PALESTINE

Evening Star, Issue 22362, 11 June 1936, Page 15

PALESTINE

GLIMPSES GF JERUSALEM Moses was 40 years leading the Children of Israel from Egypt to Palestine. To-day one can travel .from Cairo to Jerusalem by trains equipped with dining car and sleeper, and you cover the distance in 14 hours (writes R. H. Campbell, in the ‘ Sydney Morning Herald’). If you prefer a more speedy mode of transport you can avail yourself of the daily air service, and reach your destination within four hours. For the last 120 miles of the rail journey to Jerusalem the train winds up a valley between the limestone hills until you arc 2,500 ft above sea level. On the slopes of the hills one sees terraced gardens and plantations where hard} - Arabs gain a livelihood from the meagro patches of soil. The centuries have brought but little change in the customs of this ancient land. The soil is still cultivated with a small wooden plough, drawn by a donkey or camel or sometimes by the two yoked together. Oxen still tread out the corn on the threshing floor. On the hillside the shepherd leads his sheep, and often plays to them on his flute. Immediately you arrive. in Jerusalem the scene changes. The railway station is some distance from the walls of the old city, and the visitor’s first impressions are of the modern city that has grown up in recent years. Cars of the latest models wait to convey travellers to their homes or hotels. On the hill above the station stand two magnificent buildings. One is the Young Men’s Christian Association building, which cost a quarter of a million pounds, the greater part of which was given by a wealthy American. The tower of the Y.M.C.A. is over 200 ft high, and dominates Jerusalem. From this vantage point yon obtain a wonderful bird’s-eye view of the city and its environs. The old city, within the walls, with the Mosque of Omar and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, shows out in striking contrast to the modern buildings which constitute new Jerusalem. Further out one can see the new suburbs or colonies that have sprung into existence in recent years. On a clear day you can see the water in the Dead Sea. and the Mountains of Moab lying beyond. On the opposite side of the street is the fashionable King David Hotel. The devout pilgrim who has come from the ends of the earth to see the snored places may receive a temporary shock when he reads the notice : “ King David Hairdressing Saloon and Beauty Parlour.’ At present there is remarkable activity in the building trade. _ Shops and flats six and eight stories high are in course of construction. It would be safe to affirm that 90 per cent, of the buildings in .Jerusalem, whether ancient nr modern, are stone buildings, while manv of the remainder are composite buildings of stone and concrete. MODERN ADVANTAGES. Jerusalem lias practically all the advantages of a modern city. It has a daily paper printed in English, and also a weekly publication. Daily papers printed in Hebrew. Arabic, French, and other languages are _ circulated among the polyglot population. There is a Labour piiner in Palestine with a circulation of 27.000. It is a rare thing to hear Emrlish spoken in the streets, although most of the business people can interpret your requirements. A dance at the telephone direetpry is informative. There are over 1,800 subscribers on the Jerusalem exchange. Nazareth has 53 subscribers, while Bethlehem can also boast of a continuous service. During the slack period vou can get a trunk line call to Cairo for 4s. It you want a little diversion in the hot weather you can enjoy a radio telephone conversation with Tasmania or Iceland. Looking down the list of subscribers my attention was drawn to a certain number, opposite which I read: “Municipal Corporation of Jerusalem—His Worship the Mayor.” In previous years the water problem was a serious one. Jerusalem depended entirely for its annual supply of water on the rains which fell in the winter season. This water was collected and stored in rock-cut cisterns under every house. Soon after Allenhy effected the liberation of Jerusalem an extra sup-' ply of water was brought from King Solomon’s pools, which lie to the south of Bethlehem. Now the main supply is derived from springs near Jaffa, and the water is pumped from sea level to the ton of the Judean Mountains. Throughout . Palestine an intensive search is being made for water in order that it may be utilised for domestic purposes and also for irrigation. TRANSPORT. Palestine is provided with a fine network of arterial roads. In some cases they follow the old Roman roads. A solid foundation of metal has been provided, and most of them have a smooth bitumen surface. Stones painted white are placed along the margins to facilitate night travelling. Motor transport is efficient and economical. On most routes Arab and Jewish buses ply for trade, but Jews have no dealings with the Moslems. There are regular bus services from Jerusalem to the newer suburbs, the Mount of Olivos, and also to Bethlehem and Hebron. The fares arc ridiculously cheap. The provision made for travelling by bus or car to the more distant centres is amazing. Tel Aviv, the new Jewish city of 135,000, is on the sea coast, 40 miles from Jerusalem. There is a 15 minutes’ bus service each way. and the single fare is eighteenpence. One may obtain a seat in a car for two shillings. You can travel to Jericho, Haifa, Nazareth, and Tiberius by motor bus or car. The return fare by bus from Haifa to Tiberias, a total distance of 90 miles, is three shillings. A member of the Palestinian Police Force who hailed from Aberdeen informed me that no such bargains were available in Scotland, even during tbe excursion period. It is surprising to find that petrol is dearer in Jerusalem than it is in Sydney, although Palestine is much nearer the base of supply. Travel by rail in Palestine is slower, less direct and more expensive than by motor service. NEW ENTERPRISES. Practically the whole of Palestine is served with electricity which is generated at the hydro-electric works just to the south of the Sea of Galileo, At the junction of the Jordan and Yarmuk rivers an artificial lake has been constructed, and by this method it lias been possible to secure an 80ft drop of water to drive the turbines. Transmission lines are a feature throughout the country, and Arab villages, together with prosperous Jewish and German settlements, share in the benefits which electricity ensures. At the Dead Sea, 1,300 ft below sea level, potash, sulphur, bromides, and other valuable mineral salts are produced in large quantities. Irrigation has effected a wonderful transformation throughout Palestine. Little can. be done on the stony ridges where Jerusalem is situated, but on the Plain of Sharon and the Plain of Esdraelon thousands of acres have been brought under intense cultivation. In some places six crops are grown in one

year, and at certain periods only six weeks elapse between seed time and harvest. Jn irrigated areas citrus trees predominate, and the famous Jaffa oranges find a ready market. Wheat, barley, lucerne, grapes, tomatoes, melons, and cucumbers are found on evex'y hand. There has been rapid industrial development, particularly in Tel Aviv, where there are 3,000 factories and workshops. In previous generations Palestine was almost denuded of trees, but in the last few years millions have been planted, the majority of which are Australian eucalyptus trees. At Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee, there is a fine avenue of gum trees along the lake frontage, while on the road which rims to the south there is an avenue of kurrajong trees. This beautiful and ornamental Australian tree has not been fully appreciated in its native land, but kurrajong and cypress trees occupy pride of place in garden plots in front of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. One of the modern attractions provided ..for the people of Jerusalem is the new bathing resort at Kallia, on the shore of the Dead Sea. You descend 3,800 ft in 25 miles, and may pass from winter to summer conditions within an hour. The bathing area is illuminated with electric light for night bathing, while a restaurant caters for tourists. When swimming in the Dead Sea you experience a strange sensation when yon find yod cannot keep your body sufficiently under water to swim effectively. Darkness set in when we were making the return trip. It was the day after the Jaffa riots, and night travelling was not considered too safe on certain roads. We remembered the story of a certain man when he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves. As we traversed the lonely road with its steep hairpin bends wo realised how easily modern bandits could hold up traffic. There is a police station halfway up, and mounted police patrol the road. Suddenly our Arab car driver diverted our attention by switching on the wireless, and on the ascent to Jerusalem we enjoyed a programme of delightful music by Kreisler, Mozart, and Mendelssohn.