The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-12-10
PESTILENCE AND
FAMINE in CHINA
Selling Children, Boys
4 Two Dollars, Girls
Two-Fifty

als AONOON.-A Cal&mlty OF the mrs
magnitude has hefallen the Chinese
people in the form of the worst
famine in forty years. More than
100000 people are starving over
territory 700 miles long and $50
miles wide.
There are nearly 1000 deaths daily
and the situation is growing worse
hourly.
| The outlook for the winter is ap-
paling and threatens monumental
tragedy. Only the most prompt and
most generous assistance from all
parts of the world can avert the most
serious catastrophe in the history OF
modern China.
Two hundred million dollars are
needed most urgently to save even q
portion of the afflicted people from
death.
The famine areas consists of $50
countries districts in the provinces
OF Chihi-Li, Shantung, Honan and
Sahsni. The most sufferers are in
Chihi-Li and Honan, where forty mil
lions are starving, with fourteen mil
lions at point Of death whom moth
Ing will be able to save.
The above information comes to
Universal Service from q very
authentic source in close touch with
conditions in China. The deepest
and most poignant tragedy prevails
in the stricken area despite the re-
cent series of soaking rains which
have transformed the countryside, in
which; however, nothing edible is
growing.
The crops of the entire country
side have failed and there is no hope
for relief from the ground until next
June at the earliest.
The peasants are selling their last
remaining bits of clothes and furni-
ture and even their children for
few dollars in order to purchase seed
of the new crop. Authentic cases
are recorded in the village of Having
Low in which one hundred families
resided and which is now almost
deserted. in which boys, girls and in
fants in arms have been sold, the
boys for So and the girls for $3.50.
The remainder Of the people are eat
ing roots, husks, chat, bark, thistle,
tree leaves and the meat of mules too
old to be sold. Cholera is now
prevalent. sa
Similar conditions prevail thruout
The stricken area. Terror is injected |
into the situation by the operation of
bandits, who are now securing the
country robbing the stricken in
habitants of their last slim possess
lions.
The heads of families are poison
ing or drowning their wives and
and then killing themselves
,c avoid certain death by starvation
Dr. at the hands of bandits.
The famine is the result of the
spring crop failure due to the de-
iciency Of snow during the winter
line and the lack of rain in the
earlier months Of this year, resulting
N no seed of the autumn crops.
While all this has been happening,
he rest of China is highly prosper
Jus and the volume Of foreign trade
exceeds all records, but no aid has
)een given the afflicted by their
'icher neighbors and even the gov
'rnment is not very enegertic in re-
ief work, spending more time in at
empting to collect the taxes which
he people are unable to pay.
Zone thing net fOund.' said my
Informant today, lis bewailing or
awlessness. There is a detached air
# resignation among the starving /,
'eople who have not had real meal /,
n months, and this attitude is in
omphehensible to one from latest. +
they have no food they must die,
hey reason. They have no food now
nd therefore must die. That is all
here is to it, as far as the people
re concerned and that sums up the