The times., 1899-08-06
WoMEN's WORK IN PORTO RICO.
Conditions There which the coIopi,I

Aid Society Hope, to Relieve.
| New York, Aug "a letter has been
received by the Colonial Aid Society OF the
United States from Mrs. Laviuia D. HoR.
| The Vice President of the woman's Aid
Society located in San Juan, thanking the
| society for help sent her. Mrs Hou
writes.
Tine two boxes brought by the Arcadia
were opened yesterday morning, and fee
sure that could you have been with US and
heard the EXPLANATIONS OF Joy and grati-
| tude you would more fully understand what
1t all means TO us, whose hands and hearts
| are more than full with the suffering about
US on all sides. Tomorrow We are TO pack
box of clothing 10 send into the interior
where the destitution is terrible and re-
| liable people will probably distribute it,
Would it be possible to have a few Span
ish books donated2 The Porto Rican mem
! bers are greatly interested in our library
and ask if We are to have anything they
can read"
we have sent Mrs. Hoff some more
money by the last steamer said William
r. Corwine, of the Merchants Association
and secretary of the RELIEF committee, and
the steamer which sails next Wednesday
will take down large eonsignments Of dry
goods and drugs for the establishment OF
dispensaries on the island.
The conditions in Porto Rico are grow
ing worse rapidly, and the suffering is in
creasing. An officer in San Juan writes us:
6 The commercial. situation grows more
stringent day by day, and the one great
cause of the trouble is the enforcement of
the tariff laws. The situation will be de-
plorable if the island be condemned to
wait until Congress with its slow methods
shall deal with the question.
"A foreign merchant of many years ex-
perience in Porto Rico writes:
Give the Porto Rieans free play and a
free hand in relation to commerce and
agriculture. and they viii prove quite
capable of taking care of themselves. Re-
move altogether the prohibitiye tariff. or
modify it, and then confidence Will be
established, liberal outlay C. both Porto
Rican and American capital VIII quickly
take the place of the present limited opera
tons, planters of all kinds viii increase
their cultivation, merchants will increase
their stock, labor will be abundant, and the
need of charity, except OF the usual kind
in dealing with the poor, sick, and helpless,
Will become entirely uncalled for
Until the status of Porto Rico is fixed
by Congress, the Merchants Association
suggests that temporary relief might be af-
forfed that island by allowing those prod
ucts of Porto Rico which, under Spanish
rule, went into Cuba free OF duty TO go in
there free OF duty now. Tn1s would re-
lieve the situation in Porto Rico largely, so
far as coffee and tobacco are concerned
The tobacco crop this year has been con-
tracted about two-thirds, thereby throwing
out OF work thousands OF lahorers en-
ployed in the tobacco industry. The to-
bacco planting begins in October and con-
tinues through November and December,
Congress will not convene until December,
and unless the tobacco planters receive
some assurance of a possible market for
their product, the next crop will probably
be even more contracted than this one,
and the amount of suffering due to unem-
ployed labor greater even than it is now.
In the case of coffee, Cuba bought quite a
large proportion of the coffee raised in
Porto Rico, but the tariff which our Gov
ernment has placed in operation in Cuba
has heavy duty on coffee, which is prac-
tically prohibitiye against Porto Rico. OF
course, there is no duty on coffee in this
country, but the Porto Rican coffee is not
known here, and under the present condi-
tions of the coffee market here it would
be hard to introduce it,