The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-07-22
TRADE WITH PORTO RICO.
Has Declined Greatly Since the Year
1872

Washington, July 22.-The trade be-
tween the United states and Puerto
Rico is reviewed in a bulletin issued by
the secretary of agriculture, compiled
under the direction of Frank H. Hitch
cock, chief of the foreign market sec
ton Special efforts to secure the most
reliable and compete data were MADE 4its
owing to the avOwed intention of the
administration to make the island a
permanent possession.
The official returns show that our
commercial transactions with Puerto
Rico during the fiscal year, 1897, just
closed, amounted in value to 81, 169, 81,
the least since the civil war, except IN
1895, when it fell to So, 340,056 The
highest mark was in 1872, when i'm
ports and exports had a combined value
of SIS, sos Subsequently the trade
declined rapidly and in less than a de-
cade it had fallen off more than one
half. The average annual trade fell
from $6O17, 7S5 for 1888 to 1892 to 1885,
ST in 1S93-97.
The reciprocity treaty in force in the
three fiscal years 1924 considerably
augmented the trade, the average an
nualIy in that period being Sc 159, 1914
against s., 1867, 604 for three preceding
years, and SO, 969,572 in three years fol-
lowing While our imports from Puerto
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
Puerto Rico is traceable mainly to the
falling off in our imports from the is
land. The value of the merchandise we
now send to Puerto Rico closely APP
prOacheS the value of the goods we re-
ceive in return. Formerly our imports
were largely in excess of our exports.
While the annual value of the latter
has remained practically stationary
that of imports has been gradually de-
clining until in the last five years the
average yearly excess of the latter over
the former was only 1894 561 against an
excess of $S,7S4, 607 in 1872
n time
tory of the trade, our shipments there
exceeded our impOrtations, the balance
being 1927, 032 Agricultural products
play the most important part of this
commerce, being over 80 per cent in
value of merchandise imported and eX-
ported. Our imports are almost entire
~ agricultural. Non-agriculturaI COM
nOditieS also form less than Az per
cent of our exports there. Sugar is the
most important of the imports, COM
prising nearly 10 per cent of all imports
and combined with molasses, would
form over 95 per cent. Fruits, nuts and
spices are other important agricultural
imports.
The average annual import of coffee
for the last five years was 164,769
pounds, worth $32,671. This item has
declined about twO-thirds in the last
decade.
The leading non-agricultural imports
from there are perfumery and cosmet-
les, chemicals, drugs and dyes, manu-
featured wood and salt. Breadstufs
and meat products in value form near
Iy 95 per cent of our agricultural eX-
ports to Puerto Rico. Wheat flour, the
leading export. reached a value of $780,
619 between 1893-97 During the last
five years the average value of the
ment exports returned S662, $40 was
slightly larger than that of exported
breadstuffs, the latter declining and
the former increasing during the last de-
cade.
Wood and it's manufactures and man
ufactures of iron and steel constitute
over One-half of agricultural eX-
ports to Puerto Rico, mineral oil and
coal also being important items.