British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 1007. Chapter XXVI: War Economic Measures: Section 4: War Time Economic Control: (c) Control of Heavy Industries and Directorate of War Production in Palestine before 1948 (Nakba),

CHAPTER XXVI.

(c) Control of Heavy Industries and Directorate of War Production. 61. A Controller of Heavy Industries was appointed in May, 1942, and declared a Competent Authority for the purposes of Defence Regulations 46 and 51*.

62. A Directorate of War Production was established at about the same time and the Controller of Heavy Industries also assumed the functions and title of Director of War Production; a joint department was thus formed. For the purposes of administration the joint department is divided into three main sections:- (i) a control section, (ii) an imports and exports licensing section, and (iii) the directorate of war production. Sections (i) and (ii) are each under the immediate direction of a Deputy Controller and section (iii) under a Deputy Director. The following statement gives the composition of the staff employed at the end of 1945 :-

British

Arabs I Jews

Others

(a) Technical and
administrative staff 8 3 46 6
(b) Clerical and
subordinate staff 2 75 117 4
--- --- --- ---
Total 10 78 163 IO
(i) Control SECTION.

63. The main objects of control during the war years were to secure, at the least expenditure of shipping space, supplies of commodities required for defence and the efficient prosecution of the war and for maintaining services essential to the life of the civil population and to ensure that such supplies were distributed to the best advantage and at fair and reasonable prices. The basic legislation enacted to implement these objects in relation to internal control in Palestine is the Defence (Control of Engineering, Building and Hardware Materials) Order, 194-1 ** (which supersedes an Order of the same title promulgated in 1942) and the Defence (Control of Chemicals) Order, 1943***. These Orders, together, cover practically all materials under the heavy industries control. Lists of the materials so controlled are contained in the Schedules to these Orders

46. The general provisions of these Orders are as follows :(a) Prohibition of the sale of controlled materials except under permit;
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* Kantrovitch, Vol. I, pages 62 and 75.

** Palestine Gazelle No. 1341, of 15.6.1944 .
***Bantrovitch, Vol. I, page 206.

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