The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-23
REVISED rARIFF ron poRTo Rrco.
The Rates Of Duty Average About 10 Per
Cent, Against 20 Per Cent. In Cuba.


WASHINGTON. Jan. PA revised tariff fol
the island Of Porto Rico will he put in force on
Feb. l. IL has been drawn on the recommends.
lions OF Special commissioners Robert j. Por-
ter and Henry X. Carroll. and is practically an
extension Of the tariff recently put into effect
in Cuba. although modified and even lowered
TO meet the different conditions existing in
Porto Rico. The temporary tariff now in force.
which was the minimum rate imposed by
Spain. has been the cause OF complaint by the
people OF Porto Rico. and the amended tariff.
II is thought, will not only be q great relief 10
them. but will also meet all demands made by
the several petitions and memorials Of the
commercial and manufacturing interests Of the
island.
The new tariff Is framed on q revenue basis.
with the object OF producing Il sum sufficient to
defray the Government expenses OF the island,
approximately 81. 250.O0O. The rates OF duty
will average about 10 uer cent. against 20 per
cent. in Cuba, n difference due to varying neces-
stiles and wants OF the two islands. Porto Rico
not having been devastated by war. not re-
quirinR a large United States army to keep
order, aud having no armed insurgents de-
manding millions for payment OF military
services to be charged up against customs
receipts. The schedules are not uniforms
ly Is per cent. however. Those relating
to wool and manufactures have been in
creased to 25 per cent. The liquor schedule
will exceed % per cent. The rate on cotton
goods is about 10 per cent. for coarse and 10
per cent. for the fine qualities, while the latter
rate is applied to machinery to be used in eX-
tending transportation and advancing the in
dustries Of the island. Ploughs, hoes, hatchets,
cane knives aud other agricultural implements
have been placed on the free list, to which have
been added also %uuinine, mineral waters and
t-, alnab1I;n tn,lllfnu rnAf lan.
ana ginger ale.
The greatest reduction was made in the
schedule OF food products. and the duties would
have been placed still lower but for the fact
that 20 per cent. of the duties collected here
tofore were furnished BY this one schedule.
Under the Spanish tariff the schedules were so
arranged as to favor Spanish goods, and high
rates were placed on those articles going into
Porto Rico from other countries. Thus the
entirely by the United States, were taxed
70 per cent. The average duty on the
but Mr.. Porter says that, as the people Of the
island can. by reason of the climate. do with
out almost anything but food; i has been the
tax less burdensome on articles OF food than on
articles which are consumed by those bett1 +
be a tarln not dissimilar to that OF the nearby
island Of Jamaica.
Spain, according to DR.. Carroll. furnished
over 40 per cent. in value Of the imports. and
paid less than 4 per cent. of the customs col
lccted; the United States furnished ~ por
cent. of the value Of the imports and paid 80
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. II The amount
OF this increase could be estimated, it would De
possible to considerably reduce the rates of duty
on foodstuffs, but to do so without knowing OK
actly the amount of revenue it NAV be possible
to obtain from the other revised schedules
would be a dangerous experiment 1t is esti-
mated by DR.. Carroll that the difference. be-
tween the sums which Spain paid in 1897
and that which she would pay now is the DIFF
ference between sos .g43 and 81. 7SS,OO0 on
the basis of the duties paid by imports from
the United States. or 81 q .O51. The effect of
the order accepting the peso at 10 cents in
United States money will. in Mr.. Porter's
opinion make a horizontal reduction Of 1873
per cent. in the AMOUNT Of revenue collected in
Porto Rico coin. This. however. will not, he
says. cut much figure with the Americans
dong business with the island. because all
their transactions are calculated in United
States money. But it will relieve the laborer
in Porto Rico, who for a time was bound 70 find
il more difficult to live i'll a silver country on
S25 per month gold than on $50 per month
silver.
The following are the rates of duty under the
new and old tariffs on the principal articles of
export from the United States. the unit OF
quantity being 100 kilograms: