The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-03-31
(By Nationalist News Agency

/
Mail) 1t is not only enemy armies
that the nationalist forces of China
are fighting and defeating today.
There is another, even greater enemy
flood and famine. Nationalist
China is putting up defenses in Cen
trail China today that will cheat the
floods on the Yangtze of ten million
victims.
They came just in time last fall. Pro-
videntially, the peasants say. "One
month later, and we should have been
lost" the farmers tell you as they
work feverishly under the supervi-
sion of the new Hupeh Dyke Com
mission of the Nationalist Govern
ment to repair the unprecedented
breaks in the dykes caused by last
years torrents, which left the Yang
tie dyke system in such battered
state that, it seemed, nothing but a
miracle could prevent wholesale fam
inc in 1927.
No Urging Needed
The Nationalist Government today
is urging the peasants of Hupeh on,
but their words are scarcely neces-
sary. Seventy thousand peasants are
working like mad men. They know,
better than anyone can tell them,
what is at stake. A chance of saving
their homes and their very lives was
offered them when the Kuomintang
forces came last fall. They need no
urging to help in the work Of repair
ing the broken dykes.
Last year there was the worst flood
Central China has seen in fifty years.
The waters came raging down from
the uplands, down the Yangtze and
the Han, and the dykes, which for
thirty years had been neglected by
the various warlords who had held
the region, broke in a score of
places. Thousands of acres of farm
land were under water Crops we're
ruined. Hundreds died in the floods
or, later, Of starvation. And when
in the early fall, the water subsidized
and the people came back to their
land, they looked with dismay at the
battered dykes, convinced that with
the rising of the waters the next
summer, nothing could save them.
No Help From WI Pei-fu
There really seemed no hope for
the peasants late last summer. To
save Hupeh, repairs on large scale,
with organized labor and expert SUI
pervision were needed. It meant
money, and the peasants were penni-
| less.
Late last summer, WI Pei-fu
seemed secure in Hankow. And the
peasants knew they could look for no
help from him and his subordinate
generals in the matter of dykes. WI
had watched last years flood, as he
had watched previous floods, without
lifting a finger. All the money he
could raise went into his armies. For
years, the dykes had been neglected.
1t is no wonder, then, that the
peasants look upon the coming of the
Nationalist forces to Hankow as a
miracle. 1t meant that Immediately
money and men were thrown into the
battle against the coming of the
floods. Actually, however, it was a
part of the Nationalist plan. The
Kuomintang knew in advance all
about last years breaks in the Yang
TIE dykes. They knew that disas-
ter doomed ahead for the people of
Hupeh and Human. This was one of
the things that urged the armies on.
Every day on the way, the leaders
knew, meant one day lost on neces-
sary work of repair. Ten million
people were in danger of famine.
No Time Is Lost
When the Hankow region was
finally taken last fall, no time was
lost. Immediately commission was
formed, the Hupeh Dyke Commits
sion, composed of the head of the
Ministry of Communications, Mr.. Sun
Fe, the head of the Ministry Finance,
Mr.. T. V. Soong, and General Chang
Tso-pin. There was a hasty survey
of the damage from last years flood,
and budget. Three and a half mil
lions were needed Immediately to
mend the dykes sufficiently to pre-
vent the flooding this year of half the
province, including the Wuhan cities,
Hankow, Wuchang and Hanging. Mr..
SOong raised the money, and the work
began. The actual direction was
placed in the hands of Mr.. Wang Chi,
a local Hupeh man, familiar with
dyke problems. Under him were
placed Chinese engineers. Recently,
foreign engineer, Mr.. o. j. Todd.
who has been in charge OF engineer
ing work for the International Fam
inc Relief Commissio", was employed
as supervising engineer.
at is a close race, this race against
flood and famine" said Mr.. Sun Fo
in an interview yesterday, "but we
believe we will win. We have start
ed late, but we are working overtime.
We must erect. ternnt!nrv haryica daa