Evening star., 1928-10-21

fairly continuous experience of sad
ness. Famine conditions threaten to
be worse than those of last Winter,
and we are told that the andit-infest-
ed area doubled since the Spring. And
It's feared that the unpaid and INSULT
GENTLY fed soldiery will get out of hand.
The taxable sources have been squeezed
dry, and. even If this we're not the case.
an adequate machinery for the levying
of taxation to the account of the CEN
tral government has yet to be created.
The famine situation In Chilli and
Shantung is sufficiently known, pro-
longed from last year and exaggerated.
On top of widespread earthquake as
hideous as any of record, Kansu is this
year cursed with crop failure from
drought and by religious internal war
of unsurpassed ferocity.
And now Shensi Province. cradle of
Chinese civilization. AS so many times
of old, raises the famine vail. Hail,
locusts and drought until nothing is
10 be seen but naked earth" reads the
official appeal thus continuing:
Bandits and rebels are plundering
the homes of the people. Communists
are taking advantage of the situation
and are burning and killing. and mu-
tinous soldiers are causing horrors and
calamities. Military depredations have
swept every place clean. and every
where are broken down dwellings and
bare fields"
Of the great cities in the 18 Provinces
mot including Manchuria). the least
wretched are Shanghai, Tientsin. Nam
king and Using Tao. the first two
largely because of the economic activi-
ties Of resident foreigners, Marking be-
;- (1 Mati Il
Tsing Tao because Japan holds the
port.
The Nationalist ministry of education
issues glowing manifestoes. but the
prcsDcct is of shutting down of schools
on the grand scale.
Tho railway systems are desperately
di'apidated, with only faintest prospect
Of rehabilitation.
And the Nationlist government. Are
the stories true alleging hopeless dis
harmony after all? Are infinite intrigue.
avarice and trea"hery. corruption mex
taustibly fecund,
suggested last week that probably the
report Of the murder or massacre of as
many as 100000 harmless Confucionist
farmers Of KanSu by their brothers in
b'ood but not in religion. the Kansu
McslcmS on rampage, was exaggerated.
A report which has look of authen-
ticity bears me out Kansu is within the
region over which Feng Yu Hsisng. the
Christian general" has been won't to
exercise control. Apparently forces of
that lrader have "liQuidated" the holy
war. Possibly their rendering Of On
ward Chris ian Soldiers" fro2e the blood
Of the Moslcms, as we'll it might.
W. hear that Henry Murphy dis
tnguiShod architect from New York.
hos beon appointed adviser to the
Nanking government and that he is
TO plan Marking beautiful" incmd-
ing full set of government buildings.
Mr.. Murphy was the architect of YaF
in China and for several years worked
On plans for Canton beautiful" ="
which we're approved bv the Canton
authorities in 1927. While adopting
from the West the useful and the sani-
tary, Mr.. Murphy ingsniously adapts
them to his buildings and settings. so
that the latter are altogether celestial In
aspect celestial of the best
We also hear that the Nanking
government has contracted with Ernest
P. Goodrich. the we'll known New York
engineer, and with Prof Edwin w
Kemmerer Of Princeton the economic
galen.' Mr.. Goodrich is to construct a
flood-control canal in the Tientsin
district. which undertaking will, Incl
dentally, furnish employment to 100,
900. famine sufferers and he will
deepen the Pearl River SO that sea
shipping can reach Canton and no
longer will be compelled to transship
at Hongkong.
Mr.. Goodrich has a notable record
OF achievement, including planning and