British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 851

CHAPTER XIX.

To the tabled requirement of 4,864 tons of cotton goods must be added quantities of remnants, woven and knitted goods in the form of wearing apparel, for which licence data are not available.

71. In reviewing the figures in table 8 consideration has to be given to the following factors. The supply position is at present being estimated on the basis of licences issued against firm offers. In general it can be assumed that not all of these offers will materialise. Nevertheless, even discounting offers to a reasonable extent, there would appear to be no reason why the textile supply position should not become quite satisfactory during 1946, though the beginning of the improvement depends upon the speed with which the goods will arrive. Secondly, estimates in this report have been made on the basis of a population of some 1,680,000, excluding the nomadic population which must also be clothed. Again, the habits of consumption of the Arab rural population are assumed to be similar to those in Egypt where the climate is very different from that of the hill areas in Palestine. Again, however, the supply picture disclosed at this stage is sufficiently promising to permit the assumption that even the increased demand to be anticipated as a result of the foregoing factors could be adequately met, particularly if it is borne in mind that improvement in the supply areas should become apparent during the course of the year.

FOOTWEAR.

72. It is difficult to estimate the local footwear requirements but it is considered that the urban population needs annually, on an average. one pair of shoes and 0.3 pair of sandals or slippers per capita, as against 0.5 pair of shoes and 0.6 pair of sandals per capita for the rural population. On the basis of these estimates, local requirements amount at present to about 1,250,000 pairs of shoes (urban population 820,000 pairs, rural population 430,000 pairs) and 862,000 sandals and other forms of footwear (urban population 246,000, rural population 516,000).

The output of the local footwear industry is at present approximately 1,430,000 pairs of shoes and 755,000 pairs of sandals, which adequately covers the total local requirements.

73. The leather industry depends almost entirely on imported raw materials, as the quantity of cattle hides available locally is small and the quality of the locally prepared hides inferior. The bulk of the hides at present tanned in Palestine originate from the Sudan, Eritrea, the Yemen and Ethiopia.

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