At the time many of the local provineial guilds were actively engaged in evacuating their provincials. In some cases these guilds were able to Jearry on, and at no time required assistance from this Committee: in others, guilds less financially well off required assistance at an early date, land there were large numbers of refugees not suMciently closely ass0- ciated with any guild, and who were, therefore, not qualified for assistance from these sources, There were also several large re-[fugee associations formed, and in the fearly stages at least these paid whole Jor part of the cost of passages for the refugees whom they evacuated. Throughout, the policy followed was {that this Committee would utilise its {funds for the evacuation of those who [could not obtain assistance from any other source.
Where the refugees were'Tn 0 posi-{tion to pay part of the cost of their passages, this was collected from them, and the Committee's funds economise accordingly.
Large numbers also were evacuated fo interior points in Kiangsi and Chekiang by the Soochow Creek and! railway during the days when these joxits were available. Naturally it fell {to the lot of the Committee to assist more particularly with those refugees desiring repatriation to more distant, points, Foochow, Amoy, Swatow, Can-fon and further points, Tientsin, ete. ind the number evacuated under the direct auspices of the Committee was} 39,217.
The only other points calling for mention are that before the exchange fell, the Committee transferred its funds into gold currency, with the result that it is better equipped to continue its work than it otherwise! would have been. All work in con-Inection with the Committee has been Jdone in an honorary capacity, no! wages of any kind having been pald, while the total expenses of postage, stationery, petty, ete. aggregate under $270.00.
The work of the Committee continues and refugees are evacuated as opportunity offers and although for Jobvious reasons the numbers now moving are less than formerly, it is elt that the whole of the Committee's funds will eventually be required for evacuation purposes.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.