Bxisting Conditions Render Futile any Attempt to Give Relief on Large Scale: Officials Indifferent or Antagonistic Peking, July 17.
The attempt of the China Inter Famine Relief Commission to undertake work in Shensi province this. spring and summer has demonstrated effectually that futile to attempt famine relief on large scale in China under conditions, in the opinion of Harry §.'Aldrich, one of the two Americans who has been in charge] of the commission's work in Shensi Mr, Aldrich, who has just return ed from Shensi, feels that sums contributed by the Americs people and turned over to the China International Famine Relief Com: sion for distribution, have been largely wasted. He urges that Americans who wish to contribute to this work hereafter send their money directly] to missionaries, who at least can more relief dollar per dollar He this. suggestion in. spite of! the face that he has no connection whatever with any missionary group.
"Mr. Aldrich heartily endorses the report of the American Red Cross commission last year, in which difficulties of relict' work under existing conditions were pointed out, After two months in Sher i, during Which he thoroughly. inspected of the work done by the Chi International Famine Relief anission, largely with American money, Mr, Aldrich was convinced beyond any doubt that military; interference, banditry, opium-growing, and corruption and ineficieney among Chinese employees of the commission wasted a very, large] part of the money sent in good] faith for relief.
"If Americans could see what was doing done with their money in Shensi, they would be disillusioned," 'Mr, Aldrich said, "The China International Famine Relief Commission thas attempted in good faith, perhaps, but' in a rather bungling fashion to distribute the funds, but the odds are all against the commission.
"Military and civil officials are indifferent at best, and at worst actively interfere with the work, During the spring and summer, the faiaine commission, in the face of] all sorts of interference, succeeded getting about 3,000 tons of grain into Shensi, But during that same period, we who looked on for two months "and the missionaries who Helped the commission throughout this period, are in agreement, that] Marshal Feng Vu-hsiang took as} nunch and probably more than this Eimetint of grain out of the province So the commission w iz grain seized by the military, and the contributions In America and China were in effect helping underwrite the past] and present, wai "when the soldiers leave, the grain When we first went we were told that some existed to the north and west of jantu, the capital. But The governor instructed us, not. tol Attempt work to the west, admitting' that he could do nothing against the bandits."
The Shensi was good, Mr. Aldrich said, winter wheat harvest in 80. that the famine had definitely} ended by the first week of June, not! ong after the commission had begu:
active work there. He ded that there have been abundant rains in Shensi this summer, so that the prospects are good for the autumn] Larvest.
"Tf there is another famine in isi this winter, it will be neces-of opium-said_ Mr. Aldrich.
'"E feel that the China Unternational Fami Relief Commission has mini this factor} ell as those of military inter erence anid banditry, the latter two being most important.
"The opium poppy was every: where in evidence in Shensi this early sumer, Tt can be conserva. tively estimated th of the cultivated la thas been put Jrito opium this year, in spite of the einger of a new famine, We were winter. told by competent observers that in yme parts of Shensi 40 per cent.
the cultivable land was planted 1m, opium, "The Famine Commission has made much of the weakness of Shensi residents. But I believe this weakness is more often due to opium-smoking than to lack of food. 'A large proportion of tke people undoubtedly are opium-smokers including some of the most prominent employees in Shensi of the Famine] Relief Commissio Mr, Aldrich was asked to overlook the accounts of the commission in Shensi, and found definite proof of corruption among com-He discovered "private accounts," that distributors wore charging the commission 80) cents a bag for transport:
distance of not more than 20 miles by water, and paying only. 55 cent:
"The attempt to get grain into] Shensi often was foolish,"
Aldrich, "We found that county' bought grain in their own districts.
gents on their own admis-ted that only one-fourth of the sales money got back to the Ihsien which had been allotted to the grain, But even this we were able to check, as we were The Famine Commission had an elaborate road-building project the spring, Mr. Aldrich said, "to give employment to famine sufferfers." The commission employed] recruiting agents at a monthly velary to enlist workers, but clu his two months in Shensi he said they had not enlisted a single! worker at the living wage offered. "AIL men who wanted work could find it on the land," Mr. Aldrich aid. "There was 'a shortage of labour because of the big spring} harvest and because so many men} enlisted or been impressed into ug Yuchsiang's armies.
Mr. Aldrich strongly resents! criticism of the American Red Cross by the China International Famine lief Commission and by professional welfare workers in the!
United. Star the Red Ci actual conditions in the famine areas. "The longer T stayed in Shensi, and the more deeply I studied the work of the commission, the more firmly I became convinced that the American Red Cross Commission was absolutely correct.
osis of the situation in China," Mr. Aldrich sai The only relief work possible under existing conditions, which are likely to continue for along time, ect relief by missionaries who ave familiar with the districts. which they live and work, During the winter and spring. by using]
relief money and that. re-jetly by their own mis-8 in Shensi opened ind refugee centres all relief that is possible nder existing conditions." feel that it is into Shensi, the commission in Peking persisted in doing in spite of protests from men on the spot, Mr. Aldrich He himself feels that it is]
to send money to the mis-for the little relief work that is possible. Missionaries who had experienced more than one famine agreed that no matter how] bad the famine, grain could be Bought locally or in closely adjacent} areas, although at high price.
The famine in Shensi was due more than anything "elie "to the depredations of Marshal For General, 1998 and again in 1928, he practically stripped the province of grain. including grain reserves. If this grain had been left in the province, the famine at least would not have teen nearly so great as it was last In all probability, there!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.