The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-29
100000 CHINESE
FACING STARVATION
People Eat Burrs, Leaves and
Bark, While Disease Is
Killing Many.

PEKrN. Nov. 2s.-China is in the grip
OF the worst famine in the history OF
the world. Forty million people are fac
ing death from famine, cold and disease
in the five North China provinces Of
Chill. Shansl, Shensi.s Shantung and
| Honan. Men. women and children al
ready are dying from hunger within a
few hours ride of this city.
Following three years of gradually
falling crops. condition which had
reduced the resistance of the population
to the minimum, came year of drouth
and almost total crop failure. small
part of the district yielded a crop Of
half the usual size, but over most of the
section the yield ranged from three
tenths of normal down to nothing, the
planting not even returning the seed
used.
In many places, where otherwise there
might have been a small crop the dew
astation was everywhere made complete
| by clouds of locusts which darkened the
| sky and consumed everything. over
! large areas, the fields, at the time when
the harvest should have been ripening,
were as bare and brown as in winter OF
showed only a few stalks.
| The few leaves remaining on the trees
are being stripped off for consumpt on
as human food, and tree bark and grass
are selling for as much as beef Those
who can get alfalfa to eat are con-
sidered fortunate, and where this is not
obtainable the people are picking and
eating elm and apricot leaves. Along
with these, beancake and peanutcdke.
| left after the oil has been extracted form
the staple articles of diet.
In the wake of the famine, typhus and
famine fever have been epidemic in
hundreds Of villages and are adding
heavily to the toll Of life due directly
to starvation.
Entire families have been driven to
suicide by the famine and many in
stances have been reported of fathers
who put poison into the last bite of food
they could obtain for their families and
thus ended their misery. In hundreds
of villages fathers have been driven
to sell their children; or, If no buyer
was to be found, to give them away in
order that there might be fewer mouths
to feed.
A wholesale migration from the
stricken districts has taken place
Elmer w. Gait OF the American Boar
Mission at Paotingfu, I'm describing
trip through the famine area, said:
Thousands upon thousands of men
women and children have already lef
their homes and gone. with bundles
belongings on their backs and a forlor
but desperate hope I'm their hearts, t.
distant regions to look for sustenanc.
through the winter. AS / Erode M
wheel mile after mile out on the mali
road south of here 1 must have met an
average Of ten to fifteen to the mile
who were plainly these famine fleeing
refugees heading toward the Man
churian provinces, where crops are
good.
with this stream on hundred roads
hour after hour, day after day, week
after week can you ima-ine the move
ment Of the population? But are they
solving their problem thus? Alas. no.
Already Manchurian officials are
thoroughly alarmed at the influx and
are throwing a police Gordon along the
border to turn back the stream. The
numbers are too great TO be absorbed
and housed and cared for in that
bleak northern winter and the admis-
sion of more Is simply admitting them
to new trap, where death awaits them
by freezing"
Another missionary found whole COM
munities whose main subsistence was
crushed sand burr pulp leaves from the
trees and bits OF elm bark made up
into Cruel or n kind of cake.
AS the severe North China winter be-
gins the people are almost without fuel
In ordinary years the chief source Of
fuel for cooking and heating is koa-liang
stalks but this year the kao-liang crop
also is an almost total failure. Many
buildings have been torn down TO use
, the tlmbers for fuel. but this supply has
been inadequate. and improper cooking
OF what food Ls obtainable has added to
he suffering and toll OF life.
The nearest approach to the present
situation was the Chinese famine which
reached It's crisis in 1873 and which re
suited in severa million deaths. All the
agencies of international relief are ac-
tive, and the American Red Cross has
appropriated 100000 to hep In the
crisis. AS was announced several days
ago the United States Government has
, consented to a temporary Increase o.
ten per cent. in Chinese customs duties,
subject to like action by other nations,
the money to be administered through
, the Chinese Government for relief pur-
poses.
All these various efforts. however. are
but a drop In the bucket OF need, and
China has appealed to the American
people to contribute funds. Millions VIII
be- needed. for the 100000 people af-
fected by the famine must receive help
at least until late next spring,