Political report of the Executive of the Jewish Agency submitted to the ... Zionist Congress and the ... session of the Council of the Jewish Agency · 1937-08-01 · 8.1937 · p. Seite 39

39 amounting to one quarter and one half respectively, were disbanded but ordered to hold themselves in readiness to be called up as a reserve at short notice. The arms of the reserve lines were kept in the settlements. In the early spring of 1937, there was an alarming recrudescence of Arab violence. On the suggestion of the Jewish Agency, large parts of the reserve in the Northern District were called up. The settlements which had overstrained their financial resources during the disturbances found themselves unable to shoulder any longer the burden of one half of the cost of maintenance. A new arrangement was then negotiated by the Acting Political Representative of the Jewish Agency in March 1937 whereby the whole cost of maintenance of the first two lines when serving — amounting together to one half of the entire force — was assumed by the Government, the participation of the Jewish communities being reduced to 50 °/0 of the maintenance cost of the third line only. The result of this settlement was that in the event of the entire force being called up, its maintenance cost would be divided between the Government and the Jewish population in the proportion of 3 to 1 respectively. 50. The enlistment and functioning of the Jewish Defence Force added considerably to the burdens of the Jewish Agency, financially and otherwise, and necessitated an increase of staff. Under the direction of the Jewish Agency's Liaison Officer, who was responsible for the working out and putting into effect of the entire scheme of the supernumerary police force as far as it concerned the Jewish Agency, an inspectorate was set up, organised by regions, for the purpose of supervising and ensuring the efficient performance of duty of the members of the force and assisting the British Police Officers placed in command of its sections. Special attention was devoted by the Liaison Officer and the inspectorate to the training of the force. The results achieved, both in the courses given to selected groups of supernumerary policemen in training camps and in the training provided locally were most satisfactory and repeatedly commended by the authorities. Since the disturbances a new reserve has been added to the supernumerary police force, to be mobilised in case of need, and its training has been taken in hand. The Jewish Agency has likewise assisted in the recruitment of and provision of training-camp facilities for special divisions of Jewish super-