Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 303

.-goods at cheap prices, in some cases below the market price of the manufacturing countries. Discussions are taking place at present with the Palestine Government with regard to the fixing of protective tariffs in cases where they are expedient. Various branches of industry are also fighting against the serious handicap caused by the high wages in the country as compared with wages in the same branches abroad. The workers' organisations are occupying themselves seriously with this important question, and endeavours are being made both by employees and employers to secure facilities for the furtherance of industry in the country. Since the last Congress cases of labour disputes have occurred, the object of which was the demand for increased wages, owing particularly to the rise in house rents and the general cost of living. Most cases were settled by agreement. The Federation of Employers is co-operating with the General Jewish Labour Federation (Histadruth) for the purpose of ensuring the protection of industry. Joint associations have been created by these bodies in order to protect home products from a swamping of the market by foreign goods. There were many cases of a shortage of labourers in certain industries, and especially in the north non-Jewish workers were engaged. There is at present an inadequate supply of technically qualified workers for manufacturing industry. There is a difficulty in obtaining Jewish skilled workers from abroad for certain branches, and it is therefore necessary to train them in this country. C. Wage-labour in Agriculture. In the year 1933 there were 5,000 Jewish workers employed in agriculture in the colonies, and in April, 1935, the number amounted to 6,000. During the same period the area of Jewish plantations increased from 120,000 to 155,000 dunam. A shortage of Jewish agricultural labourers was already felt in 1933, and this has become much worse during the past two years. As already mentioned, there are to-day 6,000 Jewish labourers (men and women) who are employed on a wage basis in agriculture in a plantation area of 145,000 dunam (the remaining 10,000 dunam are cultivated by the holders themselves). According to a normal rate of calculation the cultivation of this zone, without reckoning the work of harvesting and packing, requires 10,000 to 12,000 men. There is thus still a shortage of 4,000 to 5,000 Jewish workers. In the colonies with mixed farming there are usually 2,000 Arab workers employed, and even if we take these also into account there is still room for another 4,000 Jewish workers for the normal range of employment. The Labour Department made great efforts to place the newly arrived Chaluzim in agricultural work, but despite its efforts and those of the Histadruth it was impossible to satisfy the demand for agricultural labourers. Among the factors responsible for the 3°3