Lite in the Haichow District has certainly not been monotonous during the last few months. The floods from the Yellow River came in and deluged one part after another of the district and seriously threatened Haichow itself. The hasty construction of a big dyke saved the city from inundation, but the country round hag suffered severely. As silently and as quickly as the waters came in, so quietly and suddenly they passed off most of the Haichow land, leaving only the very low places' still inundated. Though the floods were of comparatively short duration, they were so timed and of such proportions as to do terrible damage to this section, Some lost both their bean crop and their wheat, others lost only one crop, When the waters had gone down sufleiently to allow the once excel~ Tent roads to show up it was a-pitiful sight to behold the havoc that had been wrought, Haichow was proud of fis road system, because the roads were not only well built as compared with those of many other Sections, but they were kept up. through' constant repair work done by regular road gangs. Mr. Miao, formerly the Chinese District Inspector of the Salt Administration, was a road enthusiast and he did really excellent and constructive work in that line in much of the Work Relief Projects Some of the flood-ruined roads have been partially rehabilitated by the Road Construction Bureau con-neeted with the Salt Administration, and some of them are being reconstructed as work-relief projects of the China International Famine Relief Commission, under the supervision of one of the members of the American Presbyterian Mission in Haichow. One of the roads being thus restored, fg between Panpu and Yangehiachi. This work is being extended to include the rond from Yangehiachi to Hsiangshuikowtsih, -Yangehlachi is the place from which Rev. J. W. Vinson was taken by bandits in Nov-jamber, 1931, Tunghsin, another place on this road, between Yangchiachi and Panpu, is the place from which Mr. Vinson's body was recovered, after he had been curdly murdered bby his bandit captors. The road from Panpu to Yangehiachi was built after ithe killing of Mr. Vinson, and it was tung, with the ultimate destination of Tsingao, when the roads have been extended to that city.
System Taking Shape Again Though the Haichow road system was given a heavy set-back by the floods, and though" the system has been disrupted almost beyond description; with the ce-operation of the local officials, military forces which now occupy this district, the Salt Administration, and the China International Famine Relief Commission, this road system is rapidly taking shape again, and the prospect for the future is very bright. It is probe able that in the near future, the Haichow district will be covered by a network of roads more extensive and more effective than before. This is greatly to be desired, because it will do more than almost anything else toward ridding this district of the hordes of bandits who have made life one long nightmare for many of the people of this Part of China.
There is one very important stretch of road which is greatly needed, that for some reason has not been con. structed—the short route between Hsukow and Laoyao, in the Lienyun special district, 'The Haichow harbour ig being constructed at Laoyao and Hsukow, which is the natural place for the' larger development of the new business which will come with the new harbour, is only about five miles to the west of it. The roads from Haichow and Panpu to Hsukow have been constructed, but this small distance of five miles has no road. This is a tremendous handicap. The Lunghai Railway runs across there, it is true, but this does not take the place of a motor highway.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.