The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-09-17
PORTO RICO AS
A WINTER RESORT
It is a Valuable AcqusitionAIso Strait
egicaIIy and as a Tropical Garden
AS A FIELD FOR INVESTMENT.
There is a Variety of Opinion and Much
Depends on the Improvements
Made in Harbor and Trans
portation-As Resort.

WASHINGTON. Sept. I.-Special-
las a delightful winter resort, valuable
tropical garden and an important s'ra-
tegic point. Puerto Rico is valuable ac-
QUESTION TO the people and government
OF the United States"
This is the view expressed by the chieI
of the Treasury Bureau Of statistics VINO
has just returned from a brief visit 70
the island.
TT must not he expected said Mr..
Austin. that so small an island can be-
come large factor In supplying the
So. 10000 worth Of tropical productions
which the people Of the United states
annually consume. or that 1t can absorb
d very large percentage OF the sl,20o.ODo0OJ
worth OF our annual proQucti0ns-smaller
in area than the state OF Connecucut.
and with population less than that OF
the city OF Brooklyn. il may not be able
10 meet the somewhat eXtravagant eN-
pectations which enthusiastic people
nave formed with reference 70 u.
DENSE POPULATION.
Settled by Spain more than a century
earlier than the landing Of the Pilgrims
al Plymouth Rock. its population Is now
more dense than that of Massachusetts
and the prospect OF materially increasing
its productiveness not hattering. Noun
famous from centre TO circumference,
the l.00)O00 people who occupy its $500
square miles OF territory have put under
cultivation most OF the available soil.
and while their methods OF culture and
transpOrf alton are IN many cases very
primitive. it cannot be expected that the
productions OF this densely populated and
closely cultivated area can be largely in
creased or It's consumption greatly null
tiplied The valleys and coast lands are
now well occupied with sugar estates,
the area adjoining these is devoted 10 TO-
bacco, and the mountain sides 90 The very
noaks are occupied by large coffee plan
tati0ns. with patches of cocoanuts. oa-
uanas. plantalus. bread-fruit oranges,
and other tropical fruits scattered among
them While the 10000 Of IFS population
who live in cities and villages enjoy some
Of the c0nvenionces 10 which our people
are accustomed the larger proportion OF
the rural population is of extremely SIM
nie habits in tho matter OF food cloth
Ing. and habitatlon. and with small earn
ing capacity and "a small per capita or a
deprecated currency. cannot be expected
10 soon become large consumers or our
products. a little rice. very little Hour,
a few beans and plenty OF bananas.
plantains. bread-fruit and vegetables
satisfy their physical necessities; q rev
Yards Of cotton cloth for the adults ana
nothing for the children. meet their prin-
cinal requirements for clothing. while a
few rough boards and a plentiful supply
Of plantain and palm leaves supply the
material for the humble dwellings
throughout the interior and in many OF
the villages. With but about One-dfth
of it's population able o. read and write,
the knowledge of the outsi - world Is eN-
tremely limited and with only one nun
dred and fifty miles of railroad and less
than two hundred and nifty miles OF good
wagon road ON the island, tho means OF
nter-cOmmunicauon are not such as 10
enable a. prompt stimulation of us pro-
ducti0n or consumption Most or the
good roads and some of them are very
fine. run from town 10 town along the
coast. though there is one exception IN
the military road connecting Ponce on
the south shore. with san Juan on me
north shore. Most of the interior how
ever is only reached ly bride paths over
which TRANSPORTATION is effected by packs
carried on small ponies. In the cilies ana
towns most of the transportation u.s. 10y
bul0cks yokod in primitive FASHION 10
two-whceled carts and urged no their
work by % sharp pointed pole 10 me hahia
OF a native driver who walks in front of
his team. turning to give them ID -VlsoI
ou4 punch when they do nor follow with
40 island
ara of "a superior class, similar in app
naarance 10 the Jersey cattle hut with
broad horns. the COWS being driven from
door % door in the towns and MIXED
into bottles in The presence or me Gus
torner while the calves stand patiently
rpon the sidewalk awaiting the removal
~ the neriratetc dairy 90 The residence
OF the next customer. ...-,
EDUCATION NOT TIE BEST.
"r6ucati0n on the island IS not or a
high order. 4 sort ~ public school sya-
ter, nrev4ils in some Of the towns and
cr-ies but I'm the interior reading ana
,rri+irr except among the plantation
ov-nars and managers. are rare. Spanish
BE- che nopular tongue. though the natives
~ France Of whom there are quite
number retain their language. and there
are i'm the towns some Enslish-spea
negroes from ST.. Thomas and other near
nv English colonies. VINO prove useIul
as interpreters 90 the Americans already
on the island. one Of the two dairy
NEWSPAPERS published in Ponce prints one
maze iu English out of compliment 70 the
new conditions most or the matter so
published being extracts from me consul
tuition of the United States ana sketches
OF the lives of our distinguished men.
There are Catholic churches 10 an the
.ci+io- and large towns some OF them
dating back over O century handsomely
finished within and representing a large
o,-,erditure of money. There IS one Pro-
testanr church al Ponce. said 10 have
baen The only one In the Spanish West
Indies. but It IS a present unoccupied-
There are theatres IN the principal cities,
and several Of the leading towns nave
telephones and are connected by telegraph
lines aggregating about four hundred
miles in length. while cable communica-
ton rs had with the United states al
SLY per word "
'.Tne currency and finances Of the
island are subjects with when our STATES
men win have 10 deal The Spanish Gov
eminent I'm 1895 took up all the Mexican
and Spanish coins I'm circulation ana
substituted special silver coins struck
in the mint OF Spain for this purpose.
They bear on one side the Spanish coat
OF arms and the words 'Isla de Puerto
Rico and on the other the face OF the
boy king. and an elaborate inscription III
Spanish. The largest Of these is me feso'
OF one hundred ceutavOs, corresponding III
appearance with our silver dollars
weighing $500 grains. and generally
spoken of as dollar Tnere are also
smaller silver coins of five, ten, twenty