Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-04-07
Richmond Daily Register
n. sAUFLNY, Editor and Proprietor
Real Conditions In China

Real conditions OF the famine
situation in China were contained
in letter received by Louis
vile business man from Lorenzo
Martin, Louisville newspaper cor
respondent in Washington. Mr..
Martins letter was in answer to
an inquiry from the Louisville
man for official data. Mr.. Mar
tins letter follows in part:
81 referred a copy of your
questions to the American Red
Cross. That organization answer
ed questions number five and six
and obtained answers to the other
four questions from the China
Famine Fund Committee, OF
which Thomas w. Lamont is the
chairman, and headquarters of
which are in New York.
In addition to the information
obtained from these sources, |
communicated with the Chinese
legation and obtained the follow
ing facts:
Officials at the legation say
the famine extends throughout
the five northern provinces Of
China. The greatest difficulty in
relieving the famine, according to
the Chinese legation, is the result
of inadequate railroad and trans
portation facilities in that sec
ton of the country. The Red
Cross statement says:
"The most reliable estimate
which has been received is that
the total population affected by
the famine is 45,0O0000 persons
Of>this number it is estimated
that from 100000 to 100000
persons are actually threatened
with death from starvation unless
they receive immediate assist
lance. The funds of the Ameri-
can Red Cross have been given
chiefly for specific purposes and
cannot be diverted. The Red
Cross has been greatly moved,
however, by appeals from China
and from available funds, not 9th
erwise committed, has appropri-
ated 100000 for relief of the
famine sufferers. The problem
of relief in China is 50 vast that
no single agency can s9lKe more
than a small part of it"
The information from the China
Famine Committee in New York
follows: "The Chinese govern
ment has officially approved the
solicitation of relief funds in the
United States. This approval
came in the form of a c0mmuni-
cation from the Minister Of For
eign Affairs in Pekin to the State
Department in Washington in re-
spouse to an official note advising
the Chinese government of the
appointment by President Wilson
of the American Committee for
China Famine Fund. The Chi
neSe government has borrowed
against surtaXes the sum of 81
O00,0OO and has negotiated inter
nal loans of smaller sums, the
proceeds of same all going for re-
lief work. Free transportation
on government railroads is given
both to relief workers and suppl
les. A presidential edict against
expectation of food stuffS failed
because Of the opposition of other
governments.
Purchasing of rice by the Chi
nese government in this country
would be uneconomic. Our own
committee in Pekin, representa-
tive Of the most influential Amer
leans in China, strongly oppose
purchase Of any foodstuffs in the
United States for transportation
to China. Food can be bought
there cheaper than it can be
bought here. 1t is solely ques-
ton of money with which to
make these purchases. Incidentlv
the famine district is not rice
eating district, The principal
products are wheat, millet, barley