To the Editor of the "Norrn Cmmwa Dany News'
Sim.—Your editorial to-day serves to allay much of the anxiety regarding the food situation, but at the same time there still remains a. great deal of uncertainty for the immediate future.
As you remark, the rice shortage is only temporary and large supplies are on the way. The need here is to prevent the dealers from profiteering at the expense of the poor.
What is more serious is the blocking of vegetable deliveries, due to the farmers being unable to return to their land and also prevented from passing freely to and from Shanghai with supplies. This not only holds up the delivery of the stocks of vegetables on hand, but. more serious still prevents working in the fields—thus endangering future crops.
To a lesser extent the same state of affairs is interfering with livestock coming into Shanghai from the couniry areas.
You mention in your editorial that some country folk are already working in the folds. During my walks last week-end around the Western area. I noticed a few workers on the land within the railway area, but in the Japanese-controlled area, the fields appeared quite deserted, mile after mile.
Even in the area within the rail-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.