Evening star., 1938-10-30
BRITISH CONQUER
IN HISTORIC GAIA
5000 Arab Residents Are
Rounded Up, Quizzed
and Disarmed.
By the Associated Press.

GAIA, Palestine Oct. 29.-British
troops scored another victory today
in this historic Philistine city, where
Samson died. in their sweeping drive
against Arab rebels throughout
Palestine.
Eight thousand Arab residents Of
GAIA who were suspected Of hsrbor-
ing and assisting rebels against Brit
ish authority were rounded up,
searched, questioned and relieved of
firearms In surprise attack at dawn.
Far up the coast, British troops, in
another Of series Of surprise searches
town of Elm Elmanshie, near Acre,
and arrested go Arabs suspected Of
revolutionary activities.
Among the prisoners were the pre-
siding Judge and members Of a rebel
military court. A number of docu-
ments were seized.
1000 Motor From Sarafand.
In the GAIA attack 300 motor trucks
and armored cars, bearing more than
1000 soldiers, started from Sarafand
with lights extinguished in the dead
Of night.
1t was GAIA whose gates Samson
bore away in the night In Biblical
times and it was there, blind and q
prisoner of the Philistines, he pulled
down the temple of Dagon on him.
self and his enemies.
The British followed the same route
that the late Lord Allenby took when
he captured GAIA from the Turks in
November, 1917.
AS the troops entered the historic
gates they were instructed to keep
absolute silence. but the sound OF the
truck motors set Gazas dogs to bark
ing and almost spoiled the army S
plans for silent, surprise occupation.
Armed with bayoneted rifles. the
soldiers. however. were able to Gordon
of the four main districts of the city
quickly and then begin methodical
searches.
Several Hundred Detained.
Several hundred Arabs unable sat-
isfactorily to identify themselves as
residents of GAIA were detained.
Forcing the citys elders to guide
them, 18 British searching parties
entered each home. They confiscated
considerable quantities of firearms and
ammunition and discovered large
supply of old German and Turkish
ammunition of World War vintage.
In recent months British charged
that the city became the southern
most headquarters for Arab rebels who
carried out sabotage of railways and
telegraph and telephone lines. forcing
the government finally to restrict the
Palestine-Egypt train service.
JEWS QUOTA UNCHANGED.
Apparent Increase Is Explained as
Bookkeeping Method.
JERUSALEM, Oct. 20 (P,.-British
immigration authorities explained to-
day that the quota of Jews who will be
permitted to enter Palestine in the
next six months is substantially the
same as for the six months just past
The new quota, announced Wednes-
day. had been interpreted in some
quarters as reduction from the pre-
SlouS Slh-lllOAlbll PCI iOO, dltllOdktl Oll
It's face it had appeared to be an
increase.
Figure Set at 1870.
The figure was set at 4.870-2, ,020
Capitalists" 40 craftsmen, 200 in the
rabbinate. 1.l50 laborers, l 450 depend
ents other than wives and children,
and 10 orphans. AS many of these
oho ~, Lo zf
whose wives and children are not tab
ulated in the 487O quota-the real
number of Jews who will be admitted
would be much larger.
The only change, officials said, was
to 'regularize" an increase in the quota
for dependents other than wives and
children allowed last period This,
they described merely as bookkeeping.
Actually, they said. the increase rep
resents an advance loaned" by immi-
grafton authorities to Jews from the
new half-year's quota for use in the
previous period because of the critical
situa ton of Jews in Europe at that
time
Loan Must Be Recorded.
AS TINS loan must appear some
where in the governments records of
immigration, officials added it to the
figures for the new half-year and left
those for the previous period un-
changed
Thus, subtracting 800 from the 1870
quota for this period. the effective total
becomes 4.270. Similarly, adding the
600 loan to the set figure of 3,670
for the half-year just ended. that pc
RODS actual total also becomes 4,27O.
1t will be seen. therefore, that there
has been neither an increase nor a
decrease, but only bookkeeping trans
action to keep immigration records
balanced.
The current period began October l
and ends March 81, 1899.