Need for Funds To the Ealtor of the "Norti-Cuua Dany News"
Sim—It does not seem to be realized, that a very large sum of, money will be wanied, in order to meet the most primitive wants of destitute refugees in the Shanghai area, particularly Chinese.
believe, that a" local Committee aims at securing two hundred thousand dollars but while fully realising the great amount of work which the administration involves, the Shanghat community will be wise to face the fact, that such a sum can only scratch the surface by comparison, with requirements, Practically every refugee is without. belongings, except what they stand up. in, 'Many' of them are women, with starving children but without a place to lay their heads. The men must watch their families shrine from sheer starvation.
"Those who have been able to peg. out a claim on a stone door-way are Fegarded as fortunates. The Winter will bring a very heavy toll amongst these pitiful beings, many of whom, are likely to accept even death, as welcome relict from the clrcumstances in which they may find themselves. They have all had homes of Sorts. Many are families of honest and hardworking Iabourers, but what ies before them, if charitable funds run out and they find. themselves without anywhere to turn to keep. body and soul together? It matters: ttle how crude the fare may be, but these honest destitutes will need to bbe Kept alive, which means, clothing, food, some kind of medical resources ete,, for a woman cannot have @ baby ona door step. The outloole unfortunately has to be faced.
'Some act of providence may bring. about an unexpected termination to, the present hostilities, but when it all over, these destitutes and sorely tried, will never forget a. helping hand' to put them back from whence they came.
Shanghat cannot go on paying the whole bill all the time, Funds. will dry up locally, for trade in every form 1s dead ahd the fight for mere commercial existence—is getting harder. That is" the outlook for which a remedy has to be sought in shape of funds. Where are these funds to come from? This Is the problem which has to be solved. Fearing the possibility that the significance of the following extract from "The Times"—London, (as published "It is sincerely to be hoped that sympathizers in' this country will be afforded an opportunity, many days medical are over, recount cent suff Shanghai can justly claim to have cial and oficial classes.
quota" of sufferers, however—what Is wanted hero is money. 'The whole of England would probably respond. to an' appeal for funds, but if assistance takes the form of medical and other supplies, 4 very large proportion would be certain {0 prove utterly useless on arrival. Red Cross assistance would be helpful, but money is what is wanted—money to purchase those things which are most needed. The writer was on the Earthquake Relief Committee in Japan and can state from personal experience, that unless some guidance is given to the donors, the recipients are likely to be snowed under with a kind of assistance which would prove a indra rather than a help and a good deal of the material would have to find its way under the—auctloneer's hammer, Wt is common knowledge that there {is a good deal of world sympathy for these unfortunate and" destitute Chinese. Very substantial sums of money wore raised in various foreign countries by the international Rellet Committee located in Kobe: This Committee administered something approaching ¥700,000, apart from vast quantities of clothing, blankets, Toodstufts ote, and incidentally Shanghat residents were most onerous in their response. Without outside assistance it, would not have been possible to contemplate the task, but the way in which funds were forthcoming, made it possible in cer~ tain cases, to fund the cost of educa tion of children, who had been left orphans. The great danger, in the ease of appeals, is that the finds may go wholly to one quarter, but If for-countries are now alive to the sorry plight. of the destitute, then Shanghai may justly claim the right to participate and certain responsible foreign members of the community should be entrusted with the administration of a fair proportion.
Purely for-the purpose of raising! funds for the assistance of the destitute I would therefore sug-
'Appeals through the various Consular Services to their respective countries for these funds. A Lord Mayor's Fund In London would meet with ready response, From memory' the Lord Mayor's Fund in London reached about £30,000, only a part Jof which was needed by the International Rellet Committee, in Kobe.
instance, Consular Services _are Jdebarred from the action suggested, then let the appeal be made through other responsible nationals of the countries.concerned, who are free of diplomatic considerations.
3. Tt may be that the Shanghai 'Municipal Council need not withhold association with such charitable appoals, It matters' little from whom these emanate, so long as they have the necessary standing which of course is imperative.
'Both Manchester' and Bradford have done enormous business in Shanghai in the past. and T venture to suggest that an appeal to these quarters, at this time, would not find them wanting. There must be very large quantities of surplus materials (known as fents) lying about the warehouses. and mills around Lancashire, and Yorkshire, and gifts of this kind' would be of enormous use this winter but T am confident that an Appeal for funds would meet with a generous response.
However T make these suggestions the hope that they will be acted upon, and that steps will be taken to ensure that Shanghai will get its share of whatever lies behind the extract from "The Times" which T have quoted. 'There seems little doubt that ah appeal for' funds to the United States of America would be received with that generous spirit of response for which her citizens are 0 well. known.
IPB, Shanghai, Sept, 30, Challenge to the Wealthy To the Editor of the "Nonmu-Cunxa Daly News"
Sin-—Permit_ me to reply very briefly to "JP.B."'s very admirable appeal in this morning's issue of your valued paper. The $200,000—which the Refugee Committee had indicated necessary for its work, could have been collected from Chinese sources within a day considering the ample lucans available in that direction. Before our Chinese friends can ex-'Veet sacrifices and assistance from foreign sympathisers, they must show the way in a substantial manner themselves. It is not enough to sit behind the thundering barrage of a (typewriter and write letters about "our gallant soldiers" "our starving destitute women and children" and to appeal to the outside world 10 see the havoc wrought by Japanese Aggression, Something more constructive is wanted so that those really "gallant soldiers" are not lett to die in ditches and that the re-before fugees are cared for, in the frst of sending place, out of the millions of wealth which, in spite of flight in foreign country amongst the native commer= "stilt abound in this!
In this connection, one whose entire sympathies go out to. the unfortunate victims of this "Incid~ ent" can but wholeheartedly subscribe to the opinions expressed in Jyour sub-leaders entitled "Medical Organization" and "Shanghai's Just as Japan will have to realize that "ce-operation" does not, in the [western sense, mean "prostitution" thus China wilt have to learn that the word "sacrifice" has an entirely larger meaning in the West than it has, so far, attained in China and, when the full implications of this word are grasped and acted upon by the people of this country, then it will be time-to talk of "our sover-ign rights."
Shanghai, Oct, 1.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.