The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-02-07

Kew. 4. w. InWing SEonS 81
Central Union church last evening on
'aThe Famine Conditions in China as
follows:
| The appeal from China on behalf OF
her suffering muItitudes has met with
ready response from Hawaii. Ainerl-
cans, Chinese and others are giving
willingly of their plenty, to buy FOOD
for these hungry ones.
Even in normal times, China Is
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 or
Central China is every day becoming
more apparent. Hundreds of thousands
of people are reaching the point or
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 TOUR
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 appear.
| The missionaries on the field are afG-
| 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 sufferings and priva-
lions 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. OF
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 80, 900 are encamped outside
the city walls in some 5000 straw huts.
H. E. yiceroy Tuan Fang is directing
the relief at this point.
| At Using Kiang and Yangchau, re-
spectively. there are 100000 and $4,000
homeless-men, 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
committee at Chinkiang writes: II
am just back from Tsing-Kiang City,
where I saw one of. the great refugee
camps, with over 100000 refugees in it.
1t is the most pitiful and yet the most
awful sight ever saw. Words fail to
describe it, We expect an awful win
ter
Another missionary writes of this
same great camp of half-starved peo-
pie. who have fed from their homes
because there was no more food, or
even grass or leaves or bark. to eat.
He says: These refugees, are receiv-
ing at the rate of 80 cash per day for
adults (about one cent and a half gold
and 20 cash for children. So far as
have been able to learn no rice has been
given or sold at cheap rates by the Of
ficiaIs although an issue of cheap rice
cials). The relief money is just enough
to keep the people miserably hungry.
Catholic priest writes from the in
terror of the great misery in the Hsun-
chau prefecture: Vast numbers of
the population have emigrated to Chin
kiang, Marking and even to Shang-
hal, in order to escape certain death
from famine I estimate one-third OF
Ian1o LOT
poor families could not go. These have
now reached the famine stage, having
consumed what little of the last har-
vest was saved. 1 know of many fam
lilies who We're once well off and who
are now reduced to eating once or
twice a day a horrible mixture of
leaves and roots; and we are only at
the beginning of the most frightful
misery The winter will be terrible.
For many there is no prospect but
death from hunger or cold. They have
not now the means to redeem the VIM
ter clothing they tas is customary
pawned in the spring I think at a low
estimate there must be at least, in each
subprefecture Give of them), 10000
starving people"
Conditions are worse since this letter
Der. Photographs have reached Shang-
hal from these districts which show
all the trees in sight stripped of their
bark. Miss Reid also writes from
Using Kiangpu, quite another locality
from Hsunchau, that in that district
$780, 900 are in need. more than half OF
whom are in dire distress, their only
food being the bark of trees, dried po-
tatoes, leaves, and any weeds that can
be picked out of the frozen ground.
In still another district to the south
east Mr.. Caldwell states that vast
tracts of country east of the Grand
Canal are even now still under water
January II, 1900, he having sailed for
five days, without a possibility of land
ing, over fields which should last
autumn have borne rich crops. The
winter is now on, and this great lake
will soon be frozen over, so that the
country must remain much as it is
now until spring. Relief is being car
ried on from Shanghai and interior
stations as rapidly as possible. All
foreigners are cooperating heartily with
the Chinese in raising money and send