Some friends of China feel thet the reconstruction attempts in China in general and in Kiangst in particular are not thorough because the authorities have not tackled the problem of land tenure. It may not be out of place here to report what round work has been accomplished and is being pushed ahead vigor~ ously in the Province. The last registration of land in Kiangst took place in the Ming Dynasty. As a matter of fact, to-day no one save the owner knows exnetly how muth land he owns, for the land tax. still collected according to the land deeds. and the original owners were dead Tong ago.
Much Innd. was omitted from the last registration of title deeds. and new Jand since reclaimed has ald its tax. No one in the province really knows the total acreage of farable Jand and the ownership drought, or too much water which 'e0uses flood, must be brought to better conditions for plant growth by artl-Mela control. " Adult farmers are organized and their Labour is conscripted for a few days each year to bulld dykes and ponds by order of the government "and under ity supervision, "During 1984, no Tess than 1,700,000 days. of labour were this given by the farmers and 1.400.000 mow of farm land were benefitted by this work.
Another interesting: item should be mentioned—here—group weddings, which were hold at three centres last winter. Pirst of nil, the prospect of a wedding In a family fs literally a ancial nightmare. A farmer of average means has to spend at feast $200'for the marriage of his son.
This often handicapped the now connie for tite for such a Yaree amount of money must in many enses be borrowed at an Interest rate of 2 to 4 per cent. per month 'A-aum of $100 to $150 is required the room as a qift to the bride' parents, and in addition, " presents Stich og ment and wine, worth ar much ax $40 to $60 are' sise given to the bride's family. "Gifts wort! 28 or 60 cents presented by the num: rong relatives and neighbours en-ile donors to bring their entire families to the wedding to be ivan {reo entertainment of food and drink for three days, Tt is, tu fuct a feasting "racket of the community fat the expense of the marrying connie, Group weddings, Welfare centres were quite a differ ent thing. The magistrate of the Hisien oMeinted vat the ceremony before n large number of spectators.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.