The herald., 1898-07-23
PORTO RICO REVENUES
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SENDS
TO THE ISLAND
Imports Equal Exports in value-A
Falling Of in Trade-Will Pick
Up When We Control

WASHINGTON, July 22.-The trade be-
tween the United States and Porto Rico Ia
reviewed in a bulletin -ssued by the Sec
rotary Of Agriculture complied under the
direction of Frank H. Hitchcock, chief Of
the foreign market section. Special efforts
to secure the most reliable and complete
data were made, owing to the avowed In
tention of the administration to make the
island permanent possession.
The official returns show that our CON-
mercial transactions with Porto Rico dur
ing the fiscal year, 1897, Just closed.
amounted In value to s4.16s,912, the least
since the Civil War, except in 1895, when 1t
fell to $3,340066. The highest mark was in
1873, when imports and exports had COM
bined value of $13,870,95.
Subsequently the trade declined rapidly,
and In less than a decade 1t had fallen off
more than one-half. The average annual
trade fell from s6017,7S5 for 1882, to
s4s56,s17 in 1S93-97.
The reciprocity treaty in force in the
three fiscal years, 1924, considerably aug
mented the trade, the average annually in
that period being $6,l59,794. against s5,s67,-
GOA for three preceding years, and So, 969, 572
in three years following. While our i'm
ports from Porto Rico increased very little
during that treaty period, there was an i'm
portant gain in volume of our exports io
the island. The shrinkage in our trade with
Potro Rico Is traceable mainly to the fall
ing off in our imports from the island. The
value of the merchandise we now send tc
Porto Rico closely approximates the value
of the goods we receive in return. Form
erly our imports were largely in excess OF
our exports. While the annual value of the
latter has remained practically stationary.
that of imports has gradually been declln-
ing, until In the five years the average
yearly excess of the latter over the former
was only $394.561 against an excess of IS,
7S4, COZ In 1872. In 1895, for the first time in
the history Of the trade, our shipments
there exceeded our importations, the bal
ance being s327.O32-
Agricultural products play the most i'm
portant part of this commerce, being over
80 per cent in value Of merchandise export
ed and imported. Our imports are almost
entirely agricultural. Non-agricultural
commodities also form less than 40per cent
of our exports there. Sugar Is the most
important of the imports, comprising near
ly rs per cent Of all imports. and combined
with molasses would form over IS per cent
Fruits, nuts and spices are other important
agricultural imports.
The average annual imports of coffee for
the last five years was 1874, 1913 pounds, worth
$32.67l. This item has declined about two
thirds in the last decade.
The leading non-agricultural imports
from there are perfumery and cosmetics,
chemicals, drugs and dyes, unmanufac-
tured wood and salt. Breadstuffs and
meat products In value form nearly IS per
cent of our agricultural exports to Porto
Rico. Wheat and -four the leading ex-
ports. reached value Of $570,619. between
1S93-97. During the last five years, the ave-
rage annual value of meat exports re-
turned at $662576. was slightly larger than
that of exported breadstuffs, the latter de.
clinng and the former increasing during
the last decade.
Wood and its manufactures of iron and
steel constitute over one-half of non-agri.
cultural exports to Porto Rico, minerals
oil and coal also being Items