Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-07-23
Htiseellantpus &eadilag.
THE WAR INDEM NIFTY.

lHE WAN lNUEM MI l.
An ohiciai Analysis of Puerto Rico's $780,
100000 Annual Trade.
st. Louis Grobe-Democrat.
A hit of territory the size of three
good American counties which annual
" produces SIS, 100000 W orth of what
what the United States not raise, and
which buys like amount of what
this country has to sell, is fascina-
ting acquisition from the material
view. Such is Puerto Rico.
Frank II. Hitchcock, chief of the
section of foreign markets of the de-
partment of agriculture, has compiled
interesting and timely information
about the trade of Puerto Rico. His
figures of latest date were obtained
from original sources, and have not
been published until now.
During the calendar year 1895 the
foreign trade at Puerto Rico, accord
ing to the official returns compiled
by the colonial administration of the
island, attained a total value of 1885,
624, ,12O, exceeding all previous records.
Compared with the value for 1887, the
opening year of the decade, which
amounted to $21, ,237 ,60l, these figures
show gain of more than 5,0OO,O 600
during the ten years.
The imports into Puerto Rico have
generally been somewhat in excess of
the exports from the island, but in
1896, for the first time in more than a
decade, the value of the merchandise
shipped to foreign markets was slight
" greater than that of the imported
wares. The exports for 1896 had a
value of $1S, ,34l, ,430, and were decid-
edly the largest on record, while the
imports for the same year, valued at
S1S,2S2,69O, appeared to have been
surpassed only in 1894, when the for
eign goods received at Puerto Rican
ports amounted in value to S19,OS6,-
336. The average yearly value of the
import trade increased from $14, ,412,-
345 in 1SS7-1S91 to S17, 7,4S0, ,494 in
1s92-1S96, and that of the export trade
during the same periods from SIC, 1884,
s72 to SIC, 6,390,O4l.
WHERE PUERTO RICO TRADES.
The foreign trade of Puerto Rico is
conducted chiefly with Spain, the
United States, Cuba, Germany, the
United Kingdom and France. OF all
the merchandise imported and export
ed by the island during the four years
1S93-1S96 fully IS per cent, measured
in value, was exchanged with the six
countries mentioned. Spain received
the largest share of the trade, the
transactions with that country in 1893
1896, according to Puerto Rican sta
tistics, having an average annual value
of s9,SSs, 1914, which was $3.50 per
cent. of the total valuation placed
upon tue islands commerce. The
United States, as participator in the
trade, ranked second only to Spain,
the value of the goods exchanged
averaging s6,s45,252 a year, or 1894
per cent of the total. After Spain and
the United States, Cuba was the most
important factor, the portion of the
trade credited to that island amount
ing to 13.41 per cent, and having an
average yearly value of s4,606, ,22O.
Spain, the United States and Cuba
together enjoyed nearly two-thirds of
the total commerce carried on by
Puerto Rico during 1S93-1S96. About
one-fourth of the trade was controlled
by three, European countries-Germ-
any, the United Kingdom and France.
The average value per annum of the
business transacted with Germany in
the four years mentioned amounted to
$3,O5O,334, or S.SS per cent. of the
total that with the United Kingdom
to $2,S63, $50, or S.34 per cent, and
that with France to 81, POI ,6S7, or 6.41
per cent.
WHAT PUERTO RICO BUYS.
Among the products of agriculture
imported by Puerto Rico the principal
items are rice, wheat -four and hog
products. Measured in value, the
articles named comprise nearly two
thirds of the total agricultural imports.
Rice is by far the most important of
these items. In 1885, the latest year
for which complete statistics are avail
able, the importations of this food pro-
duct amounted to "A, ,145, ,046 pounds,
valued at $2,271,819. In the year
mentioned rice was not only the lead
ing agricultural product imported, but
also exceeded in value any of the non
agricultural imports. Wheat flour,
which ranked next to rice in import
ance among the agricultural items,
was imported during 1895 to the ex-
tent of ITO, ,46O barrels, worth 81 ,o23-
694. The various hog products COM
prising bacon, hams, pork and lard,
imported in that year were valued at
s1,274,6ls.
Other agricultural imports with val
ues exceeding 100000 in 1895 were
the following: Wines, S431 ,536; veg
etables, s4OO,66O; olive oil, s341 ,607 !;
cheese, 1887, 100 canned goods, sl7S,-
536 ierked beef. S139.245: bread, bis