The times., 1898-07-27
LETTERS FROM INVENTORS.
Inquiries as to Conditions in Cub,
and Porto Rico

4
| The Treasury Department and Bureau
| OF Statistics are flooded Just now with
/ letters OF inquiry concerning Cuba and
Porto Rico. They come from persons who
! contemplate making investments in those
| islands The information wiiI-be given in
| elaborate form in the next monthly pub
| ilcation of the Bureau of Statistics, rhe
! Summary of Finance and Commerce. and
Will show that Cuba has under normal
conditions. bought annually about S25. .g0J.
Vo worth OF goods from Spain: about 81
oO.e0 worth from Great Britain: less
| than H.0D0G00 worth from France and
less than 100000 worth from Germany.
| while from America her purchases have
ranged from 5000 900 to $1,000 600 in value
The imports into CuEa have been. of
course. light during the last year or two.
and a fair estimate Of her purchases can
only be obtained by an examination Of
the figures of the year 1895 or earlier.
The imports into Cuba and Porto Rico
from Germany in 1892 amounted to 6.O5J.-
90, marks. the value of mark being 23s
cents. In 1893 it dropped TO 5.O09.GdO marks
in rounds numbers. in 1884 10 100000 in
1875. the same. and in 1895 it amounted 20
a little more than 40)0.O00 marks The
largest item in these imports from Ger
many was iron. which in 1886 formed
nearly one-third of the total exports from
Germany 10 Cuba and Porto Rico.
From France the expectations to Cuba
and Porto Rico amounted TO 5.277.6Jg
francs in lS93 the frame being valued
at 1913 cents; 3.747. $50 in 1894: 2. 799. s32 in
1895 and Lis. $50 in 1885,. The largest items
among these imports from France were
Jewelry and fancy articles which formed
nearly One-third of the total the next
largest being WOODEN goods. I33 i53 francs,
and prepared medicines. If. ga francs
The imports into Cuba and Porto Rico
from the United Kingdom were valued at
l.07Sl1 pounds in 1892; !. .321 SO pounds in
1893; l2I 095 pounds In 1884,: 9i3 793 pounds
in 1895 and I'D so pounds in 1895 The lead
ing imports from the United Kingdom in
1895 were cotton goods 233. .673 pounds: lin
ems. l3T. 634 pounds: iron. wrought and un-
wrought 1865 pounds; machinery. f32H
pounds hardware. cutlery. etc. y 93i
pounds; coal and other fuel .. 42s pounds.
From Spain the imports for the year
1896 into Cuba were l34 461. $50 pesetas the
value Of the peseta being 1873 cents The
imports from Spain in the year 1895 were
larger than those OF any preceding year
in a decade The main items IF TIE m
ports 10 Cuba from Spain for ls96 were
-four 2e.526. So pesetas in value; shoes.
l'-2i9I69 peset4s; sandals. l3. 433. SO pese-
tas; firearms 95sl 201 pesetas: wine. 7,}47-
| 0i5 pesetas; preserved food, 4.742. .35l; oil.
3 3l6 2lS: manufactures Of fax and hemp.
g. .0S7: soap. 3.II5 Sf5.
The exports from Spain to Porto Rico
in 1896 amounted 10 81, ,650.619 pesetas in
value q larger sum than any other year
in the decade. The largest item was cot
ton manufactures L. 4s9, 7G7 pesetas.
The exports of America into Cuba in
1891 We're. according To American official
reports 5 25s 775: in 1895. $3.50 $50; in 1896.
81 So. 66l: in 1884, 81 125.3Z1 and in lsgs.
when they reached the maximum 81
l57.G .G9S. having been in 1892 SI7.955.57l. and
in 1891. So 224 SIS.
The reciprocity treaty with Spain. made
under the tariff act of 1850. went into ef-
feet September l. 1891 and continued N
force until August y. 1894 50 that me
business of the fiscal years 1s42 1893, and
1894 was transacted under that treaty
with the exception Of July and August
Of the year 1S93