of Rice Nanking, Oct. 12, Close on the heels of last year's disastrous floods, the farmers, whose plight has been further worsened by" bandit and communist disturbances, are now facing great difficulties' due to the extremely low prices dealers are offering for rice at present. - 3 In order to purchase Seed wheat now for planting the winter crop, they have to sell about twice as much rice as it would be necessary to dispose of a few months later, when the value of rice will have risen materially.
The Chinese Government is taking steps to help the stricken farmers within the next two or three weeks, district agricultural relief asso: ciation having been formed here for this purpose.
[When Central China was in the grip of the floods last year, food, clothing and shelter were hushed to the victims to meet the emergency.
Throughout the winter, relief for the most part took the form of payment for the labour of thousands of refugees, who thereby earned enough in wheat, flour, oF the equ valent to bring 'a substantial mea. gute of relief to themselves and their families. During the spring a third form of relic! Iv em: Ployed was the loan of seed, or of Whi money for the purchase of seed, for the planting of the spring crops.
Towards the end of last, spring, the ing district agricultural ie. Felief association was organised by number of persons actively inter-sted in flood relief work. Their object was to facilitate and coordinate the follow-up work entailed by the oun method of relief and to afford a permanent agency for promoting the agricultural and economic welfare of the rural poulation.
Tu the course of Joan collections this autumn, it found that the farmers were facing rear diftcalties duo to the extrem moly low prices that dealers are giving for ice. Thi therefore, is trying to ra order to loan to the poorer farmers enough money to purchase the seed for their autumn planting 30 that they may not be forced to sell their ice at the. present ruinous. prices. 'As security For these loans, some Il be held by the ud sold later at prices yield much more to. the Tanners. This plan of relief is now actually being carried on in several neighbouring districts, but only on a small scale due to' the limited Amount of funds available During the last five or six days the association has "distributed, Toans, sixty piculs of seed wheat to me' of the poorer farmers in vil-wees about ten miles south of the capital, "More help is expected to fe" rushed to these farmers within the next two or three weeks.
The seed the association has distributed is of the best, quality, No. 26, raised and selected on the perimental farm of Nanking University. By getting, such help from the association, the farmers can not only have their autumn planting taken care of without being {forced to sell their rice at the present ruinous prices, but can also be assured of a larger yield for their crop next spring because the seed they get is of the improved type—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.