Continuing a triumphant voyage up the Yangtze, the Kianghsin conveying the National Flood Re-ict Commission inspection party, arrived here yesterday morning. and received a welcome which has become symbolic of the common gratitude for the work of the Com. mission in relieving the untold millions in the Yangtze valley.
The inspection party was greeted by a representative gathering of local ofials while thre, bands fluted the visitors, who were layed and guards of honour
taken on a tour of Hankow which included a visit to the Hankow 'Orphanage, an institution founded with the' Commission's surplus funds for 840 flood orphans. After tiffin at the Yangtze Hotel, the visitors paid a visit to, Wuchang and inspected the district, afterwards returning to Hankow where at night they were guests at a dinner given by Gen. Hsia Tou-yin, Chairman of the Hupeh Provincial Government, and by local Chinese organisations.
This afternoon, the party were entertained to a reception by General Chiang Kai-shek at the Chin-cheng Bank.
'o-night, the party wore enter: tained to dinner by the Mayor of Hankow.
The reception at Hankow was merely another of the many exe pressions of gratitude received on the party's progress up the Yangtze. In some cases the local officials or magistrates travelled many miles to welcome the party, the Wuhu magistrate joining at Anking while Hankow offic travelled down to Kiukiang to gre the visitors. At Kiukiang th come included a reception at oni of the city's leading restaurants when warm thanks were extended to the Commission.
Not #0 ornate or festive but just as warm was the welcome at a little place higher up thi called Hwangmei where, Schedule but intent making a call, the p at dark, climbed a treacherous river bank, and in the dim light of 'a few lanterns and a couple of electri torches, plodded a mile through soft, clinging silt, to Hwangmei perched on each side of dyke where last year there was three miles breach now repaired by the Commission. No proper inspection was possible but the gesture was appreciated and the arty repaired down the only street of the village, which was the dyke top, to a place which turned out to be a rice store hastily cleaned up for the moment.
There the magistrate, who had travelled 120 Li and had waited two days and nights for the delayed vessel, and-a few village elders, in the light of a few candles and fan overhead oil lamp offered choco-Intes, sweet biscuits and tea to the The magistrate had no with him so a couple of members of the local mili the society term, "poured tea."
fow compliments were exchanged while the hundred or so inhabitants of the village did. their best to crowd into the narrow doorway and gaze on the scene. Then came the return walk through the deep silt to the river bank and farewell to a magistrate and a village who seomed mere wraiths in the dim of the candies and lamps but. still significant of how the Yangtze's millions think.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.