"It is ridiculous that China, being Primarily an agricultural country, should fail to produce enough food-stuts for her own use and have to take in a large quantity yearly from abroad," Mr. Chen stated. "Tt is even more ridiculous that, while large tracts of land are lying idle, there should be a continuous increase of the unemployed." According to estimates, Jabout 27 per cent. of the total area Jof China is arable land, of which only Jabout 13 per cent. is cultivated, Mr. [Chen asserted.
The Ministry of Industries recently approached a number of food experts their opinions concerning the prob-Jem of making China self-sumtcient {in food supplies. "Mr. Chao Lien-fang mapped out a scheme for the increase and improvement in the production of rice, which forms the chief food of the Chinese people. According to his Jscheme, a National Rice-Planting Im-[provement Commission should be organized jointly "by the National Economic Council, the National Defence Planning Commission, and the Central Agricultural Station, Under the direct supervision of the Cam-mission, there should be a rice-planting experimental stition, and similar stations should be established in vari-us provinces.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.