Besides the war scourge, the Kiangpei people have also suffered from a serious flood. God seems to have no mercy on the Kiang-pei people, for it has been raining continually since the advent of autumn. On August 10; a typhoon caused the overflowing of many rivers. As a result, the Hung-size Lake, which has already been in a precarious condition because of the inflowing of the water from the Yellow River, became uncontrollable, and the dykes in many places collapsed. More than fifteen hsien including Pi-hsien, Ssu-tsien, Ssu-ning. Feng-hsien, Pei-hsien, Siao-hsien, Tang-shen, Tung-hai, Kwan-yun, Shu-yang, Kung-yui, Sze-yang, Lien-shui, Hwai-yin, Hwai-an, Pao-ying. Kao-yn, Tai-shin, Kiang-tu have been inundated.
All the houses and fields in the affected districts have been washed out, and many thousands of people have been drowned. According to a rough estimate, the areas flooded amount to 100,000 sq, li, and the people affected are over one million. They are now waiting for immediate relief, for their stores of cereals and their coming harvests of bean. peanut, potato and sesame have all been destroyed.
Before North Kiangsu was invaded by the Japanese forces last year, the Kiangsu Provincial Government and the World Red Cross Society transferred more than 600,000 war refugees from South Kiangsu to North Kiang-ssu. Besides, there were about 500,000 people who evacuated voluntarily to Kiang-pei at their own expense.
Although steps were taken to remove those refugees to places of safety, it is estimated that more than half of these refugees, consisting cholera vibrios.
Since the Municipal Cholera Bos. pital was opened 1,567 patients were admitted of which there were 19U deaths. giving a mortality rate of 1212 per cent.
Since the beginning of cholera epidemic up to September 15, there were 318 deaths amongst the Chinese population, the number of cases being 2,812.
Amongst the foreigners there were six deaths out of 13 cases.
The importance of prophylactic measures taken, can be shown by the following figures: General inoculatotal of tions 2,203.00 Quantity of Vaccine "used: 2,820.00 c.c.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.