Presents Gift of $45,000 for Botanical Garden on Mount Scopus

The sum of $45,000 for a botanical garden on Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, was given to the Jewish National Fund by Sol Lamport, treasurer of the Jewish National Fund, as a memorial to his son, Montague Lamport. Announcement of the gift was made by Emanuel Neumann, president of the Jewish National Fund, at a special directors’ meeting at the Hotel Astor.

The meeting of the board was held for the purpose of discussing the relationship of the Jewish National Fund to the Jewish Agency. In reviewing the part played by the Jewish National Fund in the reconstruction of Palestine, since its establishment in 1899, Mr. Neumann stated that the value of the land in Palestine owned in the name and as the inalienable property of the entire Jewish people now exceeds $10,000,000.

One of the principal speakers at the meeting, which was open to the public, was Julius Simon, prominent New York Zionist, who last week returned from Palestine. In describing the economic conditions in Palestine, Mr. Simon said in part:

“The outstanding achievement in the economic development of Palestine during the last few years is the growth of the orange industry. At present there is available only a limited area of undeveloped orange land and this area is decreasing from year to year.

“The new orange groves, now in the process of development, employ Jewish labor to a much larger extent than previously but nothing is done, nor can anything be done, to safeguard Jewish labor as long as there is no land in the hands of institutions which are publicly controlled.”

Mr. Simon stressed the necessity of the acquisition by the Jewish National Fund of large tracts of land in Palestine which could be leased to Jewish agricultural workers.