To the Editor of the "Norta-Cuina Datty News."
Sir,—Just back from Manchuria, the following are some of the cur-rear comments I have gathered from responsible people in Manchuria and the north of China.
The foreigners in Mukden who number only about 100 all told contributed to the Famine Fund over $25,000.
The nearly 300,000 Japanese all over Manchuria contributed only a few hundreds of dollars altogether or well under $1,000.
The twenty millions and more Chinese in the same territory contributed only $60,000.
The Chinese Government of China, you report, have collected over twenty millions of dollars and have with this sum only repaid the loan from Foreigners of four millions.
The Chinese—merchants, officials and others in collusion—sent grain free on the trains ostensibly to the famine area and sold it en route pocketing the profits.
Some of the grain stuff sent was useless for man or beast and had to be destroyed.
Warm-hearted and sympathetic foreigners unused to the poverty of China or still open to its influences unconsciously exaggerated the intensity of the famine.
Many foreigners including your correspondent will never in future subscribe a single penny to any famine fund in China. The Chinese Government with the minimum of honesty is well able to look after its own people. At present according to all reports all Chinese officials care not a damn for their country or people so long as they can fil] their own pockets. A foreign missionary told me that some of the leading gentry on the field he was working said the officials were scoundrels and ought to be hung: the only difficulty, they said, was that if this lot were hung an equally predatory lot would take their place.
I am, ete., Shanghai, Aug. 22.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.