Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-07-19
RELATIVE VALUE
 OF PORTO RICO,
Statistics Showing the Imports and Ex- ports of That Island, Which will
 soon Be Captured,


 markets section Of the agricultural de partment. and approved by Secretary Wilson, is Of unusual interest. IT shows for the first time the figures of the com. merce for 1896 of Spain's easternmost West India island
 During the calendar year 1896 the for. eign trade of Porto Rico according to the official returns, attained total value of $86, ,624, 1g0, exceeding all previous records, and being gain in the year of more than l5,oQ0 0oo In 1S929 96 the total imports and exports had an annual value of $33. 870, ,585, as against $24, 96l. :. 2l7 in 1SS7-9l. Imports into Porto Rico generally have somewhat exceeded the exports, but in l896, for the first time ill over | decade, the value of the merchandise shipped to foreign markets was slightly greater than that of the i'm. ported wares The cAports for 1896 had value of $l8,a4l 43o decidedly the largest on record, while the imports for the same year, $lS.sS2 600, were sur passed only in lS94 when the foreign goods received amounted to $ls, ,0S6, 36. The foreign trade of Porto Rec is con dncted chiefly with Spain, the United States, Cuba, Germany, the United Kingdom and France, having an ever. age annual value of $a, ,888. .0I4, which was 2S 80 per cent of the total valuation placed upon the island commerce. The United States ranked second the value of the goods exenanged s6,845, 952 q year, or l904 per cent of the total Cuba trade with Porto Rlco amounted to B. II per cent of the total, having an average yearly value of g, ,G06, ,220
 In 1896, the latest year covered by the Porta Rican statistics, which Mr. Hitch cock succeeded i'll obtaining indirectly from the colonial administration of the island, there were, besides the SIX eoun- tries cited, nine other countries with which the island had a trade exceed. ing $l00,00O; British possessions. oth- CT than East Indies, 8, ,089 749; Italy, $l, or, ,S43; British East Indies, SS86,- s39 Austria Hungary, $553, 7S3; Belgi- um, $297 701; Argentina, $25l, 844 i; Uruguay, S223, 793 :. Netherlands, sl70,- 55G, and Denmark, Sl842l5.
 Spain's trade with Porto Rico, accord ing to Spanish returns, increased in val- ue from s. 929, 779 in 1887 to $l2, GA, 955 in lS96 The chief gain was made in ex- ports from Spain to the island, the yalue for 1896 amounting to s. 268, 498, against only S2, 411,2l6 for 1881 During the same year imports from Porto Rico ad- vanced from $2, 5is, ,565 to So, ,S76, 457
 The island s exports consist almost en- tirely of agricultural products. Of inn ports, manufactured articles do nou greatly exceed the agricultural Agri- cultural imports ill 1895 were valued as $7,l61, 332, made up chiefly of rice, wheat flour and hog p,oducts. Non agricul- tural imp 1rts were valued at $9 664, 10l, the chief goods being cotton fabrics, whose imports reached S9,07o, ,067 ill 1895; fish, wool, leather and tobacco also were extensively imported. Most of the rice imported is supplied by tho British West Indies, Germany and Spain.
 Coffee and sugar. the leading products of the island are the important factors in Porto Rico's export trade, comprising in value fully S5 per cent of all the mer- chandise sent to foreign markets. The quantity of coffee shipped in 1895 was 40. 243, 695 pounds, and its value S9, l59,- 9S5, while of Porto Rcan sugar, 132,- If ,2111 pounds, with value of s, 905,- 74t. were marketed abroad In addition to the sugar, s539, 51l worth os molases was shipped
 Of leaf tobacco a,665, ,051 pounds, worth $G1s, 7S7, were shipped in 1894
 Cattle shipments for lS95 numbered 3,874 head, valued at sl, Al ,Si6
 Other agricultural products exported quite extensively are maize, hides, fruits, nuts and distilled spirits
 The coffee exported goes most exten- sively to Spain and Cuba, these two get ting over half Most Of the sugar and molasses is dest- ed for the United States, with Spain q second customer. Spain and Cuba rece. ye most of the to- bacco, the trade with the United States not being large.
 Spain's non-agricultural imports from Porto Rico are principally bags and sacks, guano and tobacco manu. factures Of her exports, cot ton fabrics constituted about 30 per cent. Leather, soao, sandals, hats. caps, pa- per and it's manufactures come next, while agricultural exports comprised rice, olive oil, wines, pulp and canned goods.
 War to pelth Preferred.
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