LXXXVII.
CONSULAR REPORTS
THE movement of progress and hope which has awakened to consciousness in Palestine was born in the colonies, where the land began to yield a ready harvest in return for the husbandman’s toil, where the vine and the fruit tree began to surround with natural beauty a land that had all too long lain desolate, and the old joys of country life have brought anew to the toilful workers a spirit of independence and dignity which have penetrated from the country into the towns. Again the Jewish race has developed some of the fine physique that generations of the Ghetto life had threatened to destroy for ever.
The British Consular Reports show signs of a steady development of Palestinian trade:――
Year.│ Exports. │ Imports. ─────┼───────────┼───────── 1885 │ £132,579 │ £287,740 1886 │ 119,555 │ 240,880 1887 │ 186,371 │ 232,045 ─────┼───────────┼───────── 1888 │ 204,315 │ 253,065 1889 │ 244,561 │ 275,622 1890 │ 447,010 │ 259,811 ─────┼───────────┼───────── 1891 │ 410,530 │ 288,290 1892 │ 258,466 │ 342,597 1893 │ 332,628 │ 349,540 ─────┼───────────┼───────── 1894 │ 285,604 │ 273,233 1895 │ 282,907 │ 275,990 1896 │ 373,447 │ 256,090 ─────┼───────────┼───────── 1897 │ 309,389 │ 306,630 1898 │ 306,780 │ 322,430
The increase of trade in 1890 and 1891 was due to the good harvest in oranges and sesame. In 1892, 1893, 1894, and 1897, all the wheat and the barley were exported _via_ Gaza, and are therefore not included in the above table. The value of some of the goods exported and the growth of new industries is indicated in the following table, which shows the exports of wheat, maize, soap and oranges from 1885 to 1898:――
│ Wheat. │ Maize. │ Soap. │ Oranges. Year.│ £ │ £ │ £ │ £ ─────┼────────┼────────┼─────────┼──────── 1885 │ 3,600 │ 7,875 │ 13,722 │ 26,500 1886 │ 3,325 │ 9,000 │ 8,960 │ 29,400 1887 │ 15,000 │ 21,000 │ 38,000 │ 36,000 ─────┼────────┼────────┼─────────┼──────── 1888 │ 7,800 │ 16,960 │ 45,000 │ 55,000 1889 │ 16,950 │ 18,200 │ 33,600 │ 51,200 1890 │ 19,920 │ 11,240 │ 44,700 │ 83,120 ─────┼────────┼────────┼─────────┼──────── 1891 │ 3,300 │ 17,300 │ 124,000 │ 108,400 1892 │ ―― │ 420 │ 46,800 │ 62,000 1893 │ ―― │ 2,580 │ 112,000 │ 96,500 ─────┼────────┼────────┼─────────┼──────── 1894 │ ―― │ 2,000 │ 114,000 │ 51,000 1895 │ 3,560 │ 3,200 │ 93,240 │ 65,000 1896 │ 1,920 │ 14,178 │ 113,114 │ 72,600 ─────┼────────┼────────┼─────────┼──────── 1897 │ ―― │ 8,450 │ 81,900 │ 75,800 1898 │ 14,000 │ 3,000 │ 62,000 │ 82,500
In the earlier reports some reference is made to the export of wine, but it is not worth special mention until 1894, from which date the following figures may be given:――
Wine and Cognac.
1894 │ £3,000 1895 │ 2,600 1896 │ 4,032 ─────┼─────── 1897 │ 4,340 1898 │ 20,500
Comparative tables of imports and exports at Jaffa according to countries during the four years 1909‒1912.
IMPORTS
│ 1909. │ 1910. │ 1911. │ 1912. Country. │ £ │ £ │ £ │ £ ─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼────────── United Kingdom │ 321,348 │ 128,730 │ 146,000 │ 155,000 British Colonies │ 4,629 │ 3,105 │ 49,000 │ 54,000 Turkey │ 107,842 │ 328,965 │ 340,000 │ 305,000 ─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼────────── Austria-Hungary │ 92,244 │ 83,840 │ 114,000 │ 126,000 Russia │ 96,038 │ 97,000 │ 108,000 │ 110,000 Germany │ 87,308 │ 68,615 │ 74,000 │ 80,000 ─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼────────── France │ 64,773 │ 103,000 │ 112,000 │ 84,000 Egypt │ 69,445 │ 58,095 │ 70,000 │ 61,000 Belgium │ 39,635 │ 49,185 │ 60,000 │ 54,000 ─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼────────── Italy │ 25,232 │ 24,940 │ 16,000 │ 5,000 United States │ 13,483 │ 10,400 │ 25,000 │ 12,000 Roumania │ 10,565 │ ―― │ 22,000 │ 17,000 ─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼────────── Netherlands │ 10,555 │ 10,141 │ 8,000 │ 7,000 Bulgaria │ ―― │ 11,950 │ 15,000 │ 8,000 Other Countries │ 9,848 │ 24,485 │ 10,910 │ 12,000 ─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼────────── │ 973,143 │ 1,002,450 │ 1,169,910 │ 1,090,000
EXPORTS
│ 1909. │ 1910. │ 1911. │ 1912. Country. │ £ │ £ │ £ │ £ ─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────── United Kingdom │ 158,090 │ 173,085 │ 185,000 │ 190,000 British Colonies │ 77 │ 698 │ 9,000 │ 10,500 Turkey │ 56,850 │ 83,015 │ 78,000 │ 95,000 ─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────── Austria-Hungary │ 19,630 │ 12,103 │ 21,000 │ 24,500 Russia │ 18,370 │ 29,589 │ 33,000 │ 45,000 Germany │ 7,325 │ 8,384 │ 17,000 │ 21,000 ─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────── France │ 15,080 │ 22,255 │ 46,000 │ 50,000 Egypt │ 255,215 │ 277,328 │ 270,000 │ 290,000 Belgium │ 1,863 │ 1,101 │ 15,000 │ 12,000 ─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────── Italy │ 10,337 │ 15,332 │ 12,000 │ 6,000 United States │ 3,765 │ 4,272 │ 10,000 │ 1,000 Roumania │ 1,375 │ ―― │ 2,000 │ 2,500 ─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────── Netherlands │ 418 │ 1,192 │ 1,000 │ 2,000 Bulgaria │ ―― │ 5,221 │ 6,000 │ 4,500 Other Countries │ 12,630 │ 2,575 │ 5,660 │ 10,162 ─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────── │ 506,935 │ 636,145 │ 710,660 │ 774,162
