Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 450

1933, however, a card index was introduced, enabling Government to know exactly how many travellers had remained in the country without authority. As this system came into full operation Government began to base its deductions on the full rate of illicit settlement prevailing at the time, on the assumption that this would continue at the same rate during the next schedule period. In reply to protests raised against the heavy deduction made from the latest schedule Government promised that if it were found that this had been excessive, the difference would be refunded to the Jewish Agency. The total number of certificates lost to legal immigration as a result of the deductions has so far reached the" total of 4,400. 25. The case of the second Maccabiah is a telling example of how directly the Jewish Agency is affected by immigration matters which would appear to be none of its concern. The arrangements for the admission of the Maccabiah participants were negotiated directly between the heads of the World Maccabi Organisation and the Government without the Executive being consulted. The Executive has now informed the Maccabi Organisation that it will in future insist that no such arrangements be made without its knowledge and consent. Another immigration matter which has so far been dealt with by direct negotiations between Government and the institutions concerned, but has of late engaged the serious attention of the Executive, is the admission of students for whom a bond is entered into by the respective educational institutions. The deduction of 2,800 certificates from the estimated absorptive capacity for the last schedule period contains 400 on account of students from the date of whose arrival in Palestine three years had passed. With the increase in the number of youngpersons seeking admission into Palestine as prospective students in the higher schools the deductions from future schedules on this score are likely to grow and the numbers of students so admitted must be a subject of the Jewish Agency's direct concern. 26. The great disparity between the rapidly improving economic standards of Palestine and the acute poverty in the neighbouring territories, intensified by a succession of drought years, resulted in a large infiltration of Arab people into Palestine across the land frontiers, in search of work. The discussion which took place on this issue between the Jewish Agency and the Government may best be presented by the following quotation from the Executive's schedule memorandum of October, 1934 : The problem of Arab labour in Jewish employment is further aggravated by the influx of masses of poor people from the neighbouring countries. The estimates of the Jewish Agency regarding the size of this influx, which were for a time heavily discounted by the Government, appear now to be vindicated. It has been officially admitted that the number of Haurani Arabs who have recently entered Palestine is ranging between 10,000 to 15,000. This estimate possibly 45 P