New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-12
PORTO RICAN DEVELOPMENT.
OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO AMERICAN
INVESTORS CHIEF INDUSTRIES.
-yY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l

washington, Sept 1l.-"As a delightful winter
.oeort a valuable tropical garden and an impor-
tant strategic point Porto Rico is valuable ac-
o,,si,Ion 10 the people and Government Of the
United States.
This is the view expressed by the Chief OF the
Treasury Bureau OF Statistics. who has just re-
4nrned from brief visit TO the island.
"It must not be expected said Mr.. Austin
.ehat so small an island can become large fac
Tor in supplying the tropical productions. valued
~ all at S25OOOO000 which the people of the
United States annually consume, or that 1t can
absorb very large percentage of the 81 .2OO,OOO.
900 Of this country's annual productions. Small
=, IN area than the State Of Connecticut and
with a population less than that Of the city OF
p-ooklyn. IT may not be able to meet the some
what extravagant expectations which enthusiast
,,c people have entertained with reference to it.
IFS population is now more dense than that o.
Massachusetts,. and the prospect of materially
increasing it's productiveness is not fatterng
7, Is mountainous from centre to circumference,
o,d the million people who occupy its 5000
sorare miles OF territory have put under Guilt
vation most Of the available soil.
while their methods of culture and transpor-
,o,,on are in many cases primitive. II cannot be
nxnected that the productions of this densely
largely increased, or its consumption greatly
,,r1,tnlied The valleys and coast lands are
ou, VOL occupied with sugar estates; the area
a,oirine these is devoted to tobacco and the
roountainsides to the very peaks are occupied
nv large coffee plantations. with patches or
oocoanuts bananas. pantains. breadfruit, or
Argos and other tropical fruits scattered among
them
PEOPLE OF SIMPLE HABITS.
although the 100000 Of its population who
live IN cities and villages enjoy some Of the con-
veniences 10 which our people are accustomed
tho large proportion Of the rural population IL
NJ extremely simple habits In the matter or food'
c,othing and habitatons, and, with small earn
ing capacity and deprecated currency. cannot
he expected soon to become large consumers OF
our products. A little rice, a little HOUR Ie"
beans, and plenty OF bananas. plahtains' Dread
fruit and vegetables to satisfy their phvsicai
necessities; a few yards OF cotton cioth Tor the
adults and nothing for the children meet ther
rrincpal requirements for cothing Whlie rev
rough boards and plentiful supply or pian'a'h
and palm leaves supply the material ior 'he
humble dwellings throughout the INTERIOR ana IN
many OF the villages.
with only one-hfth Of It's population aoie 10
road and write. knowledge OF the outside world
q
md fifty miles Of railroad and less than two nun
ared and fifty miles Of good wagon ROADS on the
island the means of communication are not
sucb "a 10 stimulate production or con-
sunntion Most Of the good roads-some OF
,bem Ane-run from town TO town along the
coast though there is one exception In the mill
tarv road connecting Ponce on the south shore
with San Juan on the north shore.
TRANSPORTATION IN THE CITIES.
"Most OF the interior. however. is only reached
by bride paths over which transportation IS
ERECTED by packs carried on small ponies. In
the cities and towns most of the transportation
s by bullocks. yoked in primitive fashion TO two
wheeled carts and urged to their work by a
sharp pointed pole in the hands Of native
griver. who walks in front Of his team. turning
10 Civ, chem vigorous punch when they DO
not Fellow with sufficient speed. The cattle or
the island are of superior class, similar In ap-
raararoe 10 Jersey cattle. but with broad horhs'
the COWS being driven from door to door in the
towns and milkss! into bottles In the presence
Of the customer, while the calves stand patiently
pom the sidewalk awaiting the removal OF the
Jeripatetic dairy 10 the residence OF the next
customer.
Education on the island Is not OF A high order
A sort Of public school system prevails In some or
towns
and writing. except among the plantation own
ers and managers. rare. Spanish is the
popular tongue though the natives OF France.
Of whom there are quite a number. retain Their
language and thera are in TIE towns some Eng
lish-speaking negroes from st. Thomas and
other nearby English colonies. who prove use
ful as interpreters 70 the Americans already on
the island One Of the two daily newspapers
published in Ponce prints one page In English
out Of compliment to the new conditions, most
Of the matter so published being extracts from
the Constitution Of the United States ana
sketches Of the lives OF our distinguished men.
There are Roman Catholic churches In all
the cities and large towns, some Of them dating
tack over a century, handsomely finished within,
end representing large expenditure OF money.
There is one Protestant church at Ponce. SAID
10 have been the only one in the Spanish West
Indies but IL is at present unoccuped. There
are theatres in the principal cities, and several
Of the leading towns have telephones and are
connected by telegraph lines aggregating about
four hundred miles in length. while cable com
munication IS had with the United States at
81 II word.
THE ISLANDS CURRENCY
1.-THE currency and finances Of the island are
subjects with which our statesmen will have to
deal The Spanish Government in 1898 took up
all the Mexican and Spanish coins In circulation
and substituted special silver coins struck in tho
mint Of Spain. They bear on one side the Span
ish coat-Of-arms and the words Isla de Puerto
Rico and on the other the face OF the boy King
and elaborate inscription in Spanish. The
largest OF these Is the pe,o Of 100 centavos cor
responding in appearance. with our silver doh
lars. weighing $3.50 grains and are generally
spoken OF az q dollar There are also smaller
silver coins OF 8. 10 20 and 90 centavos. the 20
centavos piece being known as the peseta, with
copper coins OF one and two centavos. The
Spanish Government makes no attempt to main