'This city has been in "occupied ter~ riters" since November 17, 1937. The downfall began with bombing, shelling, evacuation, capture, burning, wrecking and looting, 'The upturn started with an' emergency commit-{ee ce-operating with invaders merge ing "Into. 9 provisional government With debris removed and. streets widened, old shop fronts wore replaced and new ones built in the} vacant spaces. People swarm the Streets during morning market hours, fewer seen in the afternoons and most none afler nightfall.
Shop goods are nearly all displayed fat the front and empty shelves are Behind, Of articles for' sale the quantity is usually Chinese, Japanese, German, British and American, the River Conservation For North China Shimonoseki, Dec. 18.
A five-year river conservation plan- for North China costing ¥.150,000,000 will start next fiscal year, Dr. Shichiro Miura, Assistant-Director of the Reconstruction Administration of the Provisional Government in Peking, announced here today. A reservoir covering 800,000,000 cubic metres willie constructed on the upper reaches of the Yungting River. By diverting the waters into such a basin, he said, North China would be protected from flood. When levees at Tientsin were completed, he added, navigation as far' as Tientsin would be possible—Domei. prices in the inverse order. In trad-coins of any sort are seldom seen, but.papor money of about one dozen Chinese banks is current, The rice crop was good, but guerillas prevent farmers from bringing in any large quantities, The rice is fixed at $23.00 per picul when supplies can be obtained," In towns and cities a few miles away the price goes up to $80 and $35. with buyers limited to a few pounds each, The fuel problem is worse—No coal for sale, only coal dust for briquers and firewood at four times the usual price. The lumber yards have sold out their supplies, none coming. in except at rare intervals and coffin. makers who can no longer get new timber, must use old woad from wrecked buildings.
Food and medical relief have reached more than 5,000 families under the direction of the American Advisory Committee, Bitter cold multiplies the misery of hungry poople. Cases of famine symptoms-puffod checks "and hands—were noted here today. Over 90 per cent. of the clinic and hospital pollents evidence malnutrition the night, Some spend the nights other ° villages, more strongly fortified and defended, Others hide In the fields during the nights, which method is not very suitable for winter time, In other villages, some of the! inhabitants try "to' stay in. their homes, but flee if danger comes, A recent' experience in a village near Sutsien will fMlustrate this, There are about 8) homes in the village, Surrounded by a mud wall and a moat full of water, Some of the homes fare deserted, One night," at 2.40 o'clock people were heard running through the Village streets, saying: "They have reached the gate,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.