The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-27
New China And
 The Famine
New Government to Prevent Famines by Conservatism Over 2,5OO,OOO People Face Starvation-Children Sold 10 Buy Food
Exclusive Service The Survey Pres
 Bureau,}

(Exclusive Service The Survey Press Bureau.) Two great changes for the better in
 the attitude in China toward famine
 conditions have taken place which, in
 the midst of the rapid progress which
 China is making, are in danger of be-
 ing overlooked. The first Is the growth of the conviction that the time is
 past for pouring rice into the rat-hole
 of famine, and the other IS the action
 of the new government ii. undertaking
 the responsibility for the relief of the present and the pre~ention of future famineS.
 Such conditions as those which exist at present have had much to do in bringing about the present revolution, and the men of the New China clearly
 realize that the permanent prosperity
 and peace of their country depends in large measure upon the economic
 welfare of the people.
 The present famine is a greater ca
 lamity than any that China has faced
 for scores of years. The estimates of month ago, according to which two
 and a half million people were facing starvation, are now out of date. Ap-
 pealS from new districts are coming in
 almost daily to the office of the Gen.
 tral China Famine Relief Committee.
 Already in many districts the death
 rate is high, and children are being
 sold in order to purchase food. In a
 district personally examined by the
 writer during the last week in Jan
 uary, ffty-five homes in number "f
 country villages in North Kiangsu
 were thoroughly examined. In onl!
 one home in eight was there any rice.
 The food everywhere found in prepar-
 ation consisted of sweet potato leaves and carrot tops, while one family in
 three was eating elm bark. Tn these fifty-five homes four dead were found, and many others who could live only
 few days at most. In this district
 at least two out of three are certain
 of death unless there is help from out side-and there are still four months before harvest. These conditions are typical of the whole North Kiangsu for many years have been thoroughly
 familiar with conditions estimate that 1000, 900 people are facing starvation. Whenever there is any question as
 to the reality of famine conditions,
 test work is offered by the Central
 China Famine Relief Committee at such a low wage that only those who
 are in great need will apply. This
 plan has been used in two places, and the great numbers who have come and remained at work indicate the severity of the conditions. As a general thing
 there is in China no possibility of question concerning the desperate need of the people in the famine districts. To the sick and those incapacitated for work, relief is, of course, given outright. The committee aims to conserve the self-respect of those able to work by giving help only in return for labor, and at the same time to
 build dykes and dig ditches which will
 prevent future famines. provide an ob-
 ject lesson in reclamation to the Chin csc landowners and officials, and give the people some hope of the fu-
 ture. A method which renders the present Famine Relief Committee
 unique, is the attempt to secure the
 adoption of a policy of conservation by the Chinese government and thus to become the last foreign famine re- lief committee in China. c. D. lame son, an engineer sent out by the American Red Cross Society, has re-
 ported that the reclamation of the
 whole famine district in North Kiang- su is possible; and the secretary of the Famine Relief Committee has de- voted much effort to the attempt to
 interest the Chinese government in the immediate relief of famine conditions
 and the adoption of comprehensive
 policy for the future.
 From the beginning he has had in this the cooperation of number or influential Chinese, such as Their Ex- cellencies Wu Ting Fang, and Chang Chien, Minister of Agriculture and In-
 dustry in the cabinet of President Sun Yat Sen. On January F the latter communicated officially the inten+ ion of the government to do its work
 along lines of scientific charity advo- cated by the Famine Relief Commit tee, and backed this declaration by a grant of $S0000 with which to begin
 work. On January 9, President Sun Yat Sen in an interview stated to the secretary of the committee that as soon as the republican form of gov ernment was firmly established, it ! would take the necessary steps to pre- vent the recurrence of those frequent famines.
 As this is being written, there is every probability that a few days will see the corsummation of a foreign loan of $1 900, 900 for famine relief H. E.. Yuan Shih Kai has telegraphed his