To the Editor of the Noxra-Cumwa Dairy News, Dear Sm,—I have read with great interest Mr. Paton's letter regarding the distress in Shantung; also the communication of your correspondent " Wanderer and in response to your request beg to send the following lines First of all I would suggest that time be taken for enquiry and consideration, At resent there is no immediate need. Rain now fallen plentifully in the North; and Lhave no doubt the districts under discussion may have participated of the bountiful, showers. Again we are in the midst of autumn; the Indian corn ready, the millet fast ripening, melons fruits and vegetables,—such as may be—at the perfection -of their season, labour in demand, and the weather warm. We can safely therefore afford to wait.
and Chink the Tis, 500 which you mention sympathy with relieving present distress I mod banly ae that I am in full may be well spent. But there are many ways of reli distress, and it is well to exercise discriniination.' "Should it ever" fall to my lot again to administer relief in famine or flood I would adopt a different plan to the former one, I would not give ready money straight off to refugees to consume and then huddle together" agai and look for more, poor people, but. would sift the sufferers, find out what they could do, and provide carpenters, and mechanics with tools and material, cultural la-hourers with picks and shovels, the women with cotton wool to spin, cocoons to reel or strawbraid to plait; and thus try to utilize their work ina profitable manner. Ofcourse would provide food or money to start with; but I would direct their Tabour and see that they did it. When famine spreads on a large scale such "economics" are impossible but when practicable and so far as practicable it seems the right way to do. And I have no doubt' these two gentlemen who have kindly offerred to be the almoners of our bounty in Northwest Shantung will keep these things in view.
But distress is chronic in China. There is hardly a traveller in avy part of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.