The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-15
WI 7 HOUT
FOOD.
Famine in China
the Worst
Known.

NEW YORK, Feb. "a cable to the
Sun from Picking says: Reports from
Singan-Fu all agree that the famine
in the provinces of Shan-Si ;lnd Snen-
ST is one Of the worst in the history Of
China. All information on the subject
is necessarily from Chinese sources
and is Iragnentary, but stories picture
condition OF AFFAIRS calculated To
arouse the sympathy OF the world Tor
the stricken people.
1t is estimated that two-rhirGs of
the people are without sufficient food
or means of obtaining it. The weather
is bitterly cold, and this adds 10 the
misery of starvation. There is little
fuel in either province. and people are
tearing out the Woodwork of their
houses to obtain fuel TO keep them
selves warm. Oxen, horses, dogs and
other animals used by farmers to all
them in work in ordinary times have
practically all been sacrificed to salts
fly hunger.
For three years crops have been fall
ures in both provinces. There was
more or less famine in previous sea-
sons, and the people were in poverty
when the winter began. Their condi-
ton has since been growing steadily
worse. Letters state that cannibalism
tent. Ii Hung Chang, in conversation
with Mr.. Conger, the American Min
lister, stated that the people were In
poverty when the winter set in and
were compelled to live on human flesh.
Many of them were selling their
women and children to obtain money
with which to buy food for the re-
Infanticide is alarningly common.
Parents, driven insane by want ana
the cries Of their children for food
which they are unable to provide, kill
the little ones rather than listen to
their cries of distress and see their
sufferings.
One letter received here says ''In
towns men have become like rayenous
kites. They snap from your hand
whatever you may be eating. Women
and children are being sold or given
away. Infanticide is Increasing on a
terrible scale. The ordinary food OF
wolves will be living babies, which, as
in the last famine. will turn them into
fierce man-eaters."
gans at the present moment are de-
veloping their worst traits. 1t is a
common thing to hear such appeals as
BUY my land or l will kill myself .
Give me a morsel of bread or / will
destroy myself at your door" "Appease
my hunger, says a feminine voice,
and l will follow you" A mother
says, Take my child for paltry aims, .
or husband will say, My wife is
yours forever for a few strings of cop
per-
These statements are corroborated
by other writers. Men and women
hunt for.foed in savage bands. Moth
ing that might appease their appetites
escapes sthem. Fierce fights among
themselves frequently follow when
they overtake prey.
| While the famine is said to be worst
| in Shan-Si.. it is almost as bad in
Shen-Si, which is particularly interest
ing now, because it is in that province
court is literally surrounded by these
horrors. AT a conservative estimate
25, 900 extra mouths have to be filed
There are 10000 soldiers alone in the
neighborhood of Singan-Fu and 5000 i:
a small estimate of the number of off
ciaf retainers who are with the court
OF course, great quantities of prov1
SionS have been sent from othel
provinces for the use of the court, bu
these have been insufficient for 25, OO
persons, all of whom get full ration:
at the expense of the starving poor
The Government has been doing wha
it could to relieve the sufferings, blu
it's efforts have been marked by yer,
little success, because food in suffl
cient quantities for distribution can
not be obtained. The population o
Shan-Si is 100000 and of Shen-Si 9.
000 900