The record-union., 1898-11-16
Report Of Special Commissioner
Robert P. Porter
On the Financial and Economical Conditions
Existing in Cuba.
The Present Tariff Made by Span
iards for Spain, the Only Prin-
ciple in It Being Gain for
the Madrid Government and
Loss for the Cubans-Thc Cur
rency Question Also an Import
ant Subject to Be Considered.

ant subject TO BE CONSIDERED.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15.-The Hon.
Robert p. Porter, special Commission
er for the United States to Cuba ana
Porto Rico, presented his report to the
President and Secretary of the Treas
ury to-day. The report submitted
goes very fully into the financial and
economical conditions of Cuba. There
are some supplementary reports yet to
be made.
Mr.. Porter examined both in the
United States and in Cuba about 400
all of whose testimony is
published in the appendix of the re-
port. He has also submitted for the
approval of the Secretary of the Treas
ury a complete revision of the tariff
in the form of a new bill, which will
be examined by the experts of the
Treasury Department, and if approved
will be promulgated by the President
and take effect at the port of Cien-
fuegos, December 1st, that being in all
the first important port TO
come in the possession of the United
States.
The most pressing need of the island
is a tariff. Commissioner Porter says:
THE Spanish tariff was made by
Spaniards for Spain, i'll the interests CT
the Spaniards. That seems to be the
only principle in it. On any other the
ory it was inexplicable. In adopting
for an exigency measure the rate of
duty which Spain levied for her own
commodities, the United States acted
wisely. Those rates were, however,
full of inequalities, and were not levied
on any sound principle, but the heads
SPANS wins and tails Cuba loses idea,
which prevails in the whole fiscal fa-
brio. 1t was found that the only way
to remedy the inequalities and equalize
the rates of duty was to improve the
administration and to reduce the rates
of duty on all articles of general con-
especially to frame a new
tariff The tariff thus proposed and
the adoption of which by the United
States when the military forces take
hold of the custom house will reduce
all duties about 60 per cent from the
old Spanish rates and will average full
ly two-thirds less than the rates now
exacted by the authorities in Cuban
ports in possession of Spain.'
and definition of Cuba by the agent, in
the revenue and other sources of rev.
enues are explained and discussed. To
the question, with such a large reduc-
ton of duties how is it possible to Sc
cure revenue for the purpose of admin
istering the Government of the island,
the report says: There are several
-,
answer is that by reason of fraudulent
and smuggling most of
the revenue collected never found its
way into the treasury of that island nor
of Spain.''
Mr.. Porter says: 1.-The cupidity and
rapacity of the Spanish official in Cuba
is beyond conception, and, if we may
judge by the results at Santiago, the
United States officers will be able to
collect quite as much revenue on q
tariff, the duties of which are more
than a half or nearly two-thirds less
than under the iniquitouS law now in
force"
Mr.. Porter submits a table showing
the average annual custom house re-
ceipts in the island of Cuba from 1856
to 1897, inclusive, to have been $l2,-
645, 1894. He also gives an analysis of
the Cuban budget, showing how much
revenue is required and how much may
reasonably be expected from the tariff
to be enforced
The next most important subject
reached in the report is that in relation
to currency. 1t says in part
although Cuba is afflicted with
many kinds of deprecated currency. the
basis is strictly gold, and
in any commercial engagement the
value is understood to be in gold, un-
less specified to the contrary.
THE testimony taken and statements
made on this subject have been unan-
imously in favor of the continuance of
the gold basis. The Spanish silver
current in the island is only
taken at the daily value, which is fixed
by the continually fiuctuat-
ing value of the Spanish money in Eu-
ropean markets"
Mr.. Porter then takes up the uues-
ton of taxation, and suggests the aboli-
ton of certain taxes, especially that
known as the consumption tax, on the
killing of cattle, which is an exaction
that greatly increases the price of food
to the people.
Another tax which will fall of it's
weight when the United States forces
take control Of the island is the "cedu-
la" or head tax, which varies in
amount from a few cents to S1O0 ac-
cording to the rank and Importance of
the individual.
Mr.. Porter then takes up the question
of education There are free public
schools in Cuba, but the teachers have
the right to take pay scholars, and nat
urally those who do not pay get little
or no attention. The proportion of
people who are illiterate is very large.
Some statistics show only one in forty
Of the laboring classes able to read and
write There can be no stable govern
ment in Cuba, he says, until this mas
been revised.
In regard to industrial enterprises.
Mr. Porter concludes that little can
be done until sanitary conditions have
been improved in all the industrial
centers
Dealing with the railway system of
Cuba, Mr.. Porter recommends the :,n-
mediate construction of a trunk rail-
way from end to end of the island.
with branches extending north and
south. In the opinion of the Commits