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 114

114 and also those arising out of the disturbances—must be deferred until the Report of the Royal Commission has been made public. I would, however, take this opportunity of drawing attention to a number of practical matters of urgent importance, the immediate consideration of which would appear to be fully warranted. 5. Representations have repeatedly been made by the Executive of the Jewish Agency for the payment of compensation from public funds for loss of life, personal injuries and damage to property attributable to the disturbances. So far no action in this regard has been taken by the Government, and I would urge the speediest possible satisfaction of this claim, the justice of which appears to be self-evident. 6. As a result of numerous representations made by the Jewish Agency, authority has been given for the enrolment and arming of Jewish supernumerary policemen for the close protection of Jewish settlements and town quarters; the numbers of these supernumeraries have gradually been increased. These decisions have been welcomed by the Jews of Palestine, since they have not only strengthened their sense of security, but have made it possible for them to participate more actively in their own defence. The financial arrangements involved have, however, caused considerable dissatisfaction. Acting under the stress of circumstances, the representatives of the Jewish Agency agreed at the time that, as an emergency measure, the cost of maintaining the' supernumerary policemen should be borne in equal parts by the Government and the Jewish communities concerned. In view of the fact that the need for the services of these additional policemen continues unabated, and their establishment is being placed upon a more or less permanent footing, the Government has now agreed to pay the entire cost of maintenance of about half the total number of authorised supernumeraries. I would urge, however, that it is proper that the Government should assume full responsibility for the cost of all Jewish supernumerary policemen called up for active service and thereby recognised as forming an essential part of the security forces. 7. Another measure which was much appreciated by the Jewish population of Palestine, and indeed by Jev/s the world over, was the granting of authority by the Government of Palestine, in response to the representations of the Jewish Agency, for loading and unloading facilities on the foreshore of Tel-Aviv. This decision was followed by the establishment of a Tel-Aviv Maritime Trust, which, with the help of funds raised by public subscription, has erected an iron jetty, a lighter-port, and storage-sheds, with the result that the technical conditions for the loading and unloading of goods, including the shipment of oranges, at the Tel-Aviv Port are now substantially equivalent to those obtaining at Jaffa. I would recall that the virtual monopoly of Arab labour which was permitted to be maintained in the Port of Jaffa—although the bulk