be interested to know how much money has been received and how it is being spent.
In view of the letter which ap= pears in vu: correspondence columns on famine relief Mr: Shao-ying Yeh, M.A. LIB., a graduate from the University of Aberdeen, who is voluntarily devoting his time to the work of the Committee as English secretary, gave some facts to a representative of this paper.
"Up to the present," Mr. Yeh said, some $300,000 has been received, approximately $5,000 daily. The money passes through the hands of the four treasurers, all men of reliable standing. As you know, we have not established ourselves ' in centres outside of Shanghai. We have, however, sent funds to the already existing relief organizations in affected areas, who distribute for us. $100,000 has been sent to Honan; $100,000 to Tientsin; $50,000 to Shansi, $20,- 000 to Peking, $20,000 to Chekiang; and $5,000 to the National Holiness Mission (#) in Shantung. All of these organizations are controlled by men of unblemished character.
"At our last meeting there were some who objected to our distributing indiscriminately to those who asked for aid. It was found difficult to answer all the calls for money. On the other hand it was realized that if the Committee were to send out investigators and distribute the funds itself, the expense involved would be enormous. Accordingly a telegram was sent to Dr. Gray, of the British Legation at Peking, who is chairman of the Peking United Committee, asking him to advise us what he considered the best form for our stork to assume. I have just received a reply which read:
Mr. acting secretary Chinese Famine Committee, "Shan, Beyond acceding to American Red Cros Society's request for allotment of special district the Peking. United Committee are not dividing famine area into separate units. We consider most, effective form of relief lies in coordination of all the societies and organizations into centres which will distribute relief acjing to one general plan. We are in-ing delegates to a conference here (in Peking) for first week of November to arrange fields of work and best form of financial distribution. Liang Shih-yi and Gray.
"There was also a discussion as to whether we should assume the distribution work ourselves or when ther we should forward the money to this United Committee to distribute for us. Our Chinese members think that as we collect the money, the public depend on us to distribute it, not others."
"What are your plans for reconstruction work?"'—'"There have been many such suggestions from various people, but we regard the feeding and clothing of the sufferers as the most important work in view! of the severe winter conditions which they are about to face. As soon as conditions allow we shall be in a position to talk about reconstruction work."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.