Whilst this great calamity has fallen for the greater part on the wealthiest section of the town, still a proportion of small tradesmen and poor families have also suffered severely, this being inevitable in the circumstances. On the day of the outbreak, the Commissioner sent a telegraphic message to Yuan Shibkai informing him of the conflagration, A few days later a proclamation was issued announcing that the President had sent $3,000 to help the most needy. To this the Com: missioner personally added Tls. 1,000, so relief was organized on a small scale.
The present offers an excellent opportunity to reconstruct the town on modern lines, and the Commissioner—s progressive man—hes already suggested a scheme, which if adopted by the townspeople, will improve the health and appearance of Tachienlu immeasurably, and go far to prevent the recurrence of such disastrous fires.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.