Famine Conditions as the Result From Our Own Correspondent, Taichowfu, Sept. 21.
It is now more possible to form some estimate of the damage done to the Taichow district by the flood and typhoon of September 4 to 7.
From all parts of the districts reports have come of great damage done to houses, fidds and crops; and further loss of life has been reported from the Dadien district where some 30 people are said to have been drowned. Only the one case of drowning—of an old woman—has been reported in the city of Taichow, but a woman and her family of four children lost their lives in the destruction of a house outside the South Gate of the city whilst ber husband was engaged trying to move their household property. The northern and northwestern districts of Tient'ai and Sienkyi suffered very considerably in their more lowland parts, especially near the rivers where crops were quite lost, but the more hilly parts largely escaped: these two Asien cities were flooded, it is said,
fect.
the depth of some three or four Tue Reis Most Comprere.
But the brunt of the storm fell) on Singhaihsien which contains Taichow city and is the more central portion of the district; this has already been explained as due to the confluence of the T'ient'ai and! various Asiens, designed earlier in} the year to prevent the export of} rice from the district, should be re-i moved to allow the more equal distribution of the grain, og. from the' more favoured hsien of Huang-yen through the district, thus lowering prices. Unfortunately there is opposition to this, fear from some interested quarters which we hope will be overcome.
The officials are also endeavouring to purchase stocks of grain from outside.
All this, however, requires money, and the official resources even backed Ly the voluntary offerings of the local rich appear at present utterly inadequate to the task. Hangchow has been petitioned to help, but the response to Singhai, said to be some £4,000-85,000, will not go far where the need is so great.
The country districts and smaller towns are also forming relief committees, and it has been mooted that something in the nature of a percentage property tax may be raised to help the situation. while the colder weather is approaching and houses are needing repairs in all directions. The cotton which was to have helped to keep the people warm has gone, and they are faced with limited supplies of nourishment and in many cases practical starvation.
Rervores from tae Norta."
Refugees from the North China famine district have already arriv. ed in Taichow. and the attention of China and the world is directed to the greater calamity which has already settled on these unhappy northern provinces. But were it not that the distress of Taichow is overshadowed by the terrible suffering in the north, the Taichow
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.