The Adair County news., 1921-02-09

District.
The area and extent of the famine
situation in China recently has been
brought out in a number of reports
reaching Peking. The region chiefly
affected extends east and west from
the Gulf of Chilli to HaB-ehinga, In
! Shensi, and north and south from Mon
golia to Shang-ching, In Honan.
Forty-twO years ago China was
swept by a memorable famine, in
which millions of persons perished
from cold and hunger. In 1878, how
ever, conditions were less serious than
at present, for at that time a wheat
crop preceded the drought, whereas to-
day, due to two years lack of rainfall,
only limited areas have produced even
the scantiest yields.
The reports have told how the trees
of entire districts have been stripped
of their leaves for use as food. The
starving people mix them with millet
chaff, clover or weeds, with minimum
OF grain, and bake them into cakes
which resemble clay. Thousands of
refugees who are endeavoring to
migrate afoot from the famine areas
are said to be living on such 'tfood,"
hoping to reach the more fortunate
cities and towns, where they may pos
sibly purchase neceSsaries of life.
Children Deserted.
Extraordinary means to obtain
money for food are reported from all
sections of the FIVE provinces. Little
children are found deserted in the
streets and many have been rescued
from the rivers into which they have
been cast by their impoverished par
ents.
The sale Of children is often re-
ported; much despised girl babies be-
ing offered for sums as low as dol
lar each. A boy of five years, whose
mother had died and whose father
was i'll, was rescued from the father
who declared that if no one would feed
him he intended to "throw him into
the river" There have been suicides
of entire families.
Reports from numerous points In the
famine area, which it is estimated will
require $500, 100000 worth of the plain
eset food to avert the greatest loss of
life, have been received as follows:
One thousand deaths from starvation
are occurring daily in the Peking dis
trict; farm and draft animals In
Tehchow in Siachank, and In Shantung,
have been sold by their owners for a
song because Of lack Of fodder to keep
them and fuel to cook them if slaugh-
tered; every road northward from
Changteho, In HOnan, swarms with
hunger-pinched humanity, many of
whom fall exhausted out of the weary
procession to die by the roadside; the
district southwest of Paotingfu, de-
nuded of vegetation, looks as though
It had been swept by a plague of 10
Gusts; at a village near WI Ch'eng, an
old man with a basket on his arm
containing about six pounds Of red
millet explained that he had traded
two overcOats and a pair of boots for
the millet, which he was taking to his
wife and their seven children.
Relief Work.
Efforts that so far have been made
to relieve the famine situation include
the following:
The Chinese ministries of finance,
agriculture and the interior, have ap-
pointed a commission to dispense a
$1,000,000 fund to be raised by short
term loan; Shanghai reports that an
other fund of S1SO0,O00 is being raised
by seven provinces at the request of
Tang Shao-yi, the chief southern
peace delegate; the japanese govern
ment has supplied 100000 bushels of
rice. In addition, representatives Of
American and British commercial in
terests in Shanghai raised $5000,000
for the Chinese Relief association.
The Peking-Hankow railway Is al
lowing refugees to travel free on
trains for South Honan and Hu-pe, and
these have been crowded with little
children or old persons unable to trek
over the mountain roads to points
where food is obtainable.