British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 388

CHAPTER IX.

197. The Council met fairly regularly, averaging around six meetings per annum. Although certain aspects of agricultural research were dealt with in the earlier days, by far the greater part of its time was taken up with matters concerning marketing and customs duties on agricultural products and foodstuffs. One of the most important activities of the Council was the drawing up and presentation to Government of a scheme for the establishment of a Citrus Control Board together with a draft Citrus Control Ordinance. This Board was finally established at the end of 1940 and has been active and effective ever since.

198. There was satisfactory co-operation amongst members of the Council. Political issues were avoided by mutual consent and there was a tacit understanding that all subjects should be considered on their merits alone. On occasion, the bearing of "politics" on matters discussed was obviously present in the minds of members, all of whom doubtless had definite views on matters political, but there was, on the whole, acceptance of the principle that politics was not the business of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries or of the Council and committees and that membership on these bodies implied an agreement to deal with any subject on its merits. This agreement was, on the whole, kept.

l99. No meetings of the Council have been held since August, 1942, since, with the advent of war-time control in many spheres, agricultural problems (apart from those which were purely technical and were therefore the concern of the Agricultural Department or of the Jewish Agency Agricultural Research Station) fell within the spheres of various Controllers, while public interest and participation in such problems were canalised through the War Economic Advisory Council and, later, advisory committees assisting the Food and Price Controllers. All matters affecting the citrus industry, hitherto forming an important part of the Council's deliberations, had by then been taken over, by the Citrus Control Board.* It was therefore decided that the Council should remain dormant during the period of the war, after which consideration should be given to the most suitable means of linking Government and the public in the discussion of agricultural matters. It has recently been agreed that district committees should be set up (with an Assistant District Commissioner or District Officer as chairman, and non-official persons as members), as an integral part of a system of District Boards to consider agricultural matters in districts.
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* Vide paragraph 66 above.

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