Central Government Considering Creation of Enormous Fund:
Contributions from Provincial Bodies and Districts Nanking, July 19.
Legislation authorizing the accumulation of a $50,000,000 fund by the Central Government and) $5,000,000 by each of the provincial governments for the specific purpose of famine relief is now under consideration, The draft of a new "Law governing the Reserve Fund for Famine Relief" prepared by members Lo Ting, Liu Vu-hsua, Tsai Hsuan and Chen Chang-hong of the Legislasive Yuan has been under joint investiga tion by the Legislation and Finance Committees of the Yuan, Subject to certain modifications, the investigating committees have approv-the draft law which in its revised form is now submitted to the Legislative Yuan for adoption:
Tt will be recalled that at the first meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Famine Relief Committee last year, a resolution was adopted to petition the State Council to set aside, beginning from the 19th fiscal year (1930), a sum $5,000,000 "annually for the creation of a special fund for Fund for Famine Relief was formulated and submitted to the Scate Council and later referred to the Legislative Yuan for consideration, After various proposals were put forward and investigated) it was finally decided to draft a law on the general lines now made public. The draft consists of 15) articles and provision is made for the creation, custody, disbursement and management of a special reserve fund that will be available to meet urgent needs in faminestrieken districts. The chief features of the proposed law are as follows:
Amount and Source of the Reserve Fund:—The central and the various provincial governments will _set aside every year out of their annual budgets a fixed percentage as Reserve Fund for Famine Relief until the sum aggregates to $50,000,. 000 for the Central Government and $35,000,000 for each of the Provitfcial Governments, Municipalities and hsiens (Districts) will be divided into three classes: the minimum Reserve Fund to be created by those coming under Class A will be $600,000 for Class B $400,000 and for Class C $200,000 to be made up either by (a) stocks of grains and cereals and cash balances on hand at the Public Granaries, if any; (b) local revenues; (c) private contributions; and (d)'2 per cent. surtax on local taxes until the quota specified for each is fulfilled.
Custody of the Reserve Fut The custody of the Reserve Fund will be entrusted to Custody Commissions, For the Central Government, the Commission will consist of tive members to be appointed by the State Council with the Ministers of Finarce, and Interior as ex officio members. For Provincial Governments, five members to be appointed by the Executive Yuan with the Provincial Commissioners of Finance and Civil Affairs as ex officio members. For Municipal or Hsien Governments, five members to be appointed by' the Provincial Gove lent with the Municipal Commi sioner of Finance and the Mayor, or the Hsien Commissioner of Finance and Magistrate as ex officio members, Running expenses for such Commissions will be separately' appropriated by the respective governments and will in no case be paid out of the Reserve Fund.
Uses of the Reserve Fund;—The Reserve Fund shall be disbursed exclusively for famine relief purposes such as expenses for refugee housing, food supplies, clothing medical treatment and all other expedient charges. Whenéver necessary, equate sums should be appropriated to relieve the refugees by providing them with employment -on public reconstruction works,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.