The period of stress which is now fortunately drawing to a close has been something rarely experienced by Sining and the surrounding hsien districts. The failure of crops for two successive years, combined with oppressive taxes miftary, brought thousands of imposed by officials, civi] and
people, who yearly live on a close margin from it, to the very starvation point. Whole villages emigrated in search of food. Although the condition was nothing like that in coastal and central China, with its harrowing details, yet there was acute distress and many of the weaker people succumb-The Peking Famine Relief Com mittes sent a good sum to Lanchow, the provincial capital. Through the committee organized there, Tls. 5,000 were sent for relief in Sining and neighbouring cities. This fund could only meet part of the need, as it was specified for use in) employing famine-stricken people in the building of roads, bridges, and such ways. A deputy was appointed from chow, who surveyed the districts and opened work in those mostly affected. Thorough investigation was made to see fiat those doing the work were the most needy. Several cases where people tried underhanded methods of getting funds wrongly were summarily dealt with. The deputy and his assistants have worked in harmony with the local officials and heads of villages. The work is being supervised by a oreign missionary resident in Sining.
The writer recently took a trip through several districts affected by the famine and the fields teeming with grain promise an excellent harvest for the coming year. All along one saw the people, not waiting for the harvest, but picking ripening grain for daily needs. So the days of stress are now idly passing.
n the Sining west district an unexpected need suddenly arose. The deputy is now in that district, relieving the distress. Without warning, a storm broke over several villages up in the mountains. When the wind had ceased and the sheets of hail and sleet had done their worst, mud houses lay ju twins and the half-ripe grain was beaten, down. With the hope of this year's harvest gone, much help is" being given to these unfortunate families. There is yet Tls. 1,000 unused. This will soon go to help to relieve distress in the Tatonghsien district, northwest of Sining. The harvest there, which mostly consists of barley, is much later than here, owing to the high altitude.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.