El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-01
THE PORTO
RICAN BILL
Provisions Of the Measure
Which Takes Effect
To-Day
AS FAIR AS IT IS WISE
Porto Ricans May Import
Free Of Duty All the
Necessaries Of
Life

WASHINGTON, May 1.-The followin g
is a summary of the principal provisions
of the Porto Rican act, which goes into
effect to day, May 1st:
From the date of the passage of the
act the same custom duties are levied
on all goods entering Porto Rico from
foreign countries as are levied on the
same goods entering the United States,
save that coffee, which has free entry
into the United States, is to pay duty
of cents per pound on entering Porto
Rico. Scientific, literary and artistic
works and books and pam phlets printed
in the English language may enter
Porto Rico free of duty.
All merchandise coming into the
United States from Porto Rico and
coming into Porto Rico from the Uni
ted States shall pay Is per cent of the
present Dingley tariff rates; articles of
the class which pay an internal reve-
nue. tax in the United States must also
pay q sum equal to this Internal re-
venue duty, while articles from the
United States goirg into Porto Rico
must also be subjected to any internal
revenue rates of taxation there collect
ed np II ~ Glass of articles
Doe feature OF ne act which here
tofore seems to have attracted little
attention, Is extremely important to
the Porto kI ans, because it will per-
nit them to import free of any duty
,,ix- ~f
Under the orders which the secretary
OF war had Issued, -four, bacon. COD
fsb, fresh beef, pork. mutton, rice,
bsgs for sugar, coopers' wares and
wood cut for making CASKS for sugar
or molasses, machinery and apparatus
other agricultural purposes, plows,
hoes, hatchets, machstes aud other ag-
ricuitural i'm plemects not machinery,
rough lum Der and modern school fur
crude petroleum, lime, as
phait, bitumen. tree plan and mosses |
In natural or fresh state, mineral, |
carbonate 1 and seltZer waters, either
or artificial, root beer, ginger
ale, and similar non-alcoholic bsvera-
ges, and numerous other articles are
admitted free of duty and will continue
to be so admitted under the act,
which says specifically that
''all merchandise and ar.
ticles entered in Porto Rico free of
duty under orders heretofore made by
the secretary of war shsll be admitted |
into the several ports thereof when
imported from the United States free
Of outy, all laws or parts of laws to the |
Notwithstanding It thus sp-
pears that the Porto Ricans will, under
the new act, receive from the United |
States free ofany duty ali of the above
m portaus articles in addition to those
regularly upon the free list under the
Oingley law, while on other articles
hey will pay but Is per cent or three
.wentieths of the regular Ding
ey tariff rates, and what is equally
they may put an end to the
payment of even this SIN all duty at any
lime they may desire, since the law
specifically provides that these duties
shall cease as soon as the Porto Ricsu
CS sbdll udNS pFOVluSu the
1ecessary revenue for the expenses of |
;he government of the island.
The duties collected under the act |
IRE to be placed at the disposal of the |
president to be used for the govern
nent and benefit of Porto Rico until |
he government OF Porto Rico shall !
lave been organized, when the moneys
collected are to be turned into the |
ocal treasury of Porto Rico. Goods |
from Porto Rico and under
bond are to pay only the duty imposed
~ the act
The capital Is to be at San Juan
Persons who were Spanish subjects
April IL 1899, and who have not elected
o preserve their allegiance to Spain,
ire held TO be citizens OF Porto Rlca
md entitled to the protection of the
United States.
The laws and ordinances OF Porto