The age-herald., 1898-07-20
PORTO RICO'S
 ANNUAL TRADE

#@NfN11f-NN worth of what the United States does not raise, and which buys a like amount of what this country has to sell, is a fascin- ating acquisition from the material view. Such is Porto Rico.
 Frank H. Hitchcock chief of the section of foreign markets of the department of agriculture, has compiled interesting and timely information about the trade of Porto Rico. His figures of latest date were obtained from original sources, and have not been published until now:
 During the calendar year 1896 the foreign trade of Porto Rico, according to the off, cial returns compiled by the colonial admin istration of the island. attained a total value of $36,62i 12O, exceeding all previous records. Compared with the value for 1887, the opening year of the decade, which amounted to $21, ,237 ,G01, these figures show gain of more than S15,OOOO0O during the ten years
 The imports into Porto Rico have gener- ally been somewhat in excess of the ex- ports from the island, but in 1896, for the first time in more than decade, the value of the merchandise shipped to foreign mar kets was slightly greater than that of the imported wares. The exports for 1896 had a value of SIS, ,S41 430, and were decidedly the largest on record, while the imports for the same year. valued at SIS, ,2S2 ,690, appear to have been surpassed only in 1894. when the foreign goods received at Porto Rican ports amounted in value to s19 0S6 1886. The average yearly value of the import trade increased from s14412,345 in 1SS7-1S91 to ST 4S0, 49i in 1Ss2-1s96, and that of the ex- port trade during the same periods from BIO 5S4S72 to $16,S9O,O1.
 The foreign trade of Porto Rico is con- ducted chiefly with Spain, the United States, Cuba, Germany, the United King dom and France. Of all the merchandise imported and exported by the island during the four years 1S93-lS96 fully S5 per cent, measured in value, was exchanged with the six countries mentioned. Spain re- ceived the largest share of the trade, the transactions with that country in 1S93-1S96, according to Porto Rican statistics, hay ing an average annual value of $9,SSS ,074, which 2S.S0 per cent. of the total val uation placed upon the islands commerce. The United States, as a participator in the trade, ranked second only to Spain, the value of the goods exchanged averaging $6,Si5 ,252 a year, or 1924 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 amounting to 1341 per cent, and having an average yearly value of $4,6O6,22O Spain the United States and Cuba together en- joyed nearly two-thirds of the total com merce carried on by Porto Rico during 1S93- 1896. About one-fourth of the trade was controlled by three European countries Germany, the United Kingdom and France The average value per annum of the busi- ness transacted with Germany in the four years mentioned amounted to $3,050,33i, or S.sS per cent. of the total; that with the United Kingdom to $2,S63,93O or S.34 per cent, and that with France to $2, POI, ,6S7, or 6.41 per cent.
 Among the products of agriculture im- ported by Porto Rico the principal items are rice, wheat flour and hog products. Measured in value, the articles named comprise nearly two-thirds of the total ag- ricultural imports. Rice is by far the most important of these items. In 1895, the lat est year for which complete statistics are available, the tmportations of this food product amounted to H,145,046 pounds val ued at S2,21l ,S19 In the year mentioned rice was not only the leading agricultural product imported, but also exceeded in value any of the agricultural imports Wheat flour, which ranked next to rice in importance among the agricultural items, was imported during 1895 to the extent of 170, AGO barrels, worth $1 .O23 694 The yari- ous hog products, comprising bacon, hams, pork and lard, imported in that year were valued at $1 274,61S.
 Other agricultural imports with values exceeding s1OO000 in 1895 we're the follow ing: Wines, $431 ,536; vegetables, S4O0 66O: olive oil, s3i1 ,6O7; cheese, s3s7 ,799; canned goods, $i7S,536; jerked beef, $139245; bread, biscuit, etc., $110,375 and malt liquors, $107 ,243
 From the list of leading articles enumer- ated it will be noticed that vegetable prod ucts play by far the most important part In Porto Rico's agricultural imports. The total value of the vegetable matter import ed in 1895 amounted to $5219,314, as com pared with only $1,95203S for the imported animal matter. A leading group of items among the vegetable products was bread stuffs, the imports under this head having a total value of S1,1440 0l7. Meat products, with value of s1,53l ,9S6, formed the only group of any importance among the inn ports of animal matter.
 Cotton fabrics form the most important item among the non-agricultural commodi- ties marketed in Porto Rico, the imports for 1895 being valued as high as $2, ,070, ,667. Fish were imported to the extent og S1 ,91S,- 107, forming the second item of importance. Wood and its manufactures and leather
 
 items, the value of the former amounting to $S40,511, and that of the latter to $711- AT. Tobacco in it's manufactured forms was imported quite extensively, the re- celpts for the year having@a value of $692,- 333 Iron and steel and their manufactures, not including machinery and apparatus, were imported to the extent of s65S(413, and manufactures of hemp, flax, jute, manila, etc, to the extent of S40S,974. The imports of machinery and apparatus were valued at S344,S79. Soap was also an article of con- siderable importance among the imports, the total purchases having value of s24S,- 571.
 Other non-agricultural items that had an import value for 1895 exceeding $10O 900 were the following: Paper and pasteboard and their manufactures, S196 197; mineral oils, crude and refined $169 629; cotton yarn and thread, S154,964; woolens, s154,947; par affin, stearin, wax, spermaceti, and their manufactures, $151 995; glass and glassware, S125,6SS; and coal and coke, $124,536.
 Coffee and sugar, the leading products of the island, are the important factors in Porto Rico's export trade comprising in