The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-16
IMPORTANT REPORT ON CUBA
MADE TO PRESIDENT BY SPECIAL
 COMMTSSIONER PORTER.

The Financial and Economical Con.
 ditions Of the Island Probed-5 500 yylt-
 Messes Eaamined-A Complete Reyis-
 ion of the Tarif-A General Reduction
 Receipts.
 Washington, Nov. 15.--Hon. Robert F. Porter, special commissioner for the United States to Cuba and Porto Rico presented his report to the president to-day. The report goes very fully in- to the financial and economical condl- tion of Cuba. Supplementary reports are yet to be made Mr. Porter testi- lies to the consideration and courtesy shown him by Spaniards and Cubans in both civil and military positions in furnishing him information for his report. The following is an extract from letter written to Commissioner | OAtSl DS 1oIllGZ on OcLODGI o'
 Il must congratulate you cordially on the high mission which you have en- trusted to you. I am completely iden- tified in and with all concerning it. On my side, I am doing all I can for the immediate reconstruction of the coun try; it's wounds will heal with the rap i'd promotion of the work This is the battle we are now fighting and all men of good will should join in our strug- gle"
 Mir Porter examined, both in the United States and Cuba, about 800 witnesses, some of whose testimony is published in the appendix of the report. MT. Porter has also submitted for ap- proval of the secretary of the treasury a complete revision of the tariff in the form of new bill which will be exam ined by the experts of the treasury de-. partment and if approved, will be pro mulgated by the president and put on at the port of Cienfuegos December l, that being, in all probability, the first important port to come into the posses sion of the United States. In the con- sideration of the Cuban question it be-
 
 need of the island was tariff that would bear the burdens of government and release the people from taxation.
 The report says: "The Spanish tariff was made by Spaniards for Spain, in the interest of the SDaniards. That seems to be the only principle in it. In adopting for an exigency measure the rate of duty which Spain levied for her own commodities the United States acted wisely"
 A table compiled by MT. Porter shows the general average of reduction of duties made by his proposed tariff on the articles imported into Cuba is G3.7 per cent The report continues: These rates were full of inequalities and were not levied on any sound principle but on the heads Spain wins, tails Cuba loses" idea which prevails in the whole financial fabric. It was found that the only way to equalize the rates of duty, improve the administration and reduce the rates of duty on all articles of gen. eral consumption was practically to frame a new tariff. It has not been thought advisable to make radical changes in the army branches. United States currency has been substituted for the Spanish. This will simplify the collection of duties as customs duties are collected in Cuban ports in possess sion of Spain in three different classes of currency, gold silver and banknotes, all of which are fluctuating in value.
 The report gives table showing that the average annual custom house fe- ceipts in Cuba from 1886 to lS9I, in- elusive. were $12645, ,S94. In an analysis of the Cuban budget, MT. Porter says: "The money collected from Cuba, whether it was twenty-six million dol lars or less has all gone and nothing IS likely to be found in the treasury but numerous evidences of promisesto pay, records or receipts given by the gov ernment for goods not paid for, debts of all kinds, including the salaries Of large number of minor officials. Ihe first and most important item of eX- penditure is for sovereign expenditure and exceeds $22 O0O, ,OO0. Thsse expen- ditures are sub-divided as follows: h. terest on public dsbt and general eX- uenditure, $12,574 7O9; religion and and clergy, (state religion and jus tica). S329.072; war, $S896, TAO; navy, $1,- O55, ,136; executive, $2,645, ,149; total, $22,- 500, sos
 A study of the several items shows the principal expenditure for Cuba are those which have directly or indirectly to do with the control of the island by Spain It is impossible at this moment to make a satisfactory estimate of this new budget nor can it very well be done until after the United States are in full possession. Of course the large items will disappear, making a reduc- ton, if we include the civil guards of SIS, GOO O90 How much of this amount will be required for necessary eTpan- ditures under the new crdsr of things 1t will be impossible to forecast The estimate of the budget for 1SSS-99 az gregate $26,S56;732 pesos and the re- ceipts $25, ,359650 pesos, or an excess of o,-a,. o~Dan6itlITpS of go S13