British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 375

CHAPTER IX.

ment to transfer title to the farmers subject to a mortgage ensuring repayment of outstanding debts to the P.I.C.A. About two thirds of the total area of 450,000 dunums acquired by the P.I.C.A. has already been so transferred to independent settlers. The individualism thus engendered has been tempered by the fostering of cooperative effort. Cooperatives for buying and selling of produce were founded, including the Pardess Cooperative Society for citrus in 1900 and the Wine Growers Cooperative in 1906. In recent years, there has been a tendency to establish a number of communal settlements on P.I.C.A. land and with P.I.C.A. funds. Some twelve settlements have been so established.

165. The P.I.C.A. activities included such projects as the drainage of marshes, begun in 1893 in the neighbourhood of Had era. The most recent enterprise has been the drainage project in the Kabara-Athlit district to rid this area of malaria and render it fit for cultivation. Sand dune drift was also arrested and forests were planted on 4,000 dunums; in addition over 14,000 dunums of native forest land were managed and protected. Roads, schools, health clinics and synagogues were established and maintained. The wine industry was developed; the grapefruit, the American vine, the Australian eucalyptus, the Dutch cow and white leghorn poultry were introduced. By 1920 some thirty agricultural settlements had been established.

166. In 1924, the Palestine Jewish Colonisation Association was recognised by Ordinance" and, supplemented by some of the more prominent industrial enterprises then established, continued the work of agricultural colonisation begun by Baron de Rothschild. Between 1925-1929 further progress was made in the introduction of improved crop rotation, dairying and agricultural machinery and, later (1930-1934), the P.I.C.A. embarked on a systematic programme of deep-well drilling for underground water. Since 1935 twelve new settlements have been established and efforts concentrated upon enlarging or consolidating the older ones with a view to converting the hitherto economically weaker settlements into self-reliant communities.

167. Most of the independent farmers believe in the private holding, with freedom to participate in the co-operative movement as best suits their business; they acquired their land mainly from the P.I.C.A. which has also, however, provided land for some of the cooperative and communal settlements. The cooperative and the communal settlements are in the main the creation of the Keren Hayesod (Foundation Fund) on land acquired
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* Bentwich, Vol. I, page 382.

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