The foreward, written by Sir Douglas Harris formerly of the British Protectorate government that briefly ran Palestine, was created to "assist and stimulate trade betwweem Palestine and other territories, especially those of the Middle East" and to "present as comprehensive a picture as possible of the production and manufacturing capacity of the country." He also mentions the industrial expansion of the Palestine Territories between 1942 and 1945 due to the need to supply Allied forces on North African front during World War II. The majority of the businesses listed appear to be Jewish owned, but Palestinian Christian, Palestinian Arab and British names also appear. Search this
Palestine Trade Catalogue Part 5: Building and Structural Engineering was published in July 1945. It is divided into three parts: the Index includes a classified list of products and services, plus an alphabetical list of firms and institutions ; the Catalog section contains a brief list of contents, plus a 250 pages of detailed product catalogs; the Advertisement section has a brief table of contents followed by 90 pages of advertisements. Based on the number of pages it appears on, contracting company Solel Boneh Ltd (founded 1920) appears to have been the largest company of its type at the time (see http://www.solbo.co.il/english/index.html). Other listed companies include Aboussouan & Nassar Civil Engineering and Building Contractors of Jeruslaem ; A.G.C. (Army General Contractors) of Tel-Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem ; The Arab Contracting and Trading Co. Ltd. of Haifa ; Imperial Chemical Industries (Levant) Ltd. of England ; Philips Lamps of London ; Walter Turnheim Engineering Works of Tel Aviv ; Hassadeh Well Boring Company Ltd of Tel Aviv ; the Shell Company of Palestine (incorporated in England) which sold asphalt, oil and lubricants ; the Kibbutz Hashomer Hazair Joinery Works ; Lahat Iron Works Ltd of Haifa ; Vulcan Foundries Ltd. of Haifa ; Martzefia Ltd of Tel-Aviv, a manufacturer of cement and terrazo products; Hageder expanded metal works ; Hashirion a manufacturer of wire, nails, rivets , bolts and hooks ; Oppenheimer and Fuerst Mechandical Works, a manufcture of locks, door mechanisms, doors, windows and iron stair banisters ; Hebrew Technical College, Haifa which provided laboratory space and technical expertise.
