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Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15896, 9 May 1917, Page 8

Very disquieting reports have reached us from time to time as to the treatment of the Jews in Palestine by the Turks. This morning wo learn from Now York that Zionist organisations have received advices from Palestine stating that tho' Turks ar© driving the Jews from their homes amidst scenes of looting. Eight thousand Jews liavo been driven from Jaffa, and 6ome resistors -were hangod. Djemal Pasha is reported to have declared that he j would make the Jews suffer tho samo fate as the Armenians.

It may bo mentioned that before the war there were 44 Jewish "colonies noar Jaffa, with, a total population of about 10, COO, cultivating moro than 94,'J00 acres, the chief produco being cereals, cotton, and various fruits. Thcso colonics consisted mainly of Russian Jews, some being maintained by private enterprise, others by the ChovaiveZionAssociation, and others (originally founded by Baron E. de Rothschild) by tho Jewish Colonisation Association. Ono can only hope that tho expedition which is operating in the neighbourhood of Gaza may bo enabled to clear tho Turkish troops out of ' Palestine, and so deliver the Jews from their oppressors.

There is little reason for surprise; that Denmark should liave secretly agreed with Germany to avert the seizure of the German ships sheltering in the ports of the Danish West Indies, which were sold to America. Denmark ]ivcs so much in fear of Germany that such an agreement could easily bo extorted from her. Her position as a small neutral living in the shadow of tho German brute is so delicate that her people were greatly disturbed by the entry of America into the war. "She " and other small European neutrals," as a Copenhagen correspondent of the New York "Post" put it, "have during the war been balancing in a more and more difficult equilibrium between the two belligerent groups, and endeavouring to maintain not only normal conditions of life, but even, necessary supplies for their business existence. To them the alignment of America is a factor of such moment, that apprehensions regarding their own future difficulties overshadow their sympathies with one side or the other." The Danes felt- vc-ry severely the loss of the moral support of the neutral United States, and in particular they wore disappointed in their hope that America, as a neutral, might manago to arrange some compromise respecting the submarine blockade. One cannot greatly blame a poor little reutral for its anxiety to savo itself from the fate of Belgium, even at the cost °f being amongst tho declasses when tho war is over.

In connexion with the great Uritish War Loan, -which yielded over a thousand millions sterling, an American financial writer brings together some illuminating figures. In 1915, if tho gieat financial strain to be put upon the world could have been foreseen, it would have been generally agreed that no such loan as that successfully floated in March was possible. It must be remembered that before the war the annuial capacity of the British market

in tho "way of absorbing new capital issues was placed at 300 millions sterling. In 1915. the Government raised 1250 millions, and in 1016 it raised 1300 millions. And in March it raised over 1000 millions in a single effort. This huge loan- easily surpasses all ether issues by any nation. Tho 4\ per cent, loan of 1915 produced SSO millions." Tho French "Victory Loan'' of November. 1915. yielded 520 millions, and the loan of October last 220 millions. The largest Russian loan had not exceeded 100 millions. Germany's greatest effort did not produce more than 400 millions of genuine loan money. It is worth while to recall Mr McKenna's statement made in the latter part of last year. "If," he said, ''the war were to finish at tho end of the current fiscal year, that is to say, March 31st. 1917, our present scale of taxation would provide not only for the whole of our peace expenditures and the interest on the whole national debt, but also for a sinking fund calculated to redeem that debt in less than forty yeaTs. and there would still remain a surplus sufficient to allow nic to abolish the excessprofits tax and to reduce other taxes considerably."