Refugees in the interior are well taken care of although there are a few unavoidable exceptions. There are good signs of modernization in southwestern provinces where reconstruction programmes are being carried out on a large scale. Politically, the Chinese people are more determined than before to continue the war as the nature of terrain is more in their favour than before.
These are the main impressions obtained by Dr. J. E. Boker, of the International Committee of the China Red Cross Society, who addressed the American University Club yesterday at tiffin, presided over by Mr. Arthur Bassett, president of the club, His data was obtained during a refugee work inspection trip which he had just completed.
Mr. Baker said that he had gone to practically every province in the vast southwest and Kwangsi untrodden by the Japanese but that he saw real refugees carrying small bundles of personal belongings only when he reached the border of Hunan, Well-to-do refugees, many of them, well educated, were living in provincial capitals specially Chungking, already over-crowded with people. While this latter group was said to be able to take care of itself, the destitute cases in Hunan had to depend on philanthropy under official supervision, being given food and transportation facilities in a systematic way.
There are many signs of gradual modernization in the interior, according to Dr. Baker, who cited the power plant in Yunnanfu as an example. He said that-the plant was supervised by a former Shanghai expert and that since he became superintendent, the plant has given much better service. A former college professor was said to be at the head of a group of intelligent men responsible for carrying out various industrial, economic and agricultural grammes, The: reconstruction pro-y are paying particular attention to the mountainous country in Kweichow where thousands of animals can be cared for.
Dr. Baker met officials in Chungking and Hongkong in order to discuss the relief plan and he revealed that as a result of his conference with Mr. Hsu Shih-ying, chairman of the Central Relief Committee, it was decided that foreign relief organizations should work in Japanese-controlled areas while the Chinese themselves would take care of refugees in the tion with missi interior in co-opera ion workers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.