'The one important question with us now is whether there is going' to be an autumn harvest. Apart] from watered land, there was wheat harvest in June, but since then there have been some welcome showers and millet and maize have been planted. 'The rain, however, was too light to give the crops a good start and, now that the scorch-ting heat has come, everything has) been burnt up. in the northern' hills, however, we hear of two! days? continuous rain, which has Jalmost guaranteed an autumn harvest, but in the more populous: parts of the province the situation is serious, for even the well-to-do. Feople are getting to the end of their resources. An additional gift '0f $58,000 from the International Famine Relief Fund has been very welcome. It is being spent on developing existing relief work, and enlarging the refuges and gruel kitchens, which have been proved.
be efficiently run, To gather' three or four hundred destitute children into suitable airy rooms end courtyards, to feed and teach them, and carry them through to} the end of the famine is a most effective way of using relief funds, and that is being done in a number of places. There is a lot of; fever in the city just now, both typhus and other kinds, and that takes it the more important to Jet those we help into healthy sur-
{fell of soldiers, the roads infested by robbers every night, here and there banditry burning and carrying, patient General Shang Chen, Chairman of the Hopei Provincial Government, who has visited the spot and knows exactly how matters stand and the urgency of immediate relief has telegraphed urgently to the Nationalist Government at Nanking asking for financial aid; but as the upkeep of the dykes is not, strictly speaking, a government concern, but purely a local one, it is difficult tt, see how Nanking can help unless, realizing the gravity of the tion, and the menace to Tientsin, it decides to. make a financial grant! cat of its own pockets. Tt is estimated that at I $500,000 will prose patching up and strengthening of the breach and relief to the villagers whose houses have] been washed away.
The Danger to Tientsin Should we have any further heavy downpour of rain and a continuance of the: summer freshets, Tientsin cannot escape the danger: of floods. The overflow of water will come direct into the Haiho, the surrounding country and villages: will be flooded and the city of Tien-isin will be turned into a miniature Venice, The Italian, French and British concessions and other parts fof Tientsin including the Native City will all be flooded.
Time and again the danger of a recurrence of the disastrous floods 1917 has been brought to the attention of those responsible for the upkeep of the Haiho if something were not done at once to put the Haiho in order. But all to no Finally, the Haiho Improve-invent Scheme has been put through and work is supposed to start forthch. But the days of miracles are No work started on now to Gen. 7 in. Houchang there is Gen. Fan Chen-wa: in the sector of the province north of the river there is Gen, Liu Chen-h Loyang there is Gen. Son Liang chen: and each of "these leaders controls the istrict in which situated. Thus it may well be the froth that, as rumour has it, Gen.
has asked to be permitted resign from the chairmanship of "the Honan Government. 20m mittee. The same report as. forts that Nanking has" refused this reavest, and has promised that means will be provided to give the Government control of the province. At the present time, the: Chairman has asked for leave, on account the death of his aged mother. General Shih Yoshan will act for him Sntil such time as he is able to re~ tam to daty. improve the Haiho can flood danger to Tientsi take at least one year to carry out the Improvement Scheme.
Later.
Although reports just to hand are more reassuring with regard to the flood menace, the situation is still critical.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.