THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S nese shoes and making uniforms for school boys. The shoe stores have not required uppers for several months and few boys are in school at all and cer tainly not investing in uniforms. An attempt to set up the millet cake busi ness failed owing to the exorbitant price of grain and the family has now exhausted its little reserve and been reduced to starvation. There is no credit and nothing can be secured except for cash. The pawn shops have been so extensively patron ized that many of them have had to close for lack of funds. In order to secure ready money animals, land, fur niture, farm implements, clothing, bed ding, and house timbers (converted into fire wood) are being sold at pa thetically low figures. As early as the last of August animals were bringing only from one tenth to one-quarter oi their value, land is selling for from one- sixth to three-eights of its accustomed price. Household furnishings, clothes, and bedding bring almost nothing. The sale of twelve excellent benches only real ized one dollar. Offsetting the low price of all con vertible property is the exorbitant price demanded for all forms of food, and fuel. In the least affected districts prices are two and three times normal and in many sections they run as high as six and eight times the normal fig ure. Thousands are living on the leaves and weeds that can be gathered in the fields and the frost will soon end xthis supply. In such regions starvation has already set in. A large proportion of the people are subsisting on chaff, pea nut cake, ground corn cobs, tops of immatured gao liang, potato leaves and vines, alfalfa, and seed pods from cer tain trees. In the Dechow field leaves were being stolen at night. Along cer tain parts of the Yellow River the trees on the dykes were being killed by the stripping of leaves and bark for food. It became necessary to issue a proclama-
184 ‘ provide for it or look after it he deemed it the most merciful thing to put an end to the little thing’s sufferings. Then upon returning to his few belong ings he found that they had been rifled and his money taken. A second tree and a bit of rope completed the circle of death. Many families cannot bring them selves to endure the loss of face in volved in begging for they would pre fer death to the terrors of a beggar’s life. Consequently it is commonly said by families, when asked what they ex pect to do when their last is gone, that they “are saving for a final meal.” The significance of this remark is illustrated by the case of a wealthy family in the Hai Feng district. Little by little the animals, the land, the farm and house hold utensils had gone. Finally the quilts were taken out and sold for a few coppers. The father took the money and purchased a little grain and poison. With this he had a gruel made and terminated the suffering of the family. In another place near the canal a family of seven tied themselves and the dog together and ended their mis ery in the canal. The neighbors find ing the bodies buried them all in one grave. Financial Business is practically paralyzed. Many families have been accustomed to eke out an existence by supplementing the production of their land with the income of some small business. Still others were entirely dependent upon a trade or hiring out. There is nothing for such people this year. Outside help is not being needed nor used. Shops are seeking to sell their stock and the demand is so slight that additional, sup plies of articles are not required. Per tinent to this point is the case of a per sonal friend. He is a most thrifty and frugal man with a family of four or five growing boys. He has made a good living by stitching the uppers for Chi-
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