Dr. H. H. Kung Stresses Need For Rural Reform Nanking, June 4.
Addressing the Memorial Service of the Central Party Headquarters this morning before five hundred senior Party members, including Mr. Wang Ching-wei, President of the Executive Yuan, Mr. Yeh Tsu-tsang, Chief Secretary of the Party Headquarters, 'Admiral Chen Chak, Director of the 'Naval Bureau, and many other colerities, Dr. H.-H. Kung, Vico-Preident' of the Executive Yuan and concurrently Minister of Finance, pointed out the urgent necessity of Fural. rehabilitation which, he said was the principal object for the cot vention "of the recent National Financial Conference.
Dr. Kung stated that 80 per cent. Jof the Chinese population consists Jof peasants and" their welfare the welfare of the entire Chinese nation. Unfortunately, he observed, their conditions have been growing from bad to worse. Banditry, exorbitant taxes, and prevailing low foodstuff prices have brought them on the verge of bankruptcy. [impossibly high interest charged by insurers have prevented them from obtaining even temporary relief.
Dr. Kung stressed the fact that the present rural distress is not necessarily caused by crop failures. }On the contrary many provinces had 1983 the record harvest for many. years. Lack of adequate transportation facilities and unequal distribution, Dr. Kung. remarked must be Jcounted among the really underlying causes unfavourable to the rural situation. The recent National Financial Conference attempted to remedy the tax situation in order to Vighten the burdens of the farmers Following the speech at the Central Party Headquarters, Dr. Kung, at the invitation of President Lin Sen, Chairman of the National Government, made a lucid and concise report on the National Financial Con-Auditorium—Chekial.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.