Evening star., 1944-08-13
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course in 1888 and flooded down
through Honan and Anhwci Prov
inces it submerged 20 big counties
and still causes an annual loss of
about 100000 tons of wheat and
other cereals.
Dawson says the Chinese figure
that getting the river back into its
former course and restoring this
handsome of the richest in the
wheat BELTS one Of their first post
war engineering projects.
Will Aid Agriculture.
UNRRA plans to help the Chinese
get start in such production
items as seeds, fertilizers, livestock
and veterinary supplies, insecticides,
farm machinery and equipment for
China's fisheries which now produce
only fraction of their preWar yield.
Getting relief material distributed
is going to be one of the most
dif1cult aspects Of the job, SAYS
Staley. He points to the paucity
OF railways in China and the present
dinculty of getting anything moved
anywhere because of wartime con-
dltions. China will need small mo-
tors, he says, TO power junks which
will carry supplies over the ancient
system Of inland waterways which
in many districts is surprisingly
complete.
However lack of draft animal Is
Will hamper overland movement and
one great need is for trucks and
truck parts. Staley says that a few
thousand trucks still are In opera =
tion-mostly left over from the
Burma Road operation and many
converted to burn charcoal-but
that parts are SO scarce that many
are out OF circulation.
! Disabled trucks have been robbed
to- keep others going. One Chinese
mechanic told Staley that one ma
chine to straighten and regrind
damaged crankshafts would be
worth a hundred new trucks.
Food can be moved short dis
tances by ricksha. but the Chinese
have found that the puller eats the
equivalent OF his load in so miles.
Clothing in Great Demand.
Staley and Dawson agree that
clothing is needed more generally
IN China than food The masses
In China wear cotton-even in the
cold north country where they use
padded cotton garments instead of
WOOL Before the war China grew
enough cotton for her needs and
had about 5000. 900 spindles To make
1t up into cloth. But most spinning
facilities are in occupied China and
the Japs may wreck them when they
leave.
So UNRRA plans. to get cotton
cloth and badly needed sewing ma
chimes to the liberated areas as
soon as possible This is in line
with the UNRRA policy of helping
liberated peoples to help them
selves-the sewing will put thou
sands of jobless Chinese 10 work.
It's easier, too, because Chinese
clothes are cut along simple and
quite distinctive lines and Chinese
labor can make up the goods into
clothing cheaply.
UNRRA recognizes the need for
helping the Chinese restore their
spinning industry so they can supply
themselves with cloth and to pro-
vide certain types of American cot
ton seed which. prewar experience
shows, did well in Chinese soil.
Help for the flour milling indus
try-now largely in japanese hands
and going rapidly downhill because
OF disuse and neglect-is also
thought necessary. as will be equip
ment for vegetable oils and for
making sugar.
Other fields where help will be
NEEDED will be machine shop equip
ment and supplies, materials for
making electrical goods and for the
industries making soda, paper, soap
and matches.
Lumber, always scarce in China.
will be almost nom existent and there
will be large demand for cement
until Chinese factories car rsume
or be built to take care of 1t.
Distributed by Associated Press