The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-03-03

speak French, who. affirming that he
could easily aquire sufficient amount
of Spanish, was sent to San Juan by
prominent banking house to report up
on the advisability of establishing
branch there. He was supplied with
pile of letters to prominent citizens,
and the path was made easy for him
i'll various ways. When he returned
from his mission he reported that it
would be somo years before such !,
scheme could be pushed through sue
cessfully, etc; while all the persons to
whom he had introductions laugh and
are wondering at the keen American
penetration they have heard so much
of, which sends an inexperienced young
fellow to look after so important an
affair,-a man utterly ignorant of the
language of the country, and scarcely
enough French to say '.Bon jour.
The compilation from various sources
made by Mr.. Ober, who visited Porto
Rico and the neighboring islands as
far back as 1880. and again some ten
years later, undoubtedly contains more
reliable information than do the major
ity of the publications on the same sub
ject. His wisest suggestion as to the
investment of capital is evidently taken
from pamphlet published in Spanish
Immediately after the surrender of the
island, and which the author, Matthew
Luchetti, scenting the course of events,
held in readiness for many months.
The suggestion is that great central
sugar refineries should be built, to
which the small planters could send
their sugar to be refined, for it is sal
most as impracticable for the average
planter to refine his own sugar as for
the average farmer in the temperate
zone to grind his own wheat into
-four. In the ordinrry sugar works
the latest scientific methods are not
utilized, and most of them are run in
as primitive manner as in the old
time slavery days, when black men
were so plentiful that it was easier TO
buy than to breed, and manual labor
took the the place of steam and elec-
tricity. When the railroad system Of
Porto Rico is completed, and all the
chief settlements connected, it will be
an easy matter to erect a few immense
usiues in centrally-located valleys, with
tramways radiating in various direc-
tions and communication by land and
water with the hundred of small plan
tations, by which means the small pro-
prietors may bring their products to
the central factories" Mr. Ober adds
that the fact should not be lost sight of
that sugar cultivation has not been
profitable of late years, owing to the
lack of cheap labor, and the increasing
cultivation of the sugar beet. lie
should have added that the excessive
land tax imposed by the Spanish gov
ernment had much to do with unprofi-
tableness; when that is removed, to-
gether with the free entry of Porto
Rican sugar into the United States,
the industry will revive. Many of
the larger planters have in recent
vcars given up the growing Of sugar,
and, instead, have taken to the raising
of cattle, many of which are exported
to the English West Indies, where the
meat is considered the finest sold in
that market.
Coffee is the most important export;
very little Of it, however, comes to this
country, and that Of the poorest va
rieties, it being we'll known that the
American buyers always, from prefer
ence, select the least desirable bean.
But that very fine quality is grown
in the island is shown by the fact that
France and Germany have hitherto Sc
cured the greater part of the crop, it
ranking in those countries with the
Java and the so-called Mocha brands.
The Spanish SHARE will probably be
Immediately reduced, since under the
old regime the export duty on tobacco,
coffee, and cattle was only one-tenth
as much on articles sent to Spain as on
those sent to other countries. Mr..
Ober thinks it will not be difficult to
gain the same prestige for the Porto
Rico tobacco as that enjoyed by the
Cuban, if the planters will only take
greater care in raising the plant and
curing the leaves; "and, as tobacco, un-
ike sugar, is always in demand at
good price, and its cultivation is easy,
it would seem to open profitable
perspective for American capital
Mr. Austin, chief of the treasury bu-
reau of statistics at Washington, says
that, as delightful winter resort,
valuable tropical garden, and an i'm
portant strategic point, Porto Rico il
an invaluable acquisition to the people
and government of the United States;
but it must not be expected, he con-
tinucs, that so small an island can be-
come large factor in supplying, the
$3.50, 600, 900 worth Of tropical produc-
which the people of the United States
annually consume, or that it can absorb
very large percentage of the 81, ,20O;-
0O0, 900 worth of our annual produc-
tions: 'Smallcr in area than the