Until the new rie crops are harvested the districts of Lungkih and Lungyen in. West Fukien are threatened with famine, Both hsiens have approached the Provincial Government asking for permission to borrow money from the Agricultural Banke in order to purchase rice. Per~ mission was urented for a first loan of $80,000 to Lungyen and $20,000 to Lungkih. The Lungyen district has Jong been famous for its extensive Aeposits of anthracite coal. These de~ posits are a matter of 300 Li from Amoy, and yet they cannot be worked. 'The people lack rice to eat and borrow to keep starvation from the door, yet Iiterally on their door-steps les' untold wealth waiting to be exploited. With these coal~felds in the back yard of Fukien, to bring coal from Japan should have the same signififeanee to Amoy as bringing coal to Newcastle.
To guard against this annual exhaustion of rice before the following. crop is ready to be harvested the Government has issued orders that
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.