A Survey of Palestinian Industry: Textile in Palestine before 1948 (Nakba), British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 519. Chapter XIII: Section 4

CHAPTER XIII.

for canning have, however, been successfully introduced, and canning technique has been improved. The establishment of modern plant to produce cans, which is already projected, will render the canning industry competitive, as regards packing, with products from abroad. The pre-conditions for rational production being given, there is reason to assume that the canning and preservation of fruits and vegetables may develop into a major export industry, prospects for the sale of canned grapefruit being especially promising. Citrus by-products, particularly, should be competitive; the U .K. Ministry of Food has indicated its interest in acquiring each year, for the next four years, up to 5,000 tons of citrus concentrates and raw juices. Modern equipment for deaeration and flash pasteurisation is already on order and many of the plants are acquiring machinery to permit the full utilization of all the component parts of the fruit. The manufacture of ice, which accounted for a total output of £P.170,000 in 1942, may be mentioned in relation to food industries.

II. TEXTILES.

139. The textile industry is comparatively well advanced both as regards the range of articles produced as well as the types of manufacturing processes. Raw cotton and raw wool are spun into yarn, which, supplemented by imported cotton, woollen and silk yarn, are woven into a large number of high quality fabrics which are locally bleached, dyed and printed by finishing plants. Considerable variety exists in the manufacturing technique and the machinery employed; simple wooden handlooms are sometimes found together with highly mechanized automatic looms - some of which are locally manufactured.

140. The spinning of yarn, the dying and printing of cloth and the knitting industries are almost entirely Jewish in their composition; only in weaving is there any significant Arab production, constituting about 20% of the total output. Details, which are given hereunder, regarding the development that has occurred between the years 1939 and 1942, are available for the Jewish industry only :-

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