Crops in the neighbourhood are in serious condition because of the Grought, The last rain, eighteen days ago, was insignificant—a mere 02 inches. Since January 1, the total rainfall at Shanghai, os recorded at Blecawel. has been 15.73 inches, compared with the 61 year average for the same period of 25.03 inches.
Rice has become expensive, and this connection the Shanghai Agricultural Association has submitted petition to the Social Affairs Depart ment of the Municipal Government of Greater Shanghai, requesting that Flee merchants should be ordered not to increase prices any further, in the Interests of the general public, The Association requests that an order be issued prohibiting the price from being raised above $10 per picul.
The City Government is urged to use sieroplanes for the distribution of Teaflets urging the farmers to abandon superstitious practices and to. turn the funds thus saved to practical "ses. Iti further emphasized in the proposals that drought can only be Averted on the basis of scientific methods and can never be prevented Through superstitious ways.
While the Shanghai-hsien Agricul~ tural Association asked the City Government to organize a committee for the "prevention of the threatened Grougnt, the various Chinese charifable organizations, at a meeting held at the Jen Chi" "Tang Benevolent Society, Yunnan Road, on Tuesday (duly 40) afternoon, resolved to ask Gen, Wu Te-chen, the Mayor of Great Shanghai, to order the cessation of the slaughter of live stock for a week, facting on the Aheory based on the Buddhist belief that the god had been angered by the killing of live stock fand had ordered the Dragon King to withhold rainfall on the earth, The huge number of 2,657 sickness cases, directly attributable to. the heat wave during the past fortnight, admitted to one hospital alone, is an Indication of the effect of the long. continued hot, dry spell. Of this Humber 36 have died during the: fortnight, This report was given to} the "North-China Herald" on Wed~ nesday evening by the Summer Dis-teases Hospital in Tibet Road, who: handle Chinese cases exclusively. Accurate reports for all other hospitals were Impossible to secure, but the total number of summer diseases caused through the heat must be very much larger.
The Roman Catholic Church in the Shanghai area is offering prayers for rain, Bishop Haouissee has Issued a memorandum to all priests requesting them to hold special prayers, during Holy Mass, for a period of nine days.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.