The Denver Jewish news., 1920-05-26
Economic Future Of. Pol
ish Jewry Mapped
INDUSTRIAL ASSIST.
ANCE WILL BE ENTERING
WEDGE. WILL HELP REHABILI-
TATE WORLD TRADE.
BY DIR. JOSEPH TANNENBAUM


Jewish trade in Poland is overcrOwd-
ed. So it had been during the war :;
and this condition has become even
more acute since its termination. This
must be borne in mind If we wish to
improve economic conditions. Let me
very briefly review the causes for the
overflow i'm Jewish trade, which are
both political and economic in nature
OF the political Implications Of the
boycott have already said that the
boycott is calamity for Poland ii
self. 1t endangers her economic ana
tlence. For her own interests Poland
needs the fruitful economic ability oi
the Jews. and should, therefore, aid
and protect them. This IL so logically
self evident as to foster the hope that
the new State will eventually bring
forward wise and patriotic statesmen
to promote n political policy friendly
TO the Jews even in face of the black
\ re-actionary opposition. The sooner
that comes about, the better will it be
come in Poland when in the making
of the laws of the country, the in
terests of the whole people and not
merely of one class will he considered.
then the OvercrOwdcd state in Jewish
commerce will he much ameliorated.
The main economic cause for the
overcrowding i'm Jewish trade is the
fety,la Development of other thdus-
tries. Thru unnatural, artificial
causation the participation of the Jews
in industry and agriculture is neglig-
ihle-a situation which wise control
and regulation could easily alter. jew
ish political economists have long de-
manded it. A great part of the Jew
ish merchants must be transferred to
ether vocatiOns.
How may this be accomplished?
Now it could be done more easily
than Mt any other time. The war ana
its consequent effects have so dis
turbed and rupturedJc jewish trade that
1t would not be difficult to Introduce
thousands of business men into new
fields of activity. Everything is now
in the state of raw material which
may be used and applied in the build
ing of the new State and in its adapta-
tion to modern conditions of life and
production. This problem is closely
connected with the whole necessary
program of Poland.
Let me illustrate: About $4,000
Jewish homes have been destroyed In
Galicia. Ten of thousands of Jewish
families must live in holes. cellars,
trenches or under the open sky. Many.
very many are the victims demanded
by merciless insensible nature. They
must pay their lives or health. Ii
American capital could be interested
and that is the object of the Galician
Commission which is now in America
hundreds of thousands would be
saved from their misery. With tile
beginning of building naturally all the
Industries involved would he revived.
Most of these are in Jewish hands.
1t would mean that thousands of fore
men carpenters. bricklayers. mortar
| mixers. plastererS. painters. etc. now
scarcely eking out "A living ms petty
merchants would leave commerce and
| return to their own trades.
The gain would be manifold in char
Not only would thousands of
homeless Jews be provided with shell
ter, not only would the overflow trade
he drawn off. hut it would increase tn"
tuying capacity of many thousands
and thereby improve the economic
status of the storekeepers and mer-
chants.
This construction plan is not only
of great Significance to the Jews oi
Calicia, but also has its appeal 10
| Americans upon purely economic
basis. World commerce is living thru
great crisis. In the western couh-
tries there is superabundance of in
dustrial articles of which the eastern
European peoples are greatly in need.
Rut because of the depression in money
values it is impossible for these coun-
tries to import anything. What is
more. there is the unusual and unbe-
lievable phenomenon--the countries in
the greatest want of supplies are act
ually exporting the little which they
have to the lands that have them in
abundance. This proves that the west
crn nations, especially America. can
not compete with the eastern, because
the low value of money does not en-
able the latter to buy. and they must
content themselves with all sorts of
substitutes So the rich oversee lands
are being CONSTRUCTED by their own
fatness while in eastern Europe the