The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-07-24

can people pay on her productions.
But further than this, many articles
taxed under the Dingley law are abso-
lutely exempt in Porto Rico. These
are articles of universal use, articles
of food chiefly, such as flour, goldfish,
rice, beans and salted meats. Arti-
cles needed by the Porto Ricans in
their business, such as agricultural
implements, are also free
Such in brief Is the much abused
and much denounced Porto Rican tar
iff bill. This bill is operating, accord
ing to the merchants and according
to the officials, with minimum of
hardship. The only complaints that
are made about the tariff generally re-
late to the imposition of a duty on two
articles of food. one is rice and the
other Is Goldfish. Rice that is grown IN
the United States Is admitted free,
but the complaint Is made that there
is not enough rice grown in the United
States to supply the island. There is a
duty of two cents a pound on rice i'm
ported from countries other than the
United States, and the Porto Ricans
say that because the United States do
not produce sufficient rice for their
consumption that duty should be re-
moved so that they could save this two
cents a pound. Goldfish imported from
the United States is also free, but the
Porto Ricans have been used to get
ting the larger part Of their supply
of Goldfish from the Canadians. The
American goldfish is better than the
Canadian Goldfish for the United States,
but the Porto Ricans think that the
Canadian Goldfish is better for them be-
cause it is cured differently. The
Canadian Goldfish is kiln-cured while
| the American is sun-cured. The kiln
cured fish lasts in the tropical climate
| much longer than the sun-cured. The
| Porto Ricans think that in the matter
| of Goldfish they should be permitted to
| get what they are used to having
| without paying any duty on it. In the
| Sun reporters trip over the island,
the only complaint he heard from any
source whatever about the tariff was
in regard to these two things, and
| every man to whom the question was
put regarding the necessity of the tar
| iff answered in effect thus: why,
yes, of course we had to have the
tariff. How could we have paid ex-
penses If there hadn't been a tariff?
! We expected to have to pay 20 per
cent. instead of Is. 1t couldn't possi-
bly, be any lower"
"While the duty on imports into the
island has been reduced to the point
| where only enough is imposed to raise
the money necessary to conduct the
affairs of the island, the duty on ex-
ports of all kinds has" the sun article
continues, "been abolished. The thre.
great products of Porto Rico have al
ways been coffee. sugar and Tobacco
and on these products the government
of Spain always imposed an export tax
Every quntal Of coffee, that is, every
100 pounds, exported from the country
had to pay an export tax of $1.50. The
coffee production of the island made
up siX-tenths of the total production
Every 100 pounds Of tobacco had tC
pay duty of 81 if 1t was exported
If manufactured into cigarettes 1t haG
to pay S1.12 a thousand and II manu-.
factured into cigars it had to pay $l.6t
a thousand. Wood was another expor
of the island and that had to pay 6
duty Of 15 cents for each 100 kilo
grammes. The United States have al
ways been the great market for the
products of Porto Rico. Now as al
instance of what the tariff bill ha!
done for Porto Rico sugar may b,
cited. Before the tariff bill went int
effect the best profit the sugar plant
ers could get was in the neighborhooC
of SO a ton. The S5 per cent reduction
enables them now to make a profit o
something like $37 ton. The import
ance of this will be understood whel
it is explained that the sugar land dis
trict of Porto Rico runs almost from
> end to end on each side of the islam,
and extends inland more than hv
miles. The island, roughly speaking, i
109 miles long and so miles wide. Unde
the new tariff coffee Is admitted to tn
, United States free and there is no ex
port duty either. When these facts ar
considered it will be readily understood
why the people of Porto Rico ar
laughing at the idea of Democrat
making political capital out of Port
Rican affairs at this time"