Why this shortage of food in this usually prosperous district? The reason is the total failure of the rice ¢rop last summer on account of Grought. The farmers here depend 50 exclusively on rice for their food supply during the winter that when it falls they have nothing. thing home for the children to cat, They received only from five to ten cents for a load that meant a long. day's work, but in spite of this smnalt amount they poured in by thousands to the receiving points, With ino idea of orderly procedure, the carriers would at first attempt to storm the one narrow gate a thousand at a time, The result would be struggling mass of fuming, sweating people, mixed up with carrying poles, baskets, and more or less flying rocks. Order and system were, however, soon introduced and before long between two and three thousand people were working with some Semblance of efficiency, Tt is some satistaciion to know, that one is helping thousands _of desperately hungry people. But $5,000 does not last long when so many fore being fed from it, and we soot to cut down and attempt to Anish off the work with a smaller group of specially trained workmen, About six weeks before the harvest was due, Mr.. J. Goulter, who lives {mn this city, told Mr. J. E, Baker of the need for assistance in this district. Mr. Baker immediately informed the commission, which acted promptly and new voted $5,000 for a labour relief project in the area, Mr. Goulter had declared, that he could get work started on 'a road-making scheme within 24 hours receiving notice that the money was available, "Work was actually begun the day after receiving the notice and 7 men were employed. The next day there were 275 on the project and the following day 750, with 2,500 rock carriers.
'Than came the deluge. 'Thousands! of people applied for work. And they all felt badly treated when they wem told that there was not enough work to go round. It seemed as though, for every person given. work' and helped, there were hundreds who were tured into enemies by turned away.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.