The farmer and mechanic., 1911-01-10

stacks or eiSnt. eaCn STACK being OF
the same size
When this is done the tax gatherar
selects the stack which he will take
for the taxes and this is threshed out
by itself, the farmer being required to
deliver the grain as the collector di
rects. He may nave to carry it 10
Jerusalem. Jaffa or Nablous and in this
way make it SO costly that the farmer
will be glad to sell him the grain at
his price or to keep it at home.
len addition to such taxes there Il
the salt tax, by which every one in
Palestine must use and pay for 50
much salt year. the salt being a gov
ernment monopoly. There is head
tax Of 50 on every male member OF
the community. This begins with
babyhoOd and lasts until death. and
there are other taxes upon land, as
we'll upon imports and everything that
M eats, drinks and wears.
In a Jewish Colony.
If the Holy Land could be freed
from taxation and the farmers allow
ed fair play there is no doubt bat
that the land would produce many
times what it does now It's possiDil-
ties can be seen in the various colonies
which have been established by the
Jews and the Germans in the different
parts Of Palestine. Take for instance
Zammarin on the south hWest slope OF
Mount Carmel, where these notes are
written. The place is about five
hours ride from Haifa, and a days
journey by carriage from Nablous
The town is owned by a Jewish colony
which has q large tract of land given
it by Baron Edward Rothschi1d Of
Paris. The land is high above the sea
at the northern end of the plain OF
Sharon SO situated that it comma n ls
q view Of that plain at the east and
of 6n lodi ~
The country about is covered with
chunks Of limestone Of all shapes
and sizes the bedrock cropping out in
ledges with small tracts Of arabic
land here and there.
The Jews have taken this land, and
have cleared it by picking off the
loose rocks and they are making it
quite large fields on ton of Mount
Carmel, which are now covered with
wheat They are raising luxuriant
crops Of oats and beans and have vine
yards as thrifty as those Of south
France or the Rhine. They have olive
orchards which would be a credit to
any part of italy; and English wal
nut trees which bear like those OF
southern California. They are raising
fine cattle, which they Craze on the
hills in the daytime and bring in at
night. The milk is excellent and the
meat as tender and sweet as the corn
fed beef Of Chicago. | am told that
the land produces abundantly and that
the colony does well.
"A German Town in the Holy land
The town Of Zammarin is far diff
ferent from those of other parts Of
Palestine. It's houses are Of German
architecture and many Of it's people
speak German. It has German
hotel run by an American Jew and
planned upon Jewish lines. Outside
the door OF my room is fastened a tube
Of olive wood, containing the Ten
Com mmandments, and similar tubes are
to be found at every door OF the
hotel. and also on the doors of every
house in the town. The Jews kiss
these tubes as they go in and out
Zammarin has sidewalks, ond there
, is water tower filled by machinery.
which gives water to every house.
There is a synagogue. which is well
attended. and a town hall, where the
colonial officials meet and govern
themselves as far as they can under
the laws of the sultan.
Indeed, the colony is a little re-
public with a president and other Of
fcialS elected Try its members It
settles its own disputes and makes
| assessm ents for special taxes for such
things as schools and village impr"ve-
| ments. When the colony was started
it was supported by Rochschild
Later on it was turned over to the
Anglo-Israe elite Colonization Society.
founded by Baron fIirsch. It was
then supported from Europe, but this
did not work and it is now running
itself Every family works for itself
and has it's own property. AS re-
suit the people are becoming inde-
pendent. The standard OF self-reSoec1
has risen, and all seem to be prosper
Ing.
! FRANK G. CARPENTER
QUALITIES OE coon E1,EnI<G