inclined to think, from my inspection of the surrounding country, that the next rice crop will go far to relieve distress in the neighbour- hod of Team Chau The rain which has fallen and continues to fall is most seasonable, and the spirit of the people is admirable. The farmers yoke themselves to their own ploughs to turn up their fields, and make the utmost of any help extended to them. It must Le borne in mind that the pres nt famine is not due to any lack of exertion on their part, but to the failure of the second harvest in 14/1 on account ofd.ought of first harvest in 1902 on socount of drought also, and of the second harvest in 1902 because of flood and drought combined. The aim must "therefore be to support starving people until the end of next July, and any estimates will have to be framed for the present on this basis.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
⠀
[May 9, 1903.
The number of starving people in the Famine District of Kwei-Ping is as follows:
People who want relief within the city and in the suburbs number 2.644.
The number of starving people who daily go the Protestant Church for food is about 3,600, The following is the approximate number of people in various districts at present requiring relief:-
obtain nothing, as the gentry will not believe in their indigence. The pawnshops have been closed in Ts'am Chau all this year, and I can see no signs of any business being done even on the market days. (2) The Fu-ti-pan, who is himself a poor man, makes a daily distrito bation of rice at the likin station, giving an ounce of rio, to all starving people who come to the station, but the relief does not reach far, as the Fu-ti-pan cannot afford to issue large quantities of rice. (3) The Cantonese mer chants resident in Ta'am Chau have subscribed a sum of $2,000 which has been sent down here to purchase rice. This rice is intended for distribution in the market town, ie, in the countryside, not in the city. But the rice has not yet arrived, and therefore relief has not as yet commenced.
ex-
This morning I visited the Governor of Kwong Sai, who handed me the appended list of famine-stricken districts in this prefecture. * His Excellency informed me that in his opinion the district which is suffering most of all is Nanning, and that the area of distress tends from Nanning the whole length of the West River to N'am Peng. Whatever is to be doue must be done without delay, otherwise the people for whom rel ef in intended will be dead His Excellency promised every assistance to measures taken by the Hougkong community for famine relief.
forward to Wachow. Arranging for transmission from Wuchow up West River. Prooed Kwai Yun to-morrow."
Famine work began in Team Chan systema. toally on 4th March last by the Alliance Mission under the superintendence of Mr. Fee (Canadian), assisted by Mrs. Fee, his wife. and by Mr. H. Zehr (American), also of the Alliance Mission. The fund was constituted entirely by private subsoriptions, which on the 25th inst. had aggregated a total sum of $2,105:58, but at the present time these sub- scriptions come in fitfully and in small sums, making the anxiety of the distributers great. To-day Mr. Fee is left with money only suffi- cient for one day's sup. ly Rice has hitherto According I sent to Your Excellency this necessarily been bought locally in Ts'am Chau morning the following telegram:-" Arrived at the local rates, eg., on the 11th inst. 15 Ts'am Chau. £een Governor Wong Chi piculs cost $90 Mer and on the 23rd inst. 10 Chun; promises assistance. Famine work here piculs cost $19.45 Mex. It is probable that in hands of Fee. Required for immediate with free transport and freedom from duty continuance of work $550, which p1y to account sssured the rice can be bought more cheaply at Fee, Hongkong & Shanghai Bank. Relief Hongkong, and forwarded via Wuchow to the needed till next harvest, end July. Estimate, distributing centres. The Chinese authorities rice required Ts'um Chan district till them 1,350 have left Mr. Fee the Man Shau Kung orpiculs. Conve t all contributions into rice aud Emperor's Temple as the place for distribution: Here the indigent collec together from dawn till noon, when the gates are closed and distribu- tion commences of rice (uncooked) and rice-gruel (cooked). It is the aim of the distributers to give if possible two tickets to each of the stary- g people; with one ticket they can obtain the gruel for immediate consumption while with the other they obtain a measure of rice for their own use, either to be eaten as ice or to be turned into gruel. Each measure of rice given ont contains 4.5oz., while the rice gruel is doled out by the quart. I attended this afternoon at a distribution to 4,197 persons and 6,334 tickets issned, the actual amount of rice issued being 19 piculs. Nothing is given on market days, .e., every third day, and Mr. Fee suggests (and agren the suggestion) that if the quantity of rice on hand is sufficient, the measure issued should be in creased and the distribution at the Man Shau Kung made only once in three days. This will enable the people to come in from the dountryside and thereby extend the relief area, while at the same time it will lessen the labour of distribution, which is very heavy. The actual distribution to-day lasted from 1.30 p.m. to 5 pm., and the distribution must be made in the middle of the day in order to enable the people to return home or at least to find shelter for the night. The cooking of the grael, etc., etc., takes time but need not involve any expenditure, as thousands would only be too thankful to work and to cook for their rice and a night's shelter.
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It will be a great assistance to me if Your Excellency will kindly telegraph to me at Nanning the amount of money at which the Hongkong relief fund is estimated, for any suggestions that I can make must be based upon the sum of money available for use. But as far as I can now see, it will be advis able to establish three distributing centres at N'am Pang, Ts'am Chau, and at Kwai Yun, I will report later on Nam Peng and Kwai Yun, and also on Nanning, though I do not consider that it is probable that Nanning can be relieved from Hongkong owing to the delays of transport by jank from Kwai Yun up the West River. As far as Kwai Yun, steam transport is available. The companies which run launches are Chinese-owned and their headquarters are, I believe, at Wuchow. I am writing to Mr. Fox to suggest that he should urge these companies to grant free transport for rice forwarded from Hongkong and would venture to suggest that Your Excellency should approach the Viceroy at Canton on this matter. Rios should also be duty free. I mention ed both these matters to HE, Woog Chi Chun, who said he would do what he could, but that the authority did not rest iu him.
