\ ' y a Sf £ * 2nd Issue, July, 1961 Huleh Project WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER Israel Report Editor's Note: Arthur Turner, CCF-MLA for Vancouver-East, has just completed an extensive tour of Israel and the Middle East. The following is the third report on his im- pressions of Israel. The others will be printed in succeeding issues of the Western Canadian Lumber Worker. BY: ARTHUR TURNER M.L.A. In the distance on the horizon was Lebanon. Swinging around in a half circle we could see Syria. Between is a narrow neck of * land about eight miles wide. This is the extreme northern tip of Israel. At this spot on a very high hill we were looking over a flat valley, as far as the eye could see, all cultivated in an orderly manner, Here is the story. All this area, not ; many years ago, was swamp land con- trolled by mosquitoes and infested with malaria. This land area near to| > the border was used by the Syrians during the war of Independence as a natural barrier between that country and $srael and as a natural barrier it required no guards. For centuries i 7 it lay, shrouded in mystery, a men- ace to man and beast with no one interested in whether it could be placed at the service of humans, After Israel became a State in 1948 a positive programme for the whole country was, as far as facilities al- lowed, put into action. Prominent in this programme was the growing of '» food, and the providing of jobs for a 5 ) a million immigrants from one hun- dred countries. Housing and health had to have high priority too. The "4 draining of the swamps could serve ; 7 Ud 7 i 4 a double purpose. Huleh Development Today this area is called the Huleh Development. It is a farm of nearly twenty-three and a half square miles. The job of channelling and drainin began in 1951 and finished four years later. It is fully mechanized and em- ploys 600. The main crops are Cot- ton which is cleaned in their own cotton gins before shipping. Ground ‘Nuts (peanuts), with an assembly line for shelling, cleaning, and sort- ing is another important crop. Other crops are Vegetables, Grains, and Gladioli Bulbs. The farm enjoys a healthy export business in nuts and ulbs. The development was fmanced by the Government, the Jewish Agency, and the Jewish National Fund. It is now a part of the Histadrut (Federa- tion of Labour). Business Basis The farm is run on a business basis and management - worker relation- ships are good. There is a farm (shop) steward who uses half time on union business and half on farm work. There is also, common to Is- raeli industries, a functioning workers committee, with the usual collective agreement. Difficult problems are re- ferred to a special commission. In the operation of the farm, field workers are taken out in specially-equipped trucks. Portable rest shelters are pro- vided and insulated drinking water tanks are at each field operation. Marketing is through a special board of growers which includes a number of private farmers. ; Not content with the creation of this huge enterprise, the Israelis have shown foresight in their planning. They left in almost its original con- dition 1000 acres of this swamp area as an object lesson to show the trans- formation. The contrast is a convinc- ing sight. It has beén. channelled, malaria-free and mosquito-controlled. It is a sanctuary for 120 kinds of birds and so heavily-laden with fish that each year the larger ones are netted and not being suitable for food are used for fertilizer. One interest- ing specie is the ‘“mouth-feeder” fish. Both male-and female carry the eggs in their mouth for 60 days. During this incubation period they do not feed. When the eggs are hatched the young fish are spat out into their warm wet world to struggle for them- selves. Historic Achievement I was fortunate in being taken through the area in the flat-bottomed motor boat used for conveying school children as a part of their nature studies. To visit the reclaimed area and the remaining swamp is a fascin- ating and unforgettable object lesson in Labour’s part in transforming a stinking unlivable area into a healthy and wealthy part of the new econ- What's New For You HOME-MADE “BRICK WALLS” for interior decoration or fireplace surrounds can be produced by the do-it-yourself fan with aid of a flexible mold. Mold, made of plas- tics, looks like a shallow tray which is filled with plaster of Paris and water. When the mixture has _har- dened, a slab of brick-faced plaster is turned out. Each