British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 341

CHAPTER IX.


regard to picking, packing and handling of fruit, to fruit inspection ; and in regard to a variety of other matters affecting the export of citrus. It may, by notification in the Palestine Gazette, require growers to furnish certain statistics, and failure to comply, as are other forms of obstruction of the Board's activities, is an offence punishable by the Courts. The Board has its headquarters at Jaffa, where it maintains a permanent secretariat. It administers its own budget. The producer members are at present four Arab and four Jewish representatives of the growers of their respective communities. The Board began to operate early in 1941.

67. Extensive as are the functions and powers of the Citrus Control Board, they do not include the actual marketing of the fruit. In view of the circumstances created by the closure of overseas markets, it was decided in 1941 to set up a Citrus Marketing Board, "to take such steps as the Board may deem requisite to control or regulate the marketing of citrus fruits grown in Palestine and generally to control or regulate the marketing of all citrus fruit and any product thereof" *. The Board was appointed to be a "competent authority" for the purpose of regulation 46 of the Defence Regulations, 1939 **, with power to exercise such of a competent authority's powers under that regulation as were necessary to enable it to carry out its functions as defined above. It comprises two official members, one of whom is chairman, and four other members chosen as representatives of the Arab and Jewish sides of the citrus industry. (The number of non-official members was originally two but the increasing business made it necessary in 1945 thus to enlarge the Board). In the early war years of surplus crop, the Marketing Board, by a disposal permit scheme, tried to ensure fairly remunerative sale of what fruit could be sold, and during the past and present season a scheme linking growers has •been in operation; this scheme greatly limits the number of exporters, ensures to all growers a fair share of all orders and makes possible an orderly system of marketing. With the low yields, however, most growers do not yet, on citrus alone, cover expenses, despite the higher returns for their fruit.

68. The citrus products industry, particularly in the manufacture of concentrated juice, appears to have considerable possibilities of development although it remains to be ascertained how far this method of utilization of the fruit will be economic in relation to fruit other than culls and any unexportable surplus. The industry has in hand, however, projects for the manufacture
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* Vol. Ill of 1941 legislation, page 1795.

**Vol. III of 1939 legislation, page 914. Regulation 46 makes legislative~ provision for the general control of industry.

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