Distribution at Ts'am Chau has been 10 excellently organised by Mr. Fee that I cannot but, recommend that he should be placed in charge of this distributing centre. Mr. Jaffray is leaving to-morrow for Wachow to arrange for missionary workers at any contres established, and also to endeavour to arrange the question of transport from Wuchow up river.
Distribution is also being made by the Chinese at Ts'am Chau in three ways. (1) There is the official relief fand, to which the Governor of Kwong Sai Wong Chi Chun, has promised a The Chinese officials should be requested to contribution of 1,000 picals, towards which he provide at each distributing centre-(1) free has already paid down $2,000. The Prefect quarters for the distributers, (2) a suitable | lace Chong Tso Ke, has contributed $1,000, and the in which the distribution shall take place, (3) district magistrat Chan Shiu Lim, 700 taels. kitchen fittings for the cooking of rice gruel in This fund is intended primarily for relief only large quantities, (4) free delivery of rica from inside the city of Ts'ain Chan, and is adminis- the rice boats by coolies at the place of distribu- fered by means of the P. Kap Kuk, or tithings|tion or kitchen. They should also issue a pro- (-10 families)||| Each head of a tithing clamation in the distributing centres and country reports those who are destitute among the ten round about, notifying the distribution which is families under his supervision; the man so to be made by the Hongkong relief fund. reported is given a ticket by the Po Kap which he obtains rice at the rute of
a day, s.... he is given 150s. of rice, as the distribution is made once in five days in the Temple of Literature. The fault in this system is that it can relieve only those who are householders in Ta'am Chau; moreover, certain shopkeepers, who, owing to the suspen- sion of trade, are absolutely starving, cau
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I leave to-morrow morning at 6 a.m. for Kwai Yun by launch, and will report further after I have seen what is the condition of affairs there. I would urge that no time should be lost in sending up rice to Wuchow, and that in any case the distribution at Ts'am Chan should not be permitted to cease for lack of funds-I am, Your Excellency's cbedient servant,
C. CLEMENTI.
1. In Wing-Wo-Li on the West and Son h banks, about 14,0.0. ́
2. In upper and lower Shung-Keung-Li, about 13,600.
3. Iu Kwan-Ling-Li, about 14,500, : 4: In Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Hen-Luk-Li, about 240`, 5. In Sheung-To-Li near the river baüks, about 18,000.
6. In Sheung-Shan-Li, about 10,700,
7. In Sun-yat-Li near the river banks, about 9,000.
8. In Kut-yee Li near the river banks, about 12,000
9. In Chung-shau-Li about 14,000, - 10. In hia-Li near the river banks about 8,000, 11. In Po Li, about 5,000.
*
This gives a total of 150,000 people in state of starvation in the various districts around Kwei-Ping. In other places where the famine is not of so serious à nature rice is procurable at low rates.
His Excellency the Governor has received the following Report from Mr. Clementi, dated Kweishen, Kwongsei, April 28th:-
YOUR EXCELLENCY-I left Ts'zmohan Fú by launch at 7.15 am. on the 27th ivst., and arrived in Kwaishen shortly after 4 p.m. on the same day. The District Magistrate Chan King Wà received me with the greatest courtesy and during my stay here I am living in his Yamen. The Magistrate is an energetic man, 40 years of age, a native of Höugebán, throughly familiar with Hong- kong and Macao. He has studied Western, science and methods of government with the result that he combines an enlightened effort ́at improvement with patriotic devotion to bis country. The Magistrate tells me that he frequently walka on foot through his district city, visiting the shops and talking with the people under his administration: and this. afternoon he walked with me to see the prin cipat places of interest in Kweishen. "Any petitioner is admitted directly to presence of the Magistrate as would be the case in Hong kong: Moreover the Magistrate has at last succeeded in practically clearing his district of robber-bands. The Magistrate in person leads his troops to the fight: and as the result of the ex-cution of some 2,000 robbers, bad characters have found it advisable to move elsewhere.
I
But the result of robber-warfare, drought aud flood is now apparent in the direct destitu- tion. In the company of the gentry I visited the village Lo Pak Wan this morning where I found the people living on grass, tree-leaves and the so-called wooded potatos" of which I enclose a sample. Even those who have's littl› rice or Pau Sook mix it with cooled tree-leaves in order to increase the quantity. Boys, girls and women are sold daily at the river side. attended such a sale this afternoon and saw babies and children handled and felt as though they were pigs come to market. Some are so thin and starred that no one will purchase them. The Magistrate informs me that at first- he wished to prohisit the sale, but that when. he saw that unless the children were sold both children and parents must starve he changed his mind and allowed the sale to continue. The gentry estimate that some 10,000 children (boys and girls alike) have already been soll and that eight wives out of every ten in this district have also been sold. A
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With a view to the alleviation of this distress the Magistrate and the gentry making free distribution of gruel made (y). from pau sook in various centres: Within Kweishen its if daily distribution is made to upwards of 2000 persons in the temple of Confucius. The District Magistrate went with me this afternoon to attend such a distribution which lasted 1 pm to 3 p.m. But when the gru used up there still remained over 100 who had to be turned away At Tang Tsun distribution in ma to upwards of 1,000 persons: (8)
daily
Kow
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