(Delayed in the Post)
Hwaiking, Ho., Jan. 19
The first snow of this winter is now gradually melting into the winter wheat fields. While the snow, cold and wet adds to the hardship of soldiers, refugees and specially the wounded and sick in the war zone, yet there is no complaint because the coming wheat harvest is so anxiously hoped for by all having suffered from flood, war and very high grain prices.
It is not only the usual poor that have to eat black cereals or something worse this year; the head of a family of five who owns 20 mow of land said to the writer one day; bowls have had nothing white for the last six months and from now until the wheat harvest, even such as it is we can only hope for two half meals each day." It is the disrupted village and family life that to.a great extent has made living expensive.
One method that has helped greatly to steady and maintain the usual life of the suffering villager in this area and prevent them them from "taking to the road" has been that of organizing mutual aid groups and providing them with small loans. This method enabled thousands of farmers to sow their wheat fields, and then to help those who can be carriers from market to market, and barrowman to push coal from coal mine to consumer, keep farm cans busy and burden animals, revive the household industry of spinning and weaving for themselves instead of depending upon the luxury of cotton mill thread, and continue the many other activities of ordinary village life that usually helps to feed and cloth and shelter the peasant in his home surroundings and prevent his becoming a wanderer or a pauper.
Many such groups have been formed and thousands of people have been helped to be self-supporting and self-respecting citizens, during a time when the very foundations of ordinary life are being disrupted. Courage is not usually lacking where self-respect and self-support can be maintained.
Through the help of the China International Famine Relief Commission and a study and practice of their method of ce-operatives during the past three or four years an effective of giving relief at this time has been found ready at hand. For financial support the help of the China International Famine Relief Commission, The National Christian Council and the International Red Cross, hes been great.
Mobile Units @®perating Chinese mobile units operating now in North Honan as well as in so many War Zone arcas throughout China make a very interesting comparison with former military units in pre-war time. Their stealthy movements under cover of darkness, their rapid departure and arrival indicating efficient secret service work, their ready adaptation to desert, plain and mountain life, their effective military use in spite of light equipment and their remarkable consideration of the common people stands out in great contrast to the old time military unit. So often the writer has heard it said by the common people; "It is the soldier that is suffering in this war and not only the people" Meaning that in former times so often the people suffered at the hands of the military who only thought of their own welfare. The new attitude of the soldier in general is doing a lot to create and further a feeling of united national resistance.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.