The San Francisco call., 1899-01-23

of nearly 25 per cent ad valorem. On the
other hand the total value of imported
merchandise for Porto Rico in 1897, winch
so far as that island is concerned was a
normal year, was II ,35S 063 pesos and the
duties collected 2,4S1.962 pesos or an aver
age OF about IA per cent. The basis in the
case of Cuba was practically gold and
Porto Rico silver, but that makes no dtf-
ference in the relation of the tariff of one
country to the other. Speaking roundly,
the Cuban tariff yielded about 25 per cent
and the Porto Rican say about 10 per cent
1t would be manifestly unjust to Porto
Rico to adopt and put in force the
amended Cuban tariff, because it is be-
1eved the Cuban revenue will amount to
about 25 per cent of the imports, while a
Is per cent ad valorem tariff, assuming
that the imports keep up to those of 1897.
will yield sufficient revenue for the gov
eSs1tteS and wants of the two countries
are radically different Porto Rico has
not been devastated by war nor will it
require large United States army to
keep order. There are no armed inSur-
gents demanding millions for payment of
military services to be charged up to
other reasons the amended tariff for
Porto Rico has been framed on a revenue
yielding basis of 10 per cent instead of
70 per cent, as in the case of the amended
tariff of Cuba. By this it must not be in
ferred that all the schedules will be uni
formly 10 per cent. The schedules relat-
ing to wool and manufactures of: silk
and manufactures of and musical inStru-
ments have been increased to 70 per cent
schedule will exceed % per cent and is
practically the same as in the Cuban
schedule. An endeavor has been made to
keep cotton and manufactures of below
Is per cent, only the finer grades at the
higher rate, and all the COarser goods of
general consumption have been placed at
10 per cent ad valorem. The machinery
to be used in extending transportation
and advancing the industries of the island
has ben put at 15 per cent or its equiva-
lent. About is per cent ad valorem has
heretofore been collected lmDOTtS
of the metal schedule and it is probable
that the proposed rates will keep within
this proportion. Here and there a few
changes have been made, as will be seen
by reference to the several schedules which
follow, but the changes have all been die
tated by the desire to make the revenue
tariff less burdensome on articles of food
than on articles which are consumed by
those better able to pay. The general re
suit will be tariff not dissimilar to that
of Jamaica, which averages about 1872 per
cent duty, but which is now undergoing
revision by a committee, and which tariff
your commissioner was informed when in
Kingston will average, after the revision
completed, about 16 2-3 per cent.
AS has been said, the revenue producing
schedule on the Porto Rico tariff, as in the
Cuban tariff, is that relating to provi-
sions. The Spanish policy seems to have
cotton. II per cent for manufactures OF
silk, 10 per cent for manufactures of wool,
per cent for machinery, per cent for
special imports, but 20 per cent on ali
mentary substances. There would seem to
be two reasons for this, the first being
that the people in a climate like Porto
Rico can do without almost anything but
food; the second, that as most of the food
products were imported into Porto Rico
from the United States, Spain herself took
little interest in the rates of duty. Indee1,
of the total amount of duties paid as above
nearly $3.50 900 were paid by the United
States largely on food products. In max
ing up the Porto Rico tariff, Spain ar
ranged the schedules so adroitly in favor
of her own interests that between the
goods placed at a high rate of duty COM
ing from countries other than Spain and
the commodities placed at a low rate of
duty, on the free list, when imported into
Porto Rico from Spain, she escaped al
most altogether the payment of duty.
Spain, according to DR.. Carroll. furnished
over 30 per cent in value of the imports,
and paid less than 4 per cent of the GUS
toms collected; the United States fur
nished q per cent of the value of the i'm
ports and paid 3S per cent of the customs
collected. AS Spanish imports now pay
duties at the same rates as those from
other countries an increase of revenue
may fairly be expected in the schedules
which Spain reserved for herself.
If the amount of this increase could be
estimated 1t would be possible to consid-
erably reduce the rates of duty on food
stuffs but to do so without knowing eX-
actly the amount of revenue it may be
possible to obtain from the other sched-
ules would be a dangerous experiment.