The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-23

Rico Fifteen Per Cent the
Basis Used In Fixing Rates for
the Smaller Island San Juan
Port of Entry.
WASHINGTON, jan ply author
lty of an executive order issued by the
pI esident Jan. 20. 1899. the secretary Of
war has promulgated an amended Gus
toms tariff, which was prepared under
the direction of the secretary of the
treasury by Special Commissioner Rob-
ert P. Porter, Assistant Secretary How
ell and DR.. H. K Carroll and which is
to take effect in all ports and places in
the island of Porto Rico and all ISL
ands in the West Indies east of the
18th degree west longitude, on and at
ter Feb l, 1893
The port of San Juan is designated
as the chief customs port, and Ponce
and MayagueZ as supports, and the
offieer of the army assigned to each OF
these SUPPORTS as collector will have
general jurisdiction of the collection of
customs at such 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 Porto
Rico and trade between ports or places
In Porto Rico shall be carried on in
registered vessels of the United States
and in no others. Merchandise trans
ported in violation of this regulation
shall be subject to forfeiture. For
every passenger transported and land
ed In violation of this regulation the
transporting vessel shall be subject to
penalty of $500. The order estab lish-
es tonnage dues, and then sets forth
in detail articles which are to be ad-
mitted free, and fixes a schedule for
articles upon which a duty is imposed
On grain the duties are as follows. net
weight per 100 kf1os: Wheat, so cents:
corn, so cents; rye, "a cents; barley. 80
cents: oats, "a cents: wheat -four, 81;
corn -four. 80 cents; oat -four, Y cents
PORTER'S REPORT.
In the course of his report, upon
which the Porto Rican tariff is largely
based, Special Commissioner Robert P.
Porter shows that the value of the i'm
portations into Porto Rico during the
year 1897 amounted to II, 1856, 063 pesos,
upon which was collected in duties
81, 4S1, 1862. He says:
THE tariff in force in Porto Rico
until the United States took possession
OF the island last summer was purely
revenue measure, the total amount
of duty collected averaging about IA
per cent on the value of merchandise
imported. These values, both as to
importation and duties collected, are
given in silver, and, therefore, under
existing conditionS-two silver Porto
Rican pesos for one United States dol
lar-must be divided in order to ex-
press the amount of United States
money. If the same amount Of reve-
nue. is required in Porto Rican pesos,
and the exports are likely to keep up
to the 1897 standard, the fiscal problem
confronting the treasury department
III Porto Rico is briefly this: Proba BILE
total value Of dutiable imports. II 1855
063 pesos or 8.679,031; total revenue to
be collected, 2,4S1, 1862 pesos, or 81 ,240,-
9S1
"Discarding the money question.
which, after all, in this case, is pure
~ Porto Rican matter, the simple prob
lem is an importation of about So 600. :
QUO United States money, and a needed
revenue of 1880, 900 United States
States money. The aim in framing the
Cuban tariff was to secure a revenue
representing about rs per cent ad va
lorem or the imports. The aim has
been IN the Porto Rican tariff to Sc
cure revenue representing about Is
per cent ad valorem on all imports.
The value of the importatfons of
merchandise into Cuba the last nor
NAL year QS9O was SCI, 443, 1874. and the
total revenue collected thereon s14.587.-
926, or an average Of nearly Is per cent
ad valorem. On the other hand the to-
tai value of imported merchandise for
Porto Rico, in 1897, which, SO far as
that island is concerned, was a normal
year, was II, 1855, 063 pesos, and the du-
ties collected 2.4s1 1862 pesos, or an av-
erage Of about IA per cent The basis
In the case of Cuba was practically
gold. and in Porto Rico silver. but that
makes no difference in the relation of
the tariff of one country to the other.
Speaking roundly, the Cuban tariff
yielded about Is per cent and the Porto
Rican about Is per cent
EFFORT AT JUSTICE.
at would be manifestly unjust TO
Porto Rico to adopt and put in force
the amended Cuban revenue tariff, be-
cause it is believed the Cuban revenue
will amount to about % per cent of the
imports, while a Is per cent ad vaIorem
tariff, assuming that the imports keep
up to those of 1897, will yield a suffi-
cient revenue for the governmental
needs Of Porto Rico
The necessities and wants of the
two countries are radically different.
Porto Rico has not been devastated by
war nor will 1t require a large United
States army to keep order There are
no armed insurgents demanding mill
Ions for payment for military services
to be charged up to the customs re-
ceipts. For these and other reasons
the amended tariff for Porto Rico has
been framed on a revenue-yielding
basis Of Is per cent, instead of % per
cent, as In the case of the amended
tariff of Cuba. The general result will
be a tariff not dissimilar to that of
Jamaica, which averages about 12h
per cent duty, but which is now under
going revision by commission and
which tariff your commissioner was
assured while in Kingston will aver
age after the revision is completed
about 16 2-3 per cent.
Spain, according to Dr. Carroll. fur
nished over 40 per cent In value Of the
Porto Rican imports, and paid less
than 4 per cent of the customs collect
ed; the United States furnished q per
cent of the value of the imports and
paid 3S per cent of the customs collect
ed. AS Spanish imports now pay du-
ties at the same rates as those from
other countries, an increase of revenue
may fairly be expected IN the sched-
ules which Spain reserved for herself.
''1f the amount of this increase could
be estimated, 1t would be possible to
considerably reduce the rates of duty
on food stuffs. but to do so, without
knowing exactly the amount of reve-
nue. it may be possible to obtain from
the other revised schedules would be
unwise."