To the Editor of the "NowrH-Cutwa DAILY News."
Si—On the 15th instant the prefect of the city with some gentlenen, Chinese and fo to form a Chinese Famine Relief Committee for Hanjchungfu and district, 'Although the conditions of the surrounding country have been very' bad during the last two years, we! never suspected that drought would last 7 any decision arrived at by the Council isan entirely inadequate method of making such matters known to the ratepayers and the general 'That the ratepayers' annual meeting is held at an hour which prevents a fully representative attendance, and does not afford adequate facilities for the proper consideration of municipal matters, must be obvious to that what happened at the last annual meeting Is liable to be repeated in connection with any resolution put. forward, in the future, unless the Council takes the trouble to make its policy, and reasons for its adoption, known to the public by proper publicity. If the Council wants. to be supported by the ratepayers, it must at least take them into its confidence, The circumstances under which the annual meeting is held practically preclude any sort of general discussion, and there is at resent no recognized open forum where ratepayers, and other residents who have the welfare of the Settlement at heart, can meet. toother to exchange vie muniefpal. Until this it practically impossible to create anything like a representative body of public opinion, the existence of which would be of infinite value to the Council in so many ways. Tt is searcely likely that he promised Publication in the press of more detailed minutes of Council meetings will carry us very far in the required direction, and it is only by gathering the people together and getting them to discuss fully the many questions connected with the administration of the Settlement, that residents will be encouraged to take an active interest in such matters. There is only one way in which this can be done, and that is by the resuscitation of the Foreign Ratepayers' Association and its official recognition by the Council, Consular Bodies and Chambers of Commerce. All those who occupy prominent positions in this City must consider it their bounden duty to take active part in the Assoc! tion, in order to ensure a thor ly representative Committee of ternational character which may be relied upon to guide the activities of the Association along proper But shortage and failure the last autumn crops and the enormous number of starved people: coming from the north and from the other provinces affected by famine created for all this south portion of the province an exceptionally difficult. situation, Many portions of the famine area fire still without rain, and—this means that in these dry areas, it will be impossible for the crops to mature, at least for the wheat, which creates a steadily increasing of need.
'The main famine centres in which the need becomes increasingly severe and where nearly the total] of the population is affected, are Luoyanhsien, Mienhsien, Ningkianghsien, the northwest of Nanchenglisten' and Chengkuhsien, and the northeast of Paochenghsien—with 'a number of about two millions in extremely miserable condition, so in dire need of relief.
Then come next the districts of Fonghsien, Liupahsien, Sisianghsien, Yanghsien, Chengpahsien and Fuppinghsien with a 230,000 starving people.
According to native reports 300, }000 have already died of starvation, and the outlook even for the spring and the summer is by no means right.
Very many rich men are reduced to_poverty.
How pitiable to see hundreds of beggars together moving from place to place and eating roots and Many have sold whatever they had, ground and house and their poor; furniture for an extremely low price to get food and then go on the road and die after a few days [from cold and starvation.
There are so many dead in the district of Luoyanhsien particularly that no men care to bury them.
For these poor people who are already suffering from past and resent political and military unrest, and now dying for shortage of food, the undersigned appeal to the: generosity of all charitable men and Institutions for prayer and] help.
We are, ete.,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.