There is abundant cause "for re-awakening the sympathy of the British public for the distressed victims of the disastrous floods in the Yangtse Valley. The appeal which is headed by the Archbishop of York is justified by the work already done under the auspices of the National Flood Relief Commis sion and by the peril availing that work in the train of recent events. Briefly the Commission has been financing its relief on the bedrock expenditure of $3,400,000 monthly, its income. being estimated at $3,200,000, it being confidently. expected that the balance would be made up by further donations and. other sources of revenue as time goes jon, Unfortunately the upheaval caused by the Sino-Japanese crisis has gravely reduced the income available. The Goverhmen, faced with a quasi-war, has lect, unable to release funds to the extent expected, owing to the demands for military expenditure, Customs receipts hav seriously dropped. Moreover public subscriptions boce have fallen, off because of the crisis, and because of the siational sentiment which demanded finan-[cial contributions to the Chinese troops defending Chinese soil against Jo]. Now that hostilities have ceased—a state of things which wil, it is to be hoped, continue—this drain may diminish but it is estimated [that £220,000 will be required to maintain Flood Relief at the proper standard of effectiveness, leven if this amelioration appears at the earliest possible date. The Comission has received great assistance. from the American Advisory Committee other wi could not possibly have fon so long and so well as it has. British.aympathy has been actively at work. Dean Hewlett Johnson, as the agent of the Archbishop of Canterbury 'come here to examine the situa-
Hiis report, it may be con-lectured, has been the prime mover in the appeal which, io] the absence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who, as the cables recently announced, has~ had to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.