slab has the ap- pearance of a 16-brick section of wall. The slabs, each one-quarter inch thick, can be fastened to a wall with adhesives and then painted. * * & HEAVY RUBBER BAGS hold- ing measured amounts of water and cement have been developed by a U.S. firm. Each bag has two com- partments, one for correct amount of water and the other for cement and sand or aggregate, already mixed. Bag has only to be lifted by its bot- tom and contents tipped into mixer. Bags were intended primarily for use on building sites but they could be useful for home owners who want to lay a few yards of concrete for a drive or path. * * * NEW CONCRETE SAW can slice through 8-in. concrete wall at in. min. Saw rig weighs less than 240 lb. and can easily be manoeuvred by two men. Diamond-toothed saw slices through .vertical concrete face as it runs along guide track fastened to wall by bolts or suction cups. Blade is powered by small hydraulic motor weighing 36 lb. and driven by 18-hp. gas-motor. Rig is said to do away with slow, untidy and expensive methods in conventional use. x x * COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY MACHINE that dries and “shakes out” large quantities of washed linen in a continuous automatic process has been developed by a U.K. firm. Maker claims it’s the first flow-line shaker drying tumbler that works on the closed-circuit principle. The machine takes a 100-lb. load, shakes it out, re- moves the required amount of mois- ture and loads the items, ready to iron, on to conveyor belt. Just under 4 cwt. can be handled in an hour. It stands 7 ft. high, is 13 ft. 6 in. long, weighs. 2,596 Ibs. * * = WATER PURIFYING SYSTEM is ‘said to be “first” among home water equipment in that it contains pump, pressure tank and chlorinator as integral parts, and has built-in “safety margin” to disinfect periodic Mistakes Do Happen Theodore Thomas, 80, who re- tired as headmaster of Repton, England, recalled that he once my J ZEEE Ss PSH “DIG YOU LATER, POPS” —Toronto Star the strain of night flying. Everyone Seems Mad At Mad Magazine Mad magazine is running into censorship troubles. The 24th Inf. Div. in Germany (commanded by Gen. Walker until he was shelved for pro- moting Birch Society dogma) barred it from PXs on the charge that it weakens respect for authority. Fort Benning, Ga. kicked it out for satirizing war, and Travis AF Base, Calif., called it “communistic”. Navy Fighter Squadron 141, however, praised Mad as a pleasant velief ftom —tThe Insider’s Newsletter changes in concentration of contami- nation. Because contamination count in water may from hour to hour and home owner is unable to maintain constant check, system’s safety margin handles these fluctuations by superchlorinating and maintaining higher residuals. Excess chlorine can then be filtered out of vary greatly in flow. water for whole house or just for drinking and cooking. Fine filters — throw-away cartridge for small users or re-usable type for larger consumers — are tsed to remove chlorine at discharge end of system. Warning buzzer sounds when chlorine refill is required. * * Westminster Prince George & ‘District, 104 ae omy. The Israelis are proud — and|} was described as “head ”” United Labour Credit Union, 1475 East 43rd, Vancouver —_— have cause to be — of this historic]] - 5 ‘waste Salmon Arm Credit Union, Shuswap Ave., Salmon Arm, B.C. Zee Abominahe Snowmen Herc Pew aun in the Public Schools Yearbook. ; : CREDIT UNION DIRECTORY IWA Credit Unions and other Credit Unions supported by IWA Local Unions in B.C. Alberni District Crédit Union, 209 Argyle Street, Port Alberni IWA 1-217 Savings, Broadway & Quebec Streets, Vancouver 10 IWA (N.W.) Credit Union, Room Local 1-118, IWA (Victoria), 904 Gordon Street, Victoria Chemainus & District Credit Union, Box Lake Cowichan and District Credit Union, Lake Cowichan, B.C. Courtenay Credit Union, Box 952, Courtenay Duncan & District Credit Union, Box 1717, Duncan i 6- 4th Avenue, Prince Nanaimo & District Credit Union, 499 Wallace St., Nanaimo Ladysmith & District Credit Union, Box 154, Ladysmith, B.C. 21, 774 Columbia Street, New , Chemainus George Pee AW ok : > This advertisement is not published or displayed MOLSON'S CAPILANO BREWERY LTD. brewed, it’s naturally brawny. Get some tonight for sure. = for free home delivery MU 4-1121 YU 8-2636 WA 2-7530 LA 2-0343 enjoy Old. Style entertainment... Old Style, naturally A MOLSON’S QUALITY PRODAT by the Liquor Control Board or the Government of British Columbia.