Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-03-16
CHANGES ARE WROUGHT
AMONG HOLY PLACES
Influx Of Western Life Is Working
Most Amazing Revolution
in Palestine.
MOVIES ARE IN OPERATION
AirpIancs, Tractor Piows, Wireless
News, Sanitation and Hygiene Fol
low When Turks IHave-Purc
Water Supply for Jerusalem.
ny TEDDY WICK.

JERUSALEM, March 15.-Now that
the TURK has gone. what will happen
Already the answer is becoming evil
dent. Airplanes. tractor plows. electric
trans and electric machinery of all
sorts. wireless news. the cinema. sani
tation and hygiene are about TO work
revolution in this ancient land
;. How amazing this influx OF western
ire Is can be best shown by an illus
tration. Until very recently Jcrusa-
on the rain water which filled the city's
cisterns and that which flowed from
near Solomon's Pool down an aqueduct
built by Roman engineers under Herod
into the Mosque of omar reservoir.
This was despite the fact that from
1889 to 1894 British committee,
working on plans drawn by Sir John
Fowler. tried in vain to get the Turk
ish authorities to allow Il modern
water system to be put in.
They never got beyond the stage
The Sultan had ordered the rights TO
ee gwen but when the committee
found that every official concerned.
from the Grand Vizicr down, demanded
up TO the outrageous obstacles which
the unendinG demand for bakshccsh
presented.
NINE YEARS OF CONSTANT
ENDEAyoR FAILED
So ended nine years OF constant
endeavor to present Jerusalem with
ut water supply. Latterly, however.
in two months the royal engineers
under General Allenby have given
Jerusalem what nine years of contend.
ing with Turkish officials had failed 10
With the era OF baksheesh finally
gone, what advantages docs Palestine
In the first place, agriculture can be
greatly developed. Without being ex-
actly land of milk and honey, there
are areas of Palestine in which the
sol! Is OF more than ,; average fertility
the Plain of Hauran, which is located
in the northern part of the territory
separated from Damascus by the not
very high mountains of Jebel ell Asuad
grown, as we'll as millet corn, rye
haricot beans, barely, con which the
stock is fed), peas and lentils. but not
oats, which only grow wild.
The Plain of Sharon along the coast
between Jaffa and Caesarca. also pro-
duccd cereals in abundance Wheat
is repused TO produce there eight times
the quantity sown and barley fifteen
times. AS result of this productive
ity, numerous Jewish colonies have
been established there.
ORANGES AND LEMONS
IN JERICHO REGION
The region of Jericho and the Dead
Sea. which forms a great plain watered
BY the Jordan. grows orange and lem
on trees, bananas. pomcGranate and
mulberry trees, sugar cane and in
many parts, as many Is three crops
year of garden truck. Forest trees
abound tho Jordan and on the
Plateau of Zorka, and might be cut
prottably. On the other hand. parts
of the Dead Sea shores grow wheat,
barley and millet on rather large
scale.
Grain growers usually send their
products to Jerusalem. where there are
a dozen big -four mills, or to Jericho,
where there arc two.
Not far from Jericho there are large
phosphate beds, now being worked by
the lfedjaz Railway Company. Large
hocks of sheep owned by the Bedouins
OF the Dead Sea area produce quaint
ties Of wool which might be woven in
the country instead of being shipped
to Liverpool.
GRAPES, FIGS AND NUTS
GROW IN JERUSALEM
Grapes, fgus, walnutS. pears, plums
and olives grow in large quantities in
and around Jerusa lem. Olives and
from Jaffa TO GAIA. The orange groves
at Jaha and Saida still maintain their
ancient reputation. Before the war,
Jaffa exported yearly over 3l5Oo.Ooo !
worth of oranges
Much Of this has been laid waste |
by the rctrcating Turkish armies. but |
the damage thus done will not be long |
III repa iring.
Vineyards which declined for a time |
under Arab Ownership, were being re-
vived by French specialists before the !
A Health Builder