The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-23
SPANISH IDEA FOLLOWED
SCHEDULES FIXED FOR REV
ENUE PURPOSES OILY.
Purpose of the Administration Is to
Raise the Same Amount From
Customs, As Was Collected By
Spain-Puerto Rican Trade Re
stricted to American Vessels.

has promulgated an amended customs
tariff, which was prepared under the
direction of the secretary of the treas
ury by Special COMMISSIONS Robert P
Porter, Assistant Secretary Howell and
DR.. II. K. Carroll, ana which is to take
effect at all ports and places in the
island of Puerto Rico Il all islands
in the West Indies east Of the seventy
fourth degree west longitude, on and
after Feb. 1, 1899.
The port Of San Juan is designated
as the chief customs port, and Ponce
and Mayaguez as supports. and the
officer of the army assigned to each
of these supports as collector will have
general Jurisdiction over the collection
OF customs at sue ports, respectively.
Any questions arising at any SUPPORT
will be referred to the collector at San
Juan for his decision, from which there
is no appeal, except in such cases as
the collector may refer for decision to
the secretary OF war.
Trade between ports Of the United
States and all ports or places in Puerto
Rico, and trade between ports or places
in Puerto Rico shall be carried on in
registered vessels of the United States,
and in no others.
Any merchandise transported in vio-
latlon Of this regulation shall be sub
ject to forfeiture.
mDortations from the United States
are dutiable like other commodities.
IMPORTS AND REVENUE.
IN the course of his report, upon
which the Puerto Rican tariff is largely
based, Special Commissioner Robert Z.
Porter shows that the value OF i'm
portations into Puerto Rico during the
year 1897 amounted to II 1858, 063 PESOS,
upon which was collected in duties ST.
4S1, $50.
He saws: 1.-The tariff in force in
Puerto Rico until the United States
took possession of the island last sum-
mer was purely a revenue measure, the
total amount Of duty collected averag-
ing about IA per cent on the value Of
merchandise imported. These values,
both as to importation n duties col
lected, are given in silver, and, there
fore, under existing conditions-two
silver pesos for one United States dol
lar-must be divided in order to express
the amounts in United States money.
If the same amount of eVenu is re-
quired in Puerto Rican pesos, and fine
exports are likely to keep up to The
1897 standard, the fiscal problem con-
fronting the treasury department in
Puerto Rico is briefly this:
Probable total value of dutiable i'm
ports, 1883, 063 pesos, or IS, 769, OBJ; to-
q ~ NC OO41COlG0, -s1O-3NO-
pesos. or $1,24O.9S1.
-"Discarding the money question,
which, after all, in this cas- is a purely
Puerto Rican matter, the simple prob
lem is an importation of about So, 009,-
600 United States money, n a needed
revenue of $1,250, 900, United States
money. The aim in framing the Cuban
tariff was to secure a revenue repre-
senting about % per cent ad valorem
Of the imports. The aim has been in
the Puerto Rican tariff to secure a rev
enue representing about 10 per cent ad
valorem on all imports.
The value of the imDortations OF
merchandise into Cuba the last normal
year 1S95), was SCI, 443, 1874, and the to-
tai revenue collected thereon $14,5 81, 925.
or ar average Of nearly p per cent al
ValOrem.
On the other hand, the total value OF
imported merchandise for Puerto Rico
in 1897, which, so far as that island is
concerned, was a normal year., was H.
35S,063 pesos, and the duties collected
2,S41, 962 pesos, or al average of about
II Der cent. The basis, in the case Of
Cuba, was practically gold n Puerto
Rico silver, but that makes no differ
ence in the relation Of the tariff of one
county to the other. Speaking round
ly, the Cuban tariff yielded about %
per cent, and the Puerto Rico, say
about Is DER cent"
PUERTO RICO'S NEEDS.
ct would be manifestly unjust" Mr..
continues, 10 Puerto Rico TO
adopt and put in force the amended
tariff, because it is believed that
Cuban revenue viii amount TO
about % per cent Of the imports,
while a - per cent ad Yalorem tariff,
assuming that The imports keep up TO
Of 1897, viii yield sufficient
nue. for the governmental needs of
Rico. The necessities and
wants of the two countries are radi-
eally different. Puerto Rico has not
been devastated by war, nor Will it
require a large United States army to
keep order. There are no armed in
surgents demanding millions for pay
nent of military services 20 be charged
Up to the customs receipts. For these
other reasons the amended tariff
Puerto Rico has been framed ON a
'evenue-yieiding basis Of 10 per cent,
instead Of % per cent, as in the cas-
# the amended tariff OF Cuba. BY
mis- it must not be inferred that all
he schedules will be uniformly II per
-ent. The schedules relating to wool
ind manufactures Of, silk and manu-
actureS of. and musical instruments,
been increased to % per cent ad
-alorem. The rates Of the liquor sched-
lie will exceed 25 per cent, and is prac-
ically the same as in the Cuban
chedule. An endeavor has been made !
o keep cotton and manufactures be-
ow - per cent. only the finer grades
[ the higher rate. and ali the co2rSer I
-oods of general consumption have
zen placed al 10 per cent ad valorem.
he machinery to be used in extend
~ transportation and advancing the
Industries Of the island has been put
. l. ra~ ceaf m. its an-rivra Ianf About a
per cent al valorem has heretofore
cen collected on the imports of the
letal schedule, and it is probable that =
he proposed rates viii keep within this =,
roportion. Here and there a few :
have been made, but the /
have all been dictated by the i
esire 10 make the revenue tariff less /
rticles which are consumed by those {
etter able TO pay. The general result r
ill be a tariff not dissinilar to that I
Jamaica, which averages about 12H d
eT cent duty, but which is now under p
ding revision b. a committee, and L
'hich tariff, your commissioner was
when in Kingston, averaged,
fter the revision is completed. about
% per cent. i.
TARIFF ON PROVISIONS. C
LAS has been said, the 4
schedule on the Puerto Rico y
iriff, as in the Cuban tariff. is that '
to provisions. The Spanish Il 7
olicy seems TO have been : per cent 4
II manufactures of cotton. u per cent G
n manufactures of silk, 10 per cent V
n manufactures Of wool, 9 per cent y
II machinery, 2 per cent for special e
nports, but 20 per cent on alimentary =
distances. There would seem to be a
reasons for this. the first being
lat the people in a climate Ike Puerto N
leo can do without almost anything in
Ut food: the second, that as most of OF