The sun., 1900-11-05
OUR TRADE wITH PORTO RICO.
Marked Increase IN Our Experts TO the Island
since May I Last.

WASHINGTