The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-23
TRADE WITH PORTO RICO.
Complete Data Furnished by tho Depart
ment of Agriculture.

Washington, July 22.-The trade be-
tween the United States and Porto Rico
Is reviewed in q bulletin issued by the
secretary of agriculture. complied under
the direction Of Frank H. hitchcock
chief of the foreign market section. Spe-
cial efforts to secure the most reliable
and complete data were made. owing TO
the avowed intention of the administra-
ton TO make the island a permanent
possession. The official returns show that
our commercial transactions with Porto
Rico during the fiscal year 1897, just
closed, amounted in value to A.l6s,9ls, the
least since the civil war, except In 1879,
when IL fell to $S.34o.056. The highest
mark was in 1873. when the imports and
exports had a combined value OF $l3,s1o'-
s25. Subsequently the trade declined rap
idly, and In less than adecade II had fallen
off more than one-half. The average an
nual trade fell from se.017, 1856 for 1882 to
81. $50. SIT In 1s9S-s7. The reciprocity treaty
in force in the three fiscal years lss2-4
| considerably augment the trade. the aver
age annually in that period being $685.
794. against IS, SCI ,604 for the three proceed
ing years, and 50, s69, 572 In three years fol-
! lowing. While our imports from Porto
| Rico increased very little during that
treaty period. there was an important
gain in volume of our exports to the
island.
The shrinkage In our trade with Porto
Rico is traceable mainly to the falling on
in our imports from the island. The
value of the merchandise we now send TO
Porto Rico closely approaches the value
OF the goods we have in return. FOR
merly our imports were largely In excess
of our exports. While the annual value
of the latter over the former was only
stationary, that of the imports has been
gradually decreasing, until in the last
FIVE years the average yearly excess OF
the latter over the former was only 49,
56l, against an excess of S,7s4.6oI in 1917.
In 1895. for the first time in the history of
our trade, our shipments there exceeded
our imports. the balance being sS2''esz.
Agricultural products play the most
important part OF this commerce. being
over so per cent in value of merchandise
exported and imported. Our imports are
almost entirely agricultural. Noh-agri-
cultural commodities also form less than
40 per cent of our exports there. Sugar
is the most important of the imports,
comprising nearly IS per cent OF all i'm
ports. and combined with molasses would
form over IS per cent. Fruits, nuts and
spices are other important agricultural
imports.
The average annual import Of coffee fol-
the last five years was 164,7s POUNDS
worth s32, s71. This item has declined
about two-thirds in the past decade. tn
leading non-agricultural imports IRON
there are perfumery and cosmetics, chem
icals, drugs and dyes, unmanufacturet
wood and salt. Breadstuffs and mea
products in value form nearly IS per cen
OF our agricultural export TO Porto Rico
During the last FIVE years the averag
annual value of the meat exports, re
turned at see, SIC. was slightly larger tina
that of exported bresdstufs, the latte
declining and the former increasing dur
ing the last decade.
Wood and it's manufactures, and manu-
features of iron and steel. constitute owe
, one-half of the CONGREGATIONAL export
: TO Porto Rico, mineral oil and coal ais
. being important items.