Hongkong's water problem 7 serious, but the authorities," by promptly sending out yessoly which have returned with shelf, thnks filled with the precious fluid, have furnished relief which has tided the people over during the period of shortage. But nothing that man can. conceive of will relieve the suffering of many a Kuangtung fat-mer. Above Canton, along the West River, are acres upon acres of paddy fields. filed with ripening rain that will not yield a cent of profit. The long drought has done irreparable damage to the rice.
Tt is the irony of fate that some farmers in South China should suf-for from lack of water while the crops of others have been destroyed by a flood. Above the Kuangst city of Wuchow lies the county of Lai Po, one of the richest cultural sections of that province. On July 5 the rainfall in the hinter-Jand was s0\ excessive that the water of the two streams that irgate this region rose and, two days later, overflowed their baal The waters continued to. rise spread over the whole of Lai P Several hundred peasants were drowned, and nearly all the cat poultry,'and other living creatures in the farmyards were destroyed. The farmers have had to take to boats and rafts, and relief parties from Wuchow have gone into the fooded area to rescue the victims of the unruly: iver.
Below Canton, scarcity of rain has not caused the growing grain to dry up, but a cal of 3 Peculiar kind has done damage that ruin most of the rice in country bordering on the Peatl River. In this swampy land lives a small member of the crab family that has been looked upon by the peasants as a blessing rather then' a curse. Cut up into small pieces, these crustaceans have made fine food for the farmer's ducks, Allis so different this year.. Something about these pigmy crabs is poisoning the ducks, and many of them have died. The long hot spell has caused a much larger colony. of these little creatures to abound in this region than usual, and, Tack ing sufficient food because of the increased number, the crabs have taken to nipping at the rice stalks, This has kept the rice from developing as it should.
Acconping to the Chinese press, the Minister of Railways has ordered a resumption of through trans. portation facilities over the Peking-Suiyuan, Peking-Hankow, cho-Tsinan, Taiyuan-Chengting, Lunghai, and Tao-ching Railways.
Completing his scientific expedition in Asia for the Field Museum. of Chicago during which he secured 4 specimen of the rare giant Panda, Colonel Theodore Roosevelt arrived in Shanghai on August 1 on route to Washington to take up his duties Governor-General of Porto Rice. I li Hendge, who, died from the effects of sub-tertia fever.
This week the expedition practic cally terminated and they were Dringging in a large collection of big. snd small mammals, birds and reptiles. 'The giant panda killed by Colonel' Roosevelt and his brother Hermit is "I believe" said Colonel Roosevelt "the first ever killed." The panda was shot in the latter rt of May in the lower mountains h tie between the Szechuan nains and the plateaus of Tibet. Colonel Roosevelt went on to say shat the scientists are not agreed to the classification of the panda, uncos in opinion claim the nda a mule or subspecies ecimen will give them the opportunity to classify the animal, This was the first time in history that "such a specimen had been obtained for scientific study.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.