Our opinion has always been that the demand for the exclusive use of Jewish
labour is anti-Zionist because it is not necessary and not practical.
We cannot make an artificial distinction between ourselves and the Arabs. Fate has it that two peoples will live side by side in this land. Our responsibility is to bring the two nations closer together, not to force them apart. The practical meaning of exclusive Jewish labour is boycott, and boycott breeds boycott.
We can't afford to create too large a difference in costs of production between ourselves and the Arab producers. We can't afford to undermine our own competitive position in the market. Any monopoly causes costs of production to rise and endangers competitive prices. The demand for the exclusive use of Jewish labour is, in effect, the demand for monopolistic conditions. And in this case, monopoly injures both sides. On the one hand, our costs of production increase and on the other hand, the means of production (i.e. source of employment) remain stagnant. Let us not forget that the Jewish worker is not the best. The Jewish lad isn't used to physical work. The lack of competition for employ- ment insures that he will never improve.
We can't endanger our economic interests. Agriculture is based on permanent labour and seasonal work. The Jewish working class here has not in the past, and will not in the future, be able to answer the needs of seasonal work. The demand for exclusive Jewish labour endangers the seasonal work. Not even mass immigration can insure the workers needed during the busy season. It is during the busy season that we especially need the experienced workers.
It is false to assume that the exclusive use of Jewish labour is necessary in order to provide the basis for Jewish immigration. The most important factor attracting immigration is the overall economic condition of the yishuv and not that factor which endangers the economic condition. In the past, large settlements which employed a mixed work force were those settlements which afforded the best chance for absorption of immigrants, and this situation is also true today. If their economic strength is diminished, then their ability to absorb workers will diminish as well...
It can be proved empirically that all of our arguments are correct.
The boycott begun by the Jews has led to a boycott on the part of the Arabs. Just as the "nationalists" amongst us consider anyone who employs an Arab as a "traitor", so do the Arab nationalists consider a traitor anyone of their people who sell us a single dunam of land. An Arab who sells land to a Jew is in no better condition in his community than the farmers from Kfar Saba are in our yishuv.
Everywhere where exclusive Jewish labour exists, the costs of production have risen so that the competitive stance of our produce is threatened. High wages and low productivity threaten our very existence in the market.
We cannot make an artificial distinction between ourselves and the Arabs. Fate has it that two peoples will live side by side in this land. Our responsibility is to bring the two nations closer together, not to force them apart. The practical meaning of exclusive Jewish labour is boycott, and boycott breeds boycott.
We can't afford to create too large a difference in costs of production between ourselves and the Arab producers. We can't afford to undermine our own competitive position in the market. Any monopoly causes costs of production to rise and endangers competitive prices. The demand for the exclusive use of Jewish labour is, in effect, the demand for monopolistic conditions. And in this case, monopoly injures both sides. On the one hand, our costs of production increase and on the other hand, the means of production (i.e. source of employment) remain stagnant. Let us not forget that the Jewish worker is not the best. The Jewish lad isn't used to physical work. The lack of competition for employ- ment insures that he will never improve.
We can't endanger our economic interests. Agriculture is based on permanent labour and seasonal work. The Jewish working class here has not in the past, and will not in the future, be able to answer the needs of seasonal work. The demand for exclusive Jewish labour endangers the seasonal work. Not even mass immigration can insure the workers needed during the busy season. It is during the busy season that we especially need the experienced workers.
It is false to assume that the exclusive use of Jewish labour is necessary in order to provide the basis for Jewish immigration. The most important factor attracting immigration is the overall economic condition of the yishuv and not that factor which endangers the economic condition. In the past, large settlements which employed a mixed work force were those settlements which afforded the best chance for absorption of immigrants, and this situation is also true today. If their economic strength is diminished, then their ability to absorb workers will diminish as well...
It can be proved empirically that all of our arguments are correct.
The boycott begun by the Jews has led to a boycott on the part of the Arabs. Just as the "nationalists" amongst us consider anyone who employs an Arab as a "traitor", so do the Arab nationalists consider a traitor anyone of their people who sell us a single dunam of land. An Arab who sells land to a Jew is in no better condition in his community than the farmers from Kfar Saba are in our yishuv.
Everywhere where exclusive Jewish labour exists, the costs of production have risen so that the competitive stance of our produce is threatened. High wages and low productivity threaten our very existence in the market.
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