Cleveland County herald., 1921-04-14
MAKE PALESTINE
 A GARDEN AGAIN
Economic Council Chief Foresees Holy Land as Great Agri-
 cultural Nation.
IS PLEASED WITH PROGRESS
Country Soon Will Be an Important Factor in Near East Economic Life Will Not Support Large
 Cities.

Rapid progress already has been made in developing the economic resources of Palestine, but We cannot hope for any five-year mir acles in the country" said Sir Alfred Mond chairman of the Economic coun- cil for Palestine.
 'The few months that have passed since Sir Hebert Samuels organized the new civil government have done n&ch to put things on a sound foot ing" he continued. There have been !" 000 Jewish immigrants in the past year. coming from all parts of the world. and they are already at work tuilding roads, laying out farms and organizing the groundwork for devel- pment schemes.
 q find however, that there are In he public mind many misapprehen- >ions both ! regard to the economic conditions in Palestine and as to what he Jewish people hope to do there. 1 have heard persons talk of the Palestine of the future as if the Jews hoped to make it into another Eng land, densely populated state full of factories, industries, of large cities. I do not see how this can ever be. have just returned from a tour of Palestine and I know that it is not country that will support cities such as Manchester or Sheffield. Further more, the Jews do not want such cities.
 An Agricultural Country.
 Palestine Is an agricultural coun- try. It resembles in topography such Mediterranean lanGs as Spain Of Southern Italy. There is no coal, no iron. Much of 1t is now waste land that must be reclaimed by irrigation. There are now 100000 persons in Palestine. Of this number only 100,- GOO are Jews. The country is in mically. No one can realize, without going there, what the centuries of Turkish rule have meant The Turk ish regime prevented the development of any worthwhile industry.
 Furthermore, Palestine suffered
 
 the country, cut down the orchards, destroyed the vineyards and burned the factories. Excessive taxation pre- vented industry of any kind. Now, after the war, Palestine is suffering with the rest of the world in the present economic depression. Palestine is beautiful country; it can and will be a rich country. But that wealth will come from agriculture. With irri gation-and there is both irrigation fa- cility and water power in the Jordan T believe that Palestine can be made another California. Palestine now ex- ports barley, oranges, olives, olive oil and wines. There are two growing seasons in the year, and the soil when irrigated is most productive. Near Jaffa I saw 1000 acres of vineyards. Almonds are grown there and wonder full oranges and grapefruit. The colonists are just beginning to devel- op the fruit growing possibilities to- day, but throughout Palestine one can see the terraced hllsides that made the whole country garden two thou sand years ago. It will not be difficult to make the country a garden again.
 Cotton Can Be Grown There.
 Cotton can be grown in Palestine, and tobacco is already being grown. Furthermore there is big field for cigarette manufacture in the importa- tion of nearby Macedonian tobacco. A country with such natural assets can become economically self-sufficient and support a large population. There were once 6,0OO,0O0 in Palestine; I be- lieve that she soon will be able to support at least 100000.
 To-day Jews all over the world are planning to emigrate to Palestine. Hundreds of thousands want to go. The Zionist organization is not hay ing any difficulty in finding coonists; it's difficulty is to check and control the flood of applicants so that the de- velOpment will be sound and normal. I believe that it is fair to say that al- most all the Jews in narts of Russia and middle Europe would like to go to Palestine.
 Palestine has a big future, but 1t will work out slowly"