TROUBLESOME RACE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 787, 7 October 1929, Page 14

TROUBLESOME RACE

BRITAIN SHOULD BREAK WITH ARABS ROTARY CLUB LECTURE • It is about time Britain broke with ihe Arabs. They are a fanatical and troublesome race.” So said Mr. C. J. Rolls, dean of the New Zealand Bible Institute, during an address on “Palestine” at the Rotary Club luncheon today. Mr. S. Reid presided. Mr. Rolls, who returned recently from the Holy Band, illustrated his lecture with coloured lantern slides. The lecturer referred to the fact that Britian had arranged with the Arabs that ground disturbed by archaeological excavations would be left just as it was found. “This means that if six weeks are spent on excavating. another six weeks have *to be spent on filling in again, in case a tew yards of Arab land are rendered useless for farming. It is not worth it,” said Mr. Rolls. Palestine had progressed immensely since the war, and every effort was being made to put the Jews on the land in their native country. Olivegrowing. which had been seriously retarded under Turkish rule by the unjust tax on individual trees, was now prolific source of income. “The Dead Sea is estimated to contain £20,000,000 worth of gold,” said Mr. Rolls, who mentioned that a company had recently been formed to exploit the wealth of the historic sea. “The fertilisers contained in the 30 per cent, of minerals in this same stretch of waters are thought to be capable of producing from £10,000,000 i o £12,000,000 annually.” Palestine was fast coming into its . wn after many centuries, and the con- ! ruction of the new port at Haifa, icar Jaffa, at a cost of about 10.000,000 would give a harbour second to none in the world.