Jane Power B.A., Bryn Mawr College, 1960 M.A., University of Virginia, 1963 M.Ed., Antioch College, 1973 M.A., Simon Fraser University, 1996
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f Britain's Palestine Labour Department, 1942-1948 Jane Power B.A., Bryn Mawr College, 1960 M.A., University of Virginia, 1963 M.Ed., Antioch College, 1973 M.A., Simon Fraser University, 1996 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the Department of History @~ane Power 2007 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2007 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. Approval Name : Jane Power Degree : Doctor of History Title of Thesis: Different Drummer, Same Parade Britain's Palestine Labour Department 1942-1948 Examining Committee: Chair : Dr. Karen Ferguson Associate Professor of History Dr. Derryl MacLean Senior Supervisor Associate Professor of History Dr. Mark Leier Supervisor Professor of History Dr. Paul Sedra Supervisor Assistant Professor of History Dr. Stephen McBride Internal Examiner Professor of Political Science Dr. Zachary Lockman Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and History New York University External Examiner Date Defended : Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the libraty of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the "Institutional Repositoty" link of the SFU Libraty website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesis/project or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author's written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. While licensing SFU to permit the above uses, the author retains copyright in the thesis, project or extended essays, including the right to change the work for subsequent purposes, including editing and publishing the work in whole or in part, and licensing other parties, as the author may desire. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Libraty Burnaby, BC, Canada Revised: Summer 2007 iii Abstract This thesis examines a longstanding object of scholarly in- quiry -- the degree and nature of Palestine's distinction from other settler colonies -- in light of two developing fields. Some historians now examine the social history of Palestine; others, twentieth-century British colonial theory and practice. The topic of labour administration in the British mandatory government -- the work of the Palestine Labour Department from 1942 to 1948 -- brings together the two perspectives. The thesis first surveys pressures on British colonial policy during the interwar period and the responses of the Colonial Office and colonial administrators. In particular, policies and programs reflected a growing importance ac- corded to colonial workers, both settlers and so-called "na- tives," as the approach of World War I1 revealed Britain's dependence on colonial stability to protect vital material and strategic resources. As it places the Palestine mandate in this context and analyzes the operation of the Palestine Labour Department, the thesis refers to the example of Northern Rhodesia, another colony with highly organized settler workers and a coalescing "native" workforce. Drawing mainly on British and mandate government records, the thesis presents the department's aims, achievements, and deficien- cies in light of support and hindrance from external politi- cal and economic forces and other parts of government. iv Examination of one protracted and ultimately uncompleted project, an attempt to set up a system of government-run labour exchanges, provides a detailed example of the strengths and vulnerabilities, strategies and tactics, of the agencies and interests that shaped labour administration in the mandate. The thesis argues that the Palestine Labour Department shared in the pressures from government and external forces that commonly affected contemporary colonial labour depart- ments. At the same time, the distinctive characteristics of Palestine and its workforce required a labour department that differed in composition from its counterparts. That difference in experience and outlook made Palestine's labour agency a forerunner of the social service agencies of the succeeding phase of colonial administration. Keywords Palestine; mandate; British empire; colonial labour Subject Terms Palestine -- history -- 1917-1948; Palestine -- politics and government; Palestine -- economic policy; Palestinian Arabs Call No. HD 850 P 2007 In memory of Bill Cleveland with great appreciation For Jack, always Acknowledgements Many people encouraged, questioned, and supported me in the work that led to the completion of this thesis. Throughout my graduate studies at Simon Fraser University, my super- visors, Professors Mark Leier and Derryl MacLean, have sug- gested readings and lines of inquiry that stimulated my thinking and illuminated my research. Professor MacLean com- mitted his time and energy to the responsibilities of senior supervisor at a time when all of us had undergone a great loss. At that time, too, Prof. Paul Sedra agreed to join my supervisory committee, bringing to the thesis his under- standing of the modern history of Palestine. Other members of the History Department -- both past and present, and regardless of formal connection to my studies -- contributed professional wisdom, practical suggestions, and warm encour- agement during my progress through the program. In this con- nection, I think particularly of Professors Karen Ferguson and Hannah Gay. Many fellow students and personal friends sustained me through this project simply because it was project. Among them, Jenny Mitchell at the State University of New York and Adrienne Burk at Simon Fraser, who traversed similar pro- cesses a step or two ahead of me, consistently offered the guidance and reassurance of their experience. My original senior supervisor, the late Prof. William L. Cleveland of the SFU History Department, set a high stan- dard of academic rigour, integrity, and human decency in his teaching, his scholarship, and his work with me. I will con- tinue to appreciate him as a mentor and miss him as a friend. Finally and always, I thank my husband, Jack O'Dell. His interest, queries, suggestions, and confidence have con- tributed greatly to this thesis. Far beyond that, he has nourished'all my work by being the person he is and making my life a happy one, decade after decade. vii Contents Approval ii Abstract iii Dedication v Acknowledgements vi Contents vii Chapter 1. Introduction The Argument Significance of the Topic Assumptions Foundations in the Literature Terms Archival Sources Notes Chapter 2. British Colonial Policy in the Interwar Period 16 An African Analogy 16 Pressures on British Colonial Policy 19 New Political and Economic Policies 28 Notes 38 Chapter 3. Colonial Labour Policy: A Response to New Conditions Recognition of a Stable Native Working Class Turning to Native Labour Organization Stagnant Policies: Settlers Notes Chapter 4. Palestine as an Instance of Colonial Labour Administration, 1920-1940 Distinctions in Situation: The Natives Distinctions in Situation: The Settlers Similarities in Administration, 1920-1940 Notes Chapter 5. Palestine Acquires a Labour Department, 1940-1942 127 Avoiding the Issue, 1935-1940 128 Settler Workers: An Urgent Need for Labour Administration Struggle for a New Agency The Labour Adviser Notes Chapter 6. Palestine's Modern Agency Notes viii Chapter 7. Palestine's Model Colonial Labour Department: Initial Successes, 1942-1943 189 Everyday Tasks 190 The Model Department 201 Effective Labour Pacification 203 Arab Organizing, 1942-1945 219 Notes 234 Chapter 8. Growing Obstacles to Modern Labour Supervision, 1944-1947 The "Difficult Period" The Workers Divided The Rulers Divided: on Native Unions The Rulers Divided: on Public Employee Rights The Rulers Divided: on Economic Planning Limitations of the Labour Department Notes Chapter 9. The Struggle for Labour Exchanges, 1940-1947 289 Importance of Job Allocation 290 A Five-Year Suspense Story 303 Forerunners 304 Department Initiative, Mandate Support, 1943-1945 307 Detention in the Colonial Office 317 Persistent Advocacy 322 Employment Exchanges or Resettlement Register? 327 Notes 333 Chapter 10. The Palestine Labour Department: How Exceptional? Same Parade: Obstacles and Goals of Colonial