The public has heard a good deal of recent months of the floods and famines in Chekiang, not only in many reports from correspondents in the affected area, but in appeals by the Chinese-Foreign Famine Relief Committee for funds to relieve the~suffering" International sub-committees are still at work completing the distribution of food 80 far as funds will permit, but an important step forward was taken at a meeting held the other night when the Chinese-Foreign Famine Relief Committee agreed strongly to support the Ningpo International Committee in starting prevention work. Mr. F. W. Carey, Commissioner of Customs, Ningpo, and ce-Chairman of the Chinese-Foreign Famine Relief Committee at Ningpo, presented a most interesting report on necessary prevention work, emphasizing the need for skilled engineering help to enable the various districts to determine actually what ought to. be done to prevent a recurrence of the floods and famine of last-year, and it was settled that @ conser-fancy engineer should be secured to commence the work of investigation and survey almost immediately. The various branch committees, as well as the people who suffered' from the recent floods, are clamouring for expert advice, and all are eager to have something started at once and to assist in carrying out the plans formulated by the engineers.
So often conservancy. and famine prevention projects are talked of for years, and little or nothing accomplished, that it is refreshing to know that little time is being wasted in Chekiang. The Ningpo Chinese-Foreign Famine Committee and its parent body, the Chinese-Foreign Famine Relief Committee of Shanghai, are to be congratulated on this achievement.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.