The Hawera Star. TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1924. FLOODS IN CHINA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 19 August 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1924. FLOODS IN CHINA.

Delivered every evening t>y & o’clock in H&wer*, Mansia, N-'-rmanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Patea, Waverley, Mpkoia, Whakamara, Oiianga t , Merenaere. Fraser Bead, and Otakena Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Mangatokl, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake,

Once again the great Hoang-ho or the Yellow River has behaved in a- manner justifying the name of “China’s Sorrow” which has been given to it on account of its tendency to burst its banks and to change its course. The dreadful floods recorded in last week’s messages have caused enormous damage and loss of life, and it has been estimated that in addition to the report that 50,000 people were drowned, 10,000,000 have been rendered homeless by the floods. The region drained by the Hoang-ho comprises in Tibet and Chini proper a total area of about 600,000 square miles or three times the extent of France. The earliest record of floods of the Hoang-ho, which old chronicles called the Nih-ho (“Rebellious River’’) dates back to the fourth century 8.C., and history contains many accounts of the terrible devastation which its floods have wrought. In their endeavour to control the river, which flows occasionally at a higher level than the surrounding plain, the Chinese . have erected a vast system of embankments. This system is maintained by the constant labour of some 60,000 workers, but w r hen heavy floods occur the embankments only add to the danger®, for the higher they are made the greater is the danger from the flood waters, which refuse to be restricted, and the dykes burst and whole provinces are devastated and millions of people fall victims to famine and pestilence. In the great area through which the Hoang-ho flows everything is yellow—hills, fields, highways and houses, and even the vegetation is often covered with yellow dust. Erosion is constantly taking place, “in some places a thickness of at least--2000 feet,’’ states one writer, “offering a prodigious quantity of fertilising soil and maintaining the productiveness of the plains Vashed by the Hoang-ho. This yellow earth is the richest soil in China, being far more fertile even than ordinary alluvium. It requires no manuring and goes on producing crops for ages.” Enormous efforts have been made by the Chinese to provide roads and means' of communication in the region of the Hoang-ho, but the recurrence of floods has frequently completely upset the efforts. In the Encyclopaedia Britaimica, Mr. George Jamieson describes the actions of the “Rebellious River” as follows: “As the silt-laden waters debouch iwm the rocky bed of the upper reaches on to the plains, the current slackens, and the coarser detritus settles on the bottom. By degi'ees the bed rises, and the people build embankments to prevent the river from overflowing. As the bed rises the embankment must be raised too until the stream is flowing many feet above the level of the surrounding country. As time goes oil the situation becomes more and more dangerous; finally, a breach occurs, and the whole river pours over the country, carrying ,destruction and ruin with it. If the breach cannot be repaired, the river leaves its old channel entirely, and finds a new exit to the sea along the line of least resistance. Such in brief has been the story of the river since the dawn of Chinese history.” One can well understand the seriousness of the floods which occurred last week and the enormous loss which has resulted. Unfortunately there appears to be no indication that China will not suffer similar disasters in the future. For centuries dams and dykes have been built and rebuilt to try and keep

the river within bounds, but from time to time “China’s Sorrow” descends upon the people and the angry waters sweep over the vast areas carrying with them death and destruction.