OCR Text |
Show STARIGJIERS FAMINE IN CHINA CAUSED BY DESTRUCTION OF CROPS THROUGH FLOODS. Thousands Have Left the District While Many Prefer to Die in Their Native Place Rather Than Face Unknown Conditions. Shanghia. Present reports confirm earlier advices of the suffering from famine in a district in the northern part of the province of Anhui, north and east of the Hwai and Kwo rivers, about 7,00 square miles in extent and containing a population of approximately approxi-mately 2,500,000 people. The famine was catfsed by the destruction de-struction of fall crops through floods resulting from the heaviest summer rainfalls on record. Thousands of refugees have left the district, but ms'ay of those unsure of securing suDutrt elsewhere, are re- maining, preferring to die in their native na-tive place. It is estimated that a million farmers farm-ers will be dependent upon charity for their existence until the spring crops. The people have been left so poor that they are able to sow only one-third one-third or one-half of the usual amount of wheat It will thus take several years for the region to recover. It Is expected that the government will send relief. . Chinese and foreign relief re-lief committees have been orgaized. |