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Jewish Influence On Arab Economic Life
(Continued front page 10)
In Syria the conditions are some
what better, but even so consider
ably lower than in Palestine. Today
the unskilled Arab land worker of
Palestine receives 8 to 15 piastres,
and specialists up to 85 piastres.
In the towns the wages of unskilled
workers are Pi to 15 piastres daily,
while trained and expert workers
are recompensed on a far higher
scale, as already mentioned. This
increase is not merely nominal, but
corresponds to a factual improve
ment; that is, to a greater share
of the social product received by
the Aral) worker. The official index
for the Cost of Living, based on the
native family of five members, has
shown a regressive tendency ever
since 1922. There was, indeed, a
transitory rise of expenditure in
19*25; but nonetheless the index
has continued to fa,11 in Palestine too
as a result of the general interna
tional level of prices. With regard
to this point it can therefore be
said that the real income of this
section of the Arab population of
Palestine has increased consider
ably' under tin- immediate influence
of Jewish activities and that it is
far higher than that of the corres
ponding strata of the population
in neighboring countries. Lven
among Arab labor there a.re, of
course, differences in wages between
various districts. Government pay's
Arab labor on public works M) to
50% more in districts with mixed
populations than in purely' Arab
dist nets.
Consideration of the advance of
t he Arab population in various fields
of production and trade likewise
shows clear and indubitable prog
ress. The Government Census
of Industry' which was compiled only
once is very' informat ve up to the
year 19*28, and gives comparative
figures for the pre-war period. 'The
number of pre-war workshops and
industrial undertakings in non-Jew-
ish hands amounted in 1928, when
the Census was taken, to 1,022,
with a capital investment of £543,-
015. From the end of the War
until tin* time of the Census no less
than 1,373 new non-Jewish busi
nesses, with an invested capital of
£013,192, were established.
A comparison of these two groups
shows the great part taken during
the post-\\ar decade by the non-
Jewish population in the industrial
development of tin* country*. Of
late y’cars an increasingly lively'
establishment of new industrial
undertakings is noticeable among
the Arab population, particularly
in Jaffa and Haifa. Ums, there
a,re new factories for the manu
facture of thread, cement pipes,
floor-tiles; and Arab participation
in the exploitation of mineral re
sources. In general, Arab manu
facturers show a considerable in
crease in turnover throughout flu*
la.rger towns of tin* country'. Trade
lias also taken part in this develop
ment, though Jewish undertakings
have been able to expand far more
both in figures and turnover. Fig
ures from the registration office
show that in recent years there has
been a considerable increase in
Arab initiative running parallel
with the upward trend of the
country.
Building activities in Haifa, ana
lyzed with regard to the share taken
by the various groups of the popula
tion, provide a particularly interest
ing contribution to the question of
Arab participation in this activity.
Haifa is an Arab-Jewish town in
which Jewish activities have pro
gressively' increased of late years.
The years which represent the
lowest level of Jewish immigration,
such as 1921, 1924 and 1928, also
saw the nadirs of Arab building
activities. The years 1925 and
192(5, like the last few years, wit
nessed a tremendous increase in
Arab building. Since building
activities are one of the chief sources
of future income, the case of Haifa
is very clear evidence as to the rela
tionship between Jewish activities
and Arab prosperity.
Building activities in Jaffa, a
town with a comparatively small
Jewish population, also reflects the
work of the Jews in the general
district of Jaffa—Tel Aviv. It is
rather more difficult to show this in
Jerusalem, where the Government
and other public bodies build con
siderably; but there, too, the I rend
of Arab building activities follows
tlie Jewish.
.1/1.Hi .WRK'ULTURE
The overwhelming majority of
the Arab population find their living
in agriculture. Agriculture is every
where one of the means of livelihood
which shows the grea.te.st power of
inertia against innovations of every
kind. In Palestine, in addition, the
fellah is, for reasons which do not
come within the scope of this in
vestigation, the subject of a tradi
tionalism which places considerable
obstacles in the way of all and any
reform. In spite of this the Arab
agriculture of Palestine is now the
seat of a transformation which,
though now only in its initial grades,
will within none too long a period
of time cause a great alteration of
the existing bases of production.
'This change can be observed both
quantitatively and qualitatively.
(Please tarn to next page)
A new"!ease’on life is taken by these refugees in Palestine, far from the land of their birth.
Southeastern
Express
Company
*
To the shipping public
in the southeast, whose
liberal patronage during
past years has enabled
it to “carry on” and con
tinue to render an effi
cient and high class trans
portation service, South-
[eastern Express Com
pany' extends its cordial
good wishes and greet
ings.
*
T he friendly and cor
dial relationship be
tween shipper and car
rier produces results
that arc lasting and
cannot he measured
in dollars and cents.
“Your” Express
Company renews its
pledge of service!
*
GENERAL OFFICES
50 Pryor St., N. E.
ATLANTA, GA.
*^THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
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