Vegetation is rapidly covering some of the ghastly ruins left by bombs and shells nearly two years ago and the streets show a steady increase of population, mostly returned refugees with a few new-comers seeking some of the business.
Country people who could get seed, have been planting with or without fertilizer. Those who have mulberry trees are busy with silk-worms. During and after the hostilities, many trees were cut for fuel, so the supply of leaves is less than usual.
Under the direction of the American Advisory Committee, relief work has been carried on since January.
A summary shows 3,381 families had money grants month by month and wheat was distributed to 514 families.
There have been served 10,08 hot meals to date, with nearly 200 destitute children coming in daily for two meals each day as was recently arranged.
Medical attention is sorely needed and the Presbyterian mission is now trying to open a clinic to which local authorities have consented. The city seems to be safe, but residents of the Country districts complain of disorder and frequent robberies.
Members of one of the oldest families in the city whose grave lot was here before the walls were built became so reduced that they sold the beautiful yellow elm trees that shaded their ancestors for a fraction of their value as lumber or fuel. This may be quite legal, but local sentiment is aroused. Ne banks have yet ventured to open, but as business increases, the need doubtless be supplied, the raids had any particular obscure what these were, and ludo that they showed a masterly ters, and the latter had two bombs into it, although it had already been wrecked and has been practically deserted for nearly a year; but it stretches one's credibility too far to suppose that these were what they were aiming at and missing so badly time after time.
On two occasions, when they had exhausted their bombs, they began to fly along by the west bund, from which the river passenger boats leave—a place crowded with craft of all sorts and a busy thoroughfare—and one after the other in regular succession spray " with machinegun fire for about a quarter of an hour. It ig amazing that this produced only about half a dozen casualties. This strikes one as a rather more low-down sort of thing than indiscriminate bombing.
H. M. S. Falmouth Witnesses Raids On the first occasion Admiral Sir Percy Noble was visiting the port in the Falmouth, which was lying very near by the scene of operations and it may be that it was meant to impress him with the dare-devil spirit of the Japanese navy.
Of the same type was the firing on a small passenger motorboat on the river between here and Chinghai, during which four passengers were killed and twelve wounded. Wholly inexcusable also was the bombing of the leper settlement on Green Island. which is said to have caused over 40 casualties. If that was done under the mistaken impression that it was a military fortification, one can only note with sadness the apparent low standard of intelligence of the Japanese naval air force.
Raids have also been made on outlying places. Chaochowfu was attacked on Saturday, and the electric power plant put out of action Appreciative mention should be made of the work of the Chinese Red Cross and Red Swastika during these raids, which was exceedingly speedy and efficient. Unhappily two of the Red Cross men paid with their lives for their eagerness to begin the work of rescue before the raid was over. The surgical ard nursing staffs of the EP.M. hospital also deserve honourable mention.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.