JAFFA
Here, too, great’ progress‘ is reported. Acting Vice-Consul Falanga states that, notwithstanding the rise in the prices of nearly all goods Imported from Europe, the trade of Jaffa last year showed a very sensible improvement on that of the preceding year. This progress is attributed to the increase of money in the country in consequence of the good crops in general in 1906, and the profits realized by the shippers. The population of Jaffa is increasing. It is now reckoned at 45,000, of whom 10),- 000 are Jews. Besides these 10,000 in the town itself, says the Acting Vice-Consul, there are some 3,000 Jewish settlers in nine colonies in the neighborhood of Jaffa, “These last are all cultivators, and own some 15,000 acres of land, on which they grow oranges, vines for wine making, and cereals of different kinds. The orange crop is in a very prosperous condition, as many as 503,000 cases are expected to be exported —.an increase of more than 150,000 on the previous year’s shipments. Other crops prove very satisfactory all round.
A SUCCESSFUL JEWISH EXPERIMENT.
The Acting Vice-Consul states that there are better prospects this year for the development of cotton cultivation in the country. Of the various trials during the last three years, he remarks, one that was made by the Jewish colonists at a village ten miles from Jaffa succeeded very well; 400 kilos of cotton were picked by them from scarcely one acre of land. This produce was sent to Liverpool and, after having been "ginned" there, proved to be of very superior quality, being sold at 7d. per lb. This cotton was grown without irrigation, but it was properly attended to during its growth, whilst the other trials were made with little knowledge or discrimination. The success of this trial has attracted the attention of many landowners, who have prepared land for sowing cotton during the coming season.
A Visit to Gaza(From Our Correspondent)
Last week, in company with three other delegates of the Anglo-Palestine Jews' Club, I visited the town of Gaza to examine a tract of land whereon we propose to settle Jews of Great Britain and America, who are well protected and who could develop the South of Palestine. We were received by Consul A. A. Knesevich, who is a Jewish friend and is doing much to protect the general interests of the Jews living in the vicinity of Gaza. Mr. Knesevich pleaded for a Jewish settlement there, especially as the crops of the Gaza district had turned out a failure, and land was remarkably cheap this year. Mr. Knesevich furthermore promises to assist Jewish settlers in every way possible. Gaza is in a neglected state, though the soil is rich and cheap. It has no modern buildings, no hotels, wharves, granaries, etc., yet the town itself is more suitable, commercially, than Jaffa or Jerusalem, for all the crops of barley of the Bedouin tribes about Gazer, Beer-Sheba and El-A'ish are exported through its port.
As soon as the scheme for buying the tract of land we saw will be completed, there will be ample scope for many English and American Zionists to settle in Palestine under better conditions than did our former colonists. The chief point of success will be that our future settlers will have to be other than Turkish subjects, Then again the Mohammedan population is favorably disposed toward Jews. A few sheihks invited us to live among them, to open shops, etc.
At present there are only abotst thirty Sephardic and three Askenazic famililes living there. These are engaged in buying up barley and colocquinte and exporting them to Egypt and England. Prior to our leaving Gaza, the Sephardic community met us and earnestly appealed for funds for buying a burial ground. Only $500 is required for this purpose, and subscriptions may be sent to Consul Knesevich. The lack of a burial ground has done much to hinder Jews from settling there.