Desert,” was formally opened late this afternoon by President Ben Zvi and Acting Premier Moshe Sharett. The exposition, which 2,000,000 persons are expected to visit before it closes on Oct. 14, is located in the heart of this city.
More than 2,000,000 pounds has been invested by 500 private firms, public and semi-public institutions from 23 nations and intergovernmental bodies in the various booths, pavilions and exhibits. The exhibits and films will show how man can best beat back the desert and provide more food and living space for the world’s rapidly growing population.
More than 600 people were employed to set up the exhibition. The Conquest of the Desert Company spent 840,000 pounds while local firms spent 700,000 pounds in preparing for the exposition. It is expected that the fair’s deficit will be no more than 300,000 pounds and that most of the investment will be recovered from rental fees for exhibition space and admission charges.
Three scientific conferences will be held concurrently with the fair. A symposium on “Negev Development” will be presented by engineers and architects next Sunday, a Congress of the Society for the Advancement of Science will convene next Tuesday and a Congress of Jewish Agronomists will be held Oct. 4. Each week-day night concerts or theatrical productions will be presented in the open-air auditorium.
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.
