The China Interaational Famine Relief Commission sends the following report, dated from Peking,
Nine hundred and thirty tons of grain have been shipped to famine and destitution areas by the China International Famine Relief Commission within the last month. The bulk of this amount was sent within the last 10 days. Six hundred more tos are on the way from Ma iraad transportation was entirely free. No taxes of any sort were levied upon the relief supplies, cither by national or local authori ties, This was in accordance with the pledge made by the Nanking Government that shipments into stricken areas would be entirely tax-free. The grain was purchased bby the Commission at 40 per cent, less than merchants would have to pay for the foodstuffs. One hundred tons of grain were sent to Paotow, at the end of the Suiyuan line. One hundred und fifty more tons were despatched to Saratsi in the same starving province, The Salvation Army has sent 100 tons for distribution in Kweihuacheng, also in Suiyuan, Kalgan re-cived 100 tons. Honan received 200 tons and Shensi was given 180 tons, This totals 930 tons. Fifty more tons are awaiting shipment at Fengtai, the railway junction about 10 miles from Peking, for the Mukden, Hankow and Suiyuan railway Hines, It has not been decided whether this will go to Honan, Shensi or Suiyuan, but which of the stricken areas will get this addi ional, although small amount rain, will depend on which pro vides' the transportation facilities first.
Transport Dificulties Transportation is the greatest problem to be met with in the task of getting the grain, once purchased, to the hungry mouths, There fare plenty) of freight ears, but locomotives are few and far between. The Peking-Suiyuan line, for instance, ix reported to have not more than ten locomotives for its entire service, A member of the Comission, on recent travels over the railway, counted the locomotives and confirms this scarcity. The Poking-Mukden line has about 60 locomotives left in any shape at all, The rest are useless until they have been sent to the repair: shops for more or less extensive periods, and a large number are be-Yond repair. The Peking-Hankow line, which feeds the stricken Shensi. Shansi, and Honan regions, has been able to handle the calls made on it so far. The co-opera tion which, despite their crippled ion, the railroads are extend revealed by the shipments the last fow weeks. how are famine rations tabulated might be of interest to the average reader.
Famine rations consist of two-t ds of a catty for person each day. There are 1,680 feat ties to a ton, On famine Inbour tasks, it would be impossible to continue work at such a short rae tion, and the families of the labourers also must be fed. Therefore, each worker on a famine task, such road-building. is granted six to two catties for himself and four for his family, which consists at average of about five or six others. The 920 tons at famine rations should feed 40,000 persons for two months. The China International Famine Relief Commission, how-exer, has money and resources to feed 200,000 people for two month at present,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.