JEWS IN PALESTINE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22406, 30 April 1936, Page 14

JEWS IN PALESTINE

RESETTLEMENT SCHEME ' COUNTRY FLOURISHING " Although it has been said that Jews incline to certain occupations only, I have seen the raco fill every position in the life of Palestine with 100 per cent efficiency," said Dr. Charles T. Rolls in an address in the Town Hall last night on "Tho Rebirth of a Nation." Dr. Rolls, who has just returned from Palestine, illustrated his address with lantern slides showing views of the country and aspects of tho resettlement scheme carried out under the British mandate. In introducing the lecturer to a largo audience, the chairman, Mr. R. A. Laidlaw, said world peace was destined to come not from Geneva, but from Palestine. Dr. Rolls said that in oppressing the Jews Hcrr Hitler was going in the face of history and the meeting had been arranged to express Christian sympathy with the Jewish people. The Jewish settlers in Palestine were proving splendid agriculturists. Last year 7,000,000 cases of oranges were exported, the country growing the finest in the world. Vineyards were plentiful. Women were being trained in farming at a special training farm. Two thirds of the country was as yet undeveloped agriculturally, so that there was no danger of settlement being overdone. Ono of the first things done was the creation of the port of Hiafa, an undertaking which fulfilled an ancient prophecy. It was now a flourishing port. Jn tho past 12 years several hundred industries had sprung up; indeed, Palestine was already proving a competitor in certain manufactures with Great Britain, and this competition had resulted in some restriction of the assistance to iminigi ntion. Twenty-nine new hospitals had been established in the past 15 years, and it had proved impossible to build schools fast enough to accommodate the children. The university needed to bo five times its present size to deal with tho number of applicants for admission. A collection was mado and the net proceeds will be devoted toward helping Jews who had suffered from persecution in Germany.