NAME of the head of the family, Wutaro Rai.
Address, No. 334 Nakamura, Ishikawa Co.
Business, Tenant farming, Age 46.
Health, Suffering at present, Rheumatism.
NAME.AGE.HEALTH.
Grandfather,Nil
Grandmother,“
Father, Taro75Unable to work.
Mother, Hana72“ “ “
Wife, Chika40Able to work in the house.
Two daughters,
Kuni,age 25,married.
Yasa,18,serving as maid in a remote; sends a little money to help.
Amount of taxes, Yen, 1.20.
Property, mortgaged.
Beddings, quite insufficient.
House, bad.
Condition of living in the past, lived pretty well comparatively.
Remarks: Entire help is at present needed.

Thus, persons, men or women, who are quite unable to work, are fed and clothed with contributions that have been made at home and abroad towards the sufferers, whilst those who are able to work outside of the house, are furnished by the local Governments, for measures of relief, with wage-earning works such as those in rearranging public roads, paddy fields, in opening new fields for mulberry trees, and those in the house with materials for straw-works, bamboo-works, fishing-net-works, etc., which are bought up afterward by the authorities dearer than ordinary prices. Besides, to those sufferers, who own themselves even a little bit of land or who are tenants, are furnished with seeds of various kinds of vegetables without charges whatever. The wages they earn in these ways run from 12 sen (6 cents) to 30 sen (15 cents) per day in accordance with the degree of their laboring power.

Foodstuffs, which we purchased with the money you sent to us, consist mostly of imported rice, wheat and flour.

The number of sufferers or paupers in Fukushima Prefecture is altogether 174,573, out of which 86,196 persons are helped in such a manner as to be furnished with manual labor and 88,377 directly with foods, which had been partly purchased by the authorities with the money contributed from individuals to the amount of Yen 235,322.00 up to the end of March and partly sent by them in the form of provisions in a good quantity.

In Iwate Prefecture, there are 78,588 sufferers, out of whom 35,211 are altogether helped being totally unable to work. The total amount of money, which we sent to this district out of your contributions, is up to the 22d instant, Yen 58,276.37. Foodstuffs, worth Yen 24,619.08, had already been distributed among the sufferers and at present some more foods are being purchased. The total amount of money that has been contributed by the natives and expended is to the same date Yen 147,933.60.

In Miyagi Prefecture, there are 475,135 persons, who have needed help either directly or indirectly. Those who have been furnished with foodstuffs number 51,058 and those with the manual labor number 424,077. The total amount of money, which we sent to this district out of your contributions is up to the 15th instant Yen 100,464.78 and that consisting of donations made at home is Yen 448,892.70.

It may well be to state that, in consequence of the famine, there have been established several societies in aid of the sufferers in these three districts. The Ladies’ Relief Society in Fukushima, for instance, has ever been collecting new and old clothes and distributed them among the sufferers. The Society for the Protection of School Children, which was established under the auspices of the authorities in each Prefecture of those districts since the number of pupils had been found to be daily decreasing, has done a great deal of work in helping and brightening them. At present, as a result, the number of pupils who every day go to school is figured out, on the average to be 95 per 100, whereas before the famine, its percentage was about 85. All the text books, pencils, pens and other necessities have now been pouring into their hands from such children as are under different circumstances entirely. Such articles, being in general second-handed, are disinfected thoroughly before distributing them.

Thus the authorities have been taking much precaution against epidemic that may likely spring up in the coming Summer as often should be the case with famine. As the sufferers’ huts are apt to become more filthy and unhealthy than used to be, policemen are frequently sent to such houses for inspection. Moreover, on those who keep their own houses clean are at present conferred prizes in the shape of money.

School-children, in addition, get free luncheons at the school, which are served by the Society for the Protection of School-children. “I am very hungry. Oh no! I am not hungry” is a spirit of Bushidoism or Samurai. It may be of interest to state here that there had been at first some children, who refused free luncheons notwithstanding they ate nothing for more than two days and some fathers and mothers who refused gifts from others.

In order to encourage the education of children in these districts, the Central Government made allowance of Yen 300,000 for them, Yen 120,000 for Miyagi Ken (Prefecture), Yen 110,000 for Fukushima and Yen 70,000 for Iwate Ken being respectively assigned.