The Maccabaean

To THE MACCABÆAN :

I am mailing you herewith the group photograph taken in Poreah, Palestine, during my visit to that country last May. This photograph was taken on the inside of the enclosure around our buildings in the rear of the Administration Building, and shows some of the laborers who are now working on the Hoachooza plantations. There are now about fifty laborers on the place, all Jews.

The laborers earn from 50 francs to 120 francs per month each, and work nine hours daily, five and one-half days in the week, so you will understand that they are not overworked and neither are they underpaid according to the labor conditions of that country, for the Arabs earn only 30 to 25 francs a month and work 12 hours daily.

There have already been planted 33,000 almond trees and in another two years there will have been planted a total of 120,000 almond trees and 12,000 olive trees. This means that in about six years from now we (the 45 members of the Hoachoozo

Palestine Land and Development Company of St. Louis) will be getting an annual income of about $15,000 from the almond trees alone, as each almond tree brings in a net profit of about 12½ cents per tree, after maturity.

Then after another three years (or a total of nine years from to-day) we shall also be getting an income of about $6,000 from the olive trees, as each olive tree brings in about fifty cents profit after ten years. This means that the Hoachoozo Palestine and Development Company of St. Louis will be making a net profit of about $21,000 annually, after all the trees have matured, and will therefore give each one of our 45 stockholders an annual income of.about $500 in nine years from to-day.

I would like your readers to investigate this proposition strictly from a business standpoint (apart from any sentiment) and judge for themselves whether they (Zionists or non-Zionists) can provide for their future in any more advantageous or better enterprise.