The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-09-18
famine OVER.
Relief Has Come to China With
Harvesting of Crops.
one MILLION DIED

One MILLION UIED
From Starvation in the Different
Famine Districts Of China. That
Was the Estimated Number OF
Deaths, But 1t Is Thought BY Some
That the Number Of Deaths Was
Less.
The terrible famine which has rag
ed in central China for several month;
is now virtually over; the crops plant
ed with the seed distributed by tht
relief committees are being harvest
ed; the missionaries who have labor
ed so acciduously in the cause of hu
manity are gradually coming oowr
the coast for a rest, and people are
beginning to count the cost OF IVeS
and money.
The exact number of Chinese wne
perished will never be knoWn, Du'
the estimate recently MADE oy apron
inent rnenber of the relief organlza
lions, Judging from conversation:
With many workers, was very mucf
exaggerated. 49,
over l,000,0 900, but on going careful!
" into facts it is found that the fam
inc lasted less than eight months, ant
at the worst period the deaths were
said to average 5000 a day, so tha
even had this figure been maintained
for the full period Of the famine the
total mortality would have been les
than three quarters of million:
The smallest estimate Is three
times the maximum death rate IN thf
area affected, and this would give
nearly half a million deaths. Thes:
figures are fair estimate OF the toi
exacted by the scourage. 1t may, o.
said, in short, that the famine ma
not claimed anything like so man
victims as was predicted would o
the case.
This is due in great measure to tn
prompt way in which funds wer
subscribed, especially IN America
and the manner in which foreigners
chiefly missionaries who could speas
the Chinese language spoke IN tn
central provinces Of the empire, re
sponded to the call for workers.
Fighting the ravages Of famine ma
been a silent war in which Chin
alone could have achieved little be
cause of her official system, her ba
financial organization and the crud
ineffective system Of relief which tn
more honest officials adopted whe
left to themselves. 1t was reserve
for the foreigner to point out tn
necessity Of relief works both 70
their intrinsic worth and to enabl
the authorities to distinguish betWee
the really destitute and the mer
loafer.
Many districts in the famine are
can point to the benefits derive
from relief works inaugurated an
supervised by foreigners; but ther
are also some where the Chinese Of
fcials have followed to good purpos
the example set them. To quote bu
one example, many miles OF the graz!
canal north Of Chinkaling are now /
good repair, and this will help to pre-
vent a catastrophe in the future SIM
liar to that which occurred last yea
when the heavy rains fell.
Much Of the severity Of the fanln
could have been prevented by publ
works, of which the neglect can onl:
be regarded as criminal. The dlttlcul
ty too often was that officials wer
reluctant to spend money on sue
works, as they feared they might
soon after the Inauguration Of tn
work, be removed to another spher
of labor, and thus lose the larg
amount Of money which 1t wouI'
have been necessary to dlsburse iron
the local exchequer and which woul'
otherwise have gone into their pocE
cts.
If order were introduced into Chl
nese finances and an end put to th'
sale of positions the business instlnc
of the nation would discover that /
is cheaper to undertake such work
in time rather than wait until the
misery their neglect causes has to oe
relieved.
The two relief committees collect
ed no less a sum than 81 ,3l3, 900, anc
all but a small balance has oeen eX
pended in the saving of life. combin
ed, in some cases, with preventive
measures against future famine. The
small balance, unfortunately, vii
probably be insufficient for the de.
mands made upon it this autumn.
The devastation of whole PROVING
es by floods will not cease until the
imperial government so rearranges
its financial system that it can direct
large sums to be spent on adequate
repair Of canal and river emoank
ments and the necessary clearing anc
deepening of the waterways Of the
empire.
COSTLE TO JAIL YEGGS.