The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-02-08
THE FAMINE IN
CHINESE EMPIRE

Central Union church last evening on
THE Famine Conditions In china" as
follows:
The appeal from China on behalf of
her suffering multitudes has met with
ready response from Hawaii. Ameri-
cans. Chinese and others are giving
willingly of their plenty. to buy food
for these hungry ones.
Even In normal times. China Is a
country Of poor people. Although there
may be many rich, yet the great mass
OF the population have little above the
| actual necessities of life So when a
great calamity comes. they have little
to fall back on. The terrible condition
of suffering. from cold and hunger.
prevailing In the famine districts of
Central China is every day becoming
more apparent. Hundreds of thousands
OF people are reaching the point of
actual starvation. The Chinese say
that no such famine has occurred in
China In many tens of years. viceroy
Tuan Fang estimates that at least four
millions are actually destitute In the
two provinces of Kiang-su and Anhui.
Certainly many thousands are in the
acutest need. The Chinese are not able
to meet this widespread disaster, and
have sent out a most urgent appeal.
The missionaries on the field are aid
Ing as far as possible In the relief
work. The very latest reports reaching
Shanghai in January. and letters from
missionaries living in the famine dis
tricts, give all too dark and sad q pic
ture of the awful sufrerings and priva-
tions Of these people. in the country
and also at the great refugee camps
about the large cities. A special COR
respondent Of the North China Herald
has reached Chinkiang City. He
finds 1900 refugees at that place. or
this number about one thousand are in
acute distress. 1t is a good time for
the city or PROVINCIAL authorities to
institute public works. road building
and work on the Grand Canal. Nearly
one-third of the refugees are able to
work and earn the relief afforded them.
At Marking 10000 are encamped outside
the city walls in some 5000 straw huts.
H. E. Viceroy Tuan Fang is directing
the relief at this point.
At Tsing-Kiang and Yangchau, re-
spectively, there are 100000 and $4,000
women and children
who are anxiously waiting for aid and
relief. Funds in hand have already
been distributed, but this far from
equals the need. These poor people,
before leaving their homes for these
city camps, had eaten all the available |
grass. leaves and the bark OF the trees |
near their native villages.
The secretary of the missionary relief
at Chinkiang writes: II
am just back from TsingK iang City,
where 1 saw one of the great refugee
with over 100000 refugees in it.
1t is the most pitiful and yet the most
awful sight I ever saw. Words fail to
describe 1t. We expect an awful win
ter"
Another missionary writes of this
same great camp of half-starved peo-
pie. who have fled from their homes
because there was no more food, or
even grass or leaves or bark, to eat.
He says: These refugees are receive
ng at the rate of 30 cash per day for
adults (about one cent and half gold)
Ind 20 cash for children. So far as
AVE been able to learn no rice has been
,iven or sold at cheap rates by the Of
icials (although an issue of cheap rice
lad been announced by the local OFF,
,ials). The relief money is just enough
o keep the people miserably hungry"
A Catholic priest writes from the in
erior of the great misery in the Hsun-
,hau prefecture: "Vast numbers of
he population have emigrated to Chin
siang, Marking and even to Shang-
iai, in order to escape certain death
20 tpa t,I nf
he whole population has gone. Many
'oor families could not go. These have
low reached the famine stage, having ,
consumed what little Of the last hnr-
est was saved. l know of many fam
lies who were once well off and who ,
re now reduced to eating once or ;
vice a day a horrible mixture of ,
caves and roots; and we are only at
he beginning of the most frightful :
Misery. The winter will be terrible. :
'or many there Is no prospect but .
cath from hunger or cold. They have
OF now the means to redeem the WIN r
err clothing they Gas is customary :,
awned in the spring. / think at a low I,
there must be at least, In each y
lbprefecture Give of them), 100000 I,
-arving people," T
Conditions are worse since this letter ~
as written. the latter part of Decem- a
err Photographs have reached Shang- a
al from these districts which show :,
II the trees in sight stripped of their 4
ark. Miss Reid also writes from
cing- Kiangpu. quite another locality
'om Hsunchau, that n that district
10000 are in need, more than half OF
HON are in dire distress, their only
,od being the bark CT trees, dried po- n
ltoes. leaves, and any weeds that can b
2 picked out of the frozen ground"
In still another district to the south II
lst Mr.. Caldwell states that vast b.
acts OF country east of the Grand IL
anal are even now still under water Ia
anpary II. 1900. he having sailed for pl
re days. without possibility OF land ia
&, over fields which should last a
itumn have borne rich crops. The L.
inter is now on, and this great lake Is
Ill soon be frozen over, SO that the ~
untry must remain much as 1t Is II
wv until spring. Relief is being car Il
ed on from Shanghai and interior d.
atoms as rapidly as possible. All y
reigners are cooperating heartily with al
o Chinese in raising money and send I'll
z grain and flour. The high officials OF I'll