Rice shortage in the province continues to engage the attention of the authorities. In connection with the house erected on the sand bar below Maj Tang Chi, over 1,500 beggars receive two meals a day, each meal consisting of either a bowl of "dry Tice" or two bowls of rice gruel. The daily amount of rice of be distributed by the house has been Axed at 20 piculs, so that any increase in the number of beggars means u cor responding reduction in the amount of food handed out per person.
At present, however, between six and eight beggars die daily, so "no high Increase in their number is oxpected." For the food they receive, the beggars are expected to learn to dig for gold sand along the river bank, to repair the roads to make sandals out of straw.
A large gathering of all types and classes of people was held in Chungking last week in connection with the increases in the price of rice and three resolutions were adopted; rstly, that the Provincial Government should be asked to prohibit the stopping of all down-bound rice shipments by the districts along the big and small rivers leading to Chungking; secondly, that a Rice Price APpraisal Committee should be formed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.