The Dispossession of the Peasantry (ص 148)

غرض

عنوان
The Dispossession of the Peasantry (ص 148)
المحتوى
132
the Arab and Jewish societies was large, both in terms of membership and money
raised. By March 1945, 125 of the 135 Arab societies had a membership of 6,500,
and total funds of £P 26,870, and outstanding loans of £P 141,000.°? The money
to start these societies was borrowed from Barclays Bank with no direct assistance
from the government. On the other hand, rural and urban Jewish societies had a
membership of 355,000 people, about £P 10,000,000 available funds, and total
operating capital of £P 33,000,000.**
Thus, the numbers cited on debt and loans clearly attest to the enormous
inadequacy of government efforts and of the severe lack of Arab financial
resources, and consequently, the continued depressed state of Arab agriculture
during the 1930s.
During WWII, there was a considerable increase in agricultural production
and in prices. Moreover, many peasants supplemented their income by working in
military establishments and public works. This may have resulted in the
reduction of total debt for Arab peasants. However, given the general increase in
prices, and thus the increased cost of living for the peasants to the different extent
of the need for market purchases, and the fact that for the Arab peasant the
increased production was primarily confined to vegetable growing (to be discussed
later), an option that was, obviously, not available to all dry-farming cereal small
Thid., 360.
“Tbid., 361.
Ibid., 365-6.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
تاريخ
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المنشئ
Riyad Mousa

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