_Hindrances to the Prosperity of Palestine_
(From the British Diplomatic and Consular Reports, No. 4850. Annual Series: Turkey. Report for the Year 1911. London, 1912):――
“The principal causes which impede a rapid increase in the prosperity of Palestine are three, viz.:――
“1. _The lack of a harbour in Jaffa._――This is greatly needed. Owing to the fact that Jaffa is an open roadstead subject to sudden and dangerous storms――it should be noted that a British steamer was wrecked in February, 1911――much delay is experienced in loading and unloading steamers with consequent loss and inconvenience. Many tourists and pilgrims are also deterred from visiting the country owing to the uncertainty as to whether disembarkation will be possible.
“2. _The tithe._――The levying of a tax of 12½ per cent. _ad valorem_ on products of the soil has greatly impeded the extension of the orange plantations. Recently a petition has been submitted to the authorities by agriculturists asking that this tax may be replaced by a fixed tax of 30 pias. (5s.) per dunum (about ¼ acre) on land planted with orange and other fruit trees. If this change were made, there would be an immediate increase in the number of orange plantations, with consequent benefit both to the Government and to the population. There are thousands of acres of light soil in the vicinity of Jaffa, which, although not suited for cereals or sesame, are well fitted for the cultivation of oranges.
“3. _The existence of large plots of undivided (musho’a) land belonging to several owners jointly who are, however, unable to determine their respective shares._――The natural result is that, there being no inducements to carry out improvements, the land is neglected. If measures were taken to effect the division of the land, the results would be beneficial both to the Government and to the owners.”
In addition to this statement, Mr. Vice-Consul P. Abela of Haifa reported (1911):――
“There is a possibility of great agricultural enterprise in the fertile and extensive plains near Haifa, and arrangements have been made with some big proprietors to let the property for development. Were it not for the Turkish laws prohibiting foreign companies to hold land in Turkey, great progress might have been made in this direction.”
(From the Jaffa Report for 1912, No. 5107. Annual Series. June, 1913):――
“_Public works._――The roads have not been touched, except for a few patchings in the town, and are in the worst state of repair imaginable.
“The harbour concession, owing to the difficulties arising from the confused political state of the capital, has not yet been obtained.... It is now nearly fifteen years that negotiations have been going on with regard to the project, and considering the enormous benefits that would accrue from its realization to every branch of the local trade, its perpetual postponement is deplorable. The present open roadstead is dangerous both for passengers and goods trade, and frequently prevents vessels from communicating at all. The resulting losses to the district are too obvious to be mentioned.
“_The lack of public security._――The inhabitants of the Jewish colonies have to pay from £6 10s. annually per family in organising their own means of defence, and even then suffer from insecurity.
“_The tithe._――This tax is levied on a system which has the disadvantages both of discouraging cultivation and being wasteful and comparatively unproductive. Its incidence on individuals is also in many cases unfair and crippling. The whole system is in need of radical revision.
“_The backward state of public works._――The present roads are fit for nothing but camel traffic, and agriculturists have no satisfactory means of embarking their goods at Jaffa without great expense and loss through deterioration.”
LXXXVIII.
THE following is an example of Moore’s Zionist songs:――
ADVENT OF THE MILLENNIUM
But who shall see the glorious day, When throned on Zion’s brow, The Lord shall rend that veil away Which blinds the nations now? When earth no more beneath the fear Of his rebuke shall lie; When pain shall cease, and every tear Be wiped from every eye?
Then, Judah, thou no more shalt mourn Beneath the heathen’s chain; Thy days of splendour shall return, And all be new again. The fount of life shall then be quaff’d, In peace by all who come; And every wind that blows shall waft Some long-lost exile home. MOORE.
(_See_ Volume I, page 12.)