61
THE FLOOD..
REPORT OF A COMMITTEE OF INVESTIGATION.
The Canton Committee which has been investigating the conditions in flood districts furnishes a lengthy report from which we make the following extracts:
Six districts on the North River were seriously affected by the recent flood, namely, Sam Shai, Sz Wool, Tsing Uen, Yingtak, Kuk Kong, and Yan Fa. Nam Hung Chow, Lok Cheung, Ue Uer, and Lien Chow were also flooded and considerable damage was done.
The Committee were afforded every possible facility for learning the condition of the flooded area during the ten days that they have been travelling through it. The officials of every grade, both civil and military, helped us in every way they could. First, the Viceroy placed at our disposal a gun-boat, which towed our house-boat to Tsing Uen City and there His Excellen oy Captain General Yang detailed a shallow draft steam launch to tow it to Ying. tak, In each city the head officials readily co- operated with us in gathering information. We left blank forms as we proceeded up the river and collected them as we returned. The figures, as complete and accurate as we can make them are given below. A special Wai Uen, Mr, ii. Lueh Yung Nien, accompanied us partly as an escort and partly to make investigation of the flooded districts and report to the Viceroy. We were very much aided in each district by the native Christians., A student from the Baptist Theological Seminary in Canton has spent several days walking through one section of Tsing Uen District for the purpose of learning the condition of the people and gave us much detailed information, The Wesleyan Mission- aries at Shui Kwan, Messrs, Hutchison and Ellison, gave us much help and some details of the flood in the immediate vicinity of the pre- fectural city.
THE DESTRUCTION OF CROPS.
The most serions result of the flood is the destruction of growing crops. Irom the pre- fectural city of Shui Chow down the full length of the river, on both sides, extending back to the foothills which in some places are two or three miles away, the crops of all kinds are totally destroyed. In some cases where the river was swift, the growing crops together with the soil was washed away. In other places where the water was comparatively still the crops were flooded so long that they died, other places so much silt was desposited that they were buried. Only a few plants survived in the places covered by the waters.
THE DAMAGED DYK (S. Probably the next most serious.result of the flood is the destruction of dykes. This concerns only Sam Shai, Sz Wooi, and Tsing Uen. The last named suffered most: Besides thirty sever breaks in the main river dykes, aggregating a length of over ten thousand feet, there were hundreds of breaks in the dykes along the smaller streams, which are just as essential to the protection of the cultivated lands. The labour and expense of restoring those dykes will be enormous and far beyond the resources of the people. But not even the next harvest will be assured unless the dykes are at least partially restored. A rise in the river of only a few feet from its present level would be fatal to a new orop in the exposed areas,
Another very serious result of the flood is that great areas of land have been covered by vast deposits of sand. It will be years in some cases before such land can again be used. Some is permanently desolated. A few plots of land may be benefited by the deposit of silt.
VILLAGES SWEPT AWAY.
The destruction of houses has been enormous, Bome villages were entirely swept away, not A vestige of anything remaining. In every town and hamlet along the whole length of the river there was more or less destruction. There has also been great destruction of househole effects, stores of grain and other food stuffs. Many hundreds of animals used for food were swept away and there was also considerable loss of water buffaloes that are essential in the cultivation of the rice fields,
i
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
LOSS OF LIFE.
The loss of life was comparativoly incon- siderable. In six districts the entire loss scarcely reached fifty. The water rose so gradually that the people had time to escape to the bill. At present there are no signs of an epidemic. But It is almost too much to hope that there will be none, and there is a great probability that many who escaped from the floods will be swept away by famine or by pestilence. Speedy and suffici. ent outside help is the only hope of saving many tens of thousands who live in the flooded districts.
THE RELIEF NEEDED.
What relief is needed? First immediately, food. There are approximately 250,000 people in the valley of the North River without food. This is a conservative estimate There are ver 130,000 in Taing Uen District alone. The next harvest of rice cannot be gathered until about the middle of October. Many will not be able to plant for the next crep either because they have no seed or because the flds cannot be got into condition for planting Some of the smaller crops of potatoes, bags, etc., can be gathered within two months,
Allowing five cents a day for each person, making no allowance for cost of transportation and administration, at least $1,000,000 is needed in this section alone to save the starving.
A sound, but scarcely less important need is seed. The Tsing Uen Magistrate estimates that 700,000 catties are needed in this district at once and the Yingtak Magistrate that his people require 200,000 catting Using these figures as Д conservative estimate yields 1,3 0,000 catties as the amount of seed urgently needed in the valley of the Nth River. The cost of this will be approximately, $65,000,
The cost of replacing the dykes in Tsing an District alone is estimated at over $30,000 Taels. Sz Wei and Sam Shai need at least 10,000 more, or say $75,000 for the whole, Canally the cost of repairs on the dykes is apportioned among the villages in any given area, but it is absolutely impossible for the people concerned to reconstruct the dykes. As noted below it will most lik ly be impossible to combine relief of the starving with the work of restoring the dykes. The provincial gov. arnment should of course help in this work, But we are persuaded that much speedier and more effective relief will be given if direct con- tributions be made to assist in reconstruoting these dykes.
The nature and accessibility of the country together with the extent and charactor of the damage will determine the method of relief. These considerations naturally divide the country into three sections
1. The country as far north as Fei Loi Tez Pass including Sam Shui, Txing Uen, and Sz Wai Districts. This region is very accessible, it is lit and profected by dykes, hence rice and food distributions are practicable. The river is large and avigable by steam launches Practically every large centre is accessible. The most natural form of relief is to give the destitute work repairing the dykes, paying them in rice and money, supplemented by fres distribution is needy places. Rice can be easily brought in bere, making rice distribution more practicable thau money.
2. The country north of Fe Los Tez within reach of Yingiak. There are no dykes within this region.
Beside the crop, the chief deg. truction was in buildings and farm animals (water buffaloes). It is not so accessible as District No. 1 but still can be reached by small launches drawing not over two or three feet of water, provided the water gets no lower than at present. Here people could be put to work on public improvements such as roads and bridges to be paid for in rice and money; there should also be free distribution of rice.
3. The country around and to the north of Shiu Chau. The condition at this place d es not seem so serious as in districts No. 1 and No. 2, yet there is n-ed here too. The distancs from Canton aul Hongkong being great, and the river not navigable by steam propelled boats, make the carrying in of rice very difficult. Officials and missionaries there think enough rice can he secured from places near the destitute region and the best plan would be to send money to
distributed to the needy by the missionaries. This leaves. two smaller sections still to be considered.
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[July 25, 1908.
a. Up Lien Chow River. Owing to distance and shallow rivera money would be the best thing to send here. The Lien Chow mix- sionaries could probably superintend the work..
b. There are many small villazes between the two passes and also up small valleys elsewhere that will be hard to reach from either of these sections. Some provision should also be made
for these.
ESTIMATES.
Using the estimates given by officials and reekoned from other sources of information, we give the following statistics to be 8.8 11 ear the truth as can be obtained under the
circumstances.
Number of lives lost:-Yingtak 6, Tuing Uen 7, Sam Shai 10, total 23. Number of people homeless: Yingtak 8,000, Tsing Uen 8,4-0, Sam Shui 12,000, total 28,4 0.
Number of people without food:-Kuk Kong 20,00-, Yingtak 40,000, Tsing Uea 140,000, Sam Shui 30,000, Sz Woi 10,000, total 249,000.
Percentage of orops destroyed-80 per cent. Next harvest 9 to 11 month, that is "between three and four months from dat:.
Seed rice needed :-Yingtak 200,000 catties, Tsing Uen 700100 catties. Sam Shui 400,000 oatties, total 1.800,000 catties.
Dykes destroyed :-Taing Uən, Main River 30 odd places, total length Chinese feet 9,330 feet. There are also a great number of breaks
on the smaller streams.
Tributaries, 50 odd places-Sam Shui, 56 places, total length Chinese feet 10,600 feet. Estimated repairs 50,900 Taels.
North of Yingtak district We have по accurate figures, but missionaries and officials do not seem to think the situation serious there, but there is need of some help.
The above account does not aim to give an idea of the total destruction wrought by the flood. Ten millions of dollars would scarcely cover the loss of property. In giving the number of destitute We have aimed to include only those totally without resources, When it is remembered that all their neighbours suffered severely, it appears how vain it is to hope for mach local relief. The situation will grow worse until the next harvest and the number of destitate will in- orease rather than decrease. If pestilence should break out the plight of the people will be fearful indeed.
Spasmodic, ill-conducted refief measures will do very little to improve the situation. The work should be entrusted to a carefully selected relief committee. The more speedily a beginn ing is made the easier it will be to deal with the situation.
FLOOD FUND BAZAAR.
At a largely attended meeting of the committee held on Monday afternoon at the Chinese Commercial Union's Rooms, Mr. Fung Wa Chun presiding, the chairman reported that over $60,000 had been realized from the Bazaar, but the exact figures were not yet obtainable. It was decided that this money should go towards forming the nucleus of a new Fund to be called The Flood Relief Fund ander the charge of the committee which conducted the Bazaar. It was arranged that the money realized by the Bazaar and relief fund was to be used to construct dykes or water walls in the affected districtė, and that another appeal to the public be made for more assistance, as it would require much more thau the $60,000 on hand to do any effective good. It W88 further decided that the co-operation of the Tung Wa Hospital be solicited. Mr. Fung Wa Chan and seven others were elected from the committee to proceed to Canton by Tuesday evening's steamer to interview the Charitable Institu- tions, and secure their co-operation, and also to make arrangements with the Viceroy to have a gnn boat to convey the members of the com- mittee and others working on their behalf, such as architects &o., to the flood affected districts. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to the foreign and Chinese friends who had given donations towards the Bazar. Votes of thanks to the Chairman (Mr. Fung Wa Chua) to the Visa Chairman (Mr. Ho Kom Tong) to Mr. Chan Kang U, who supervised the different stalls, to the Press, and to many others were passed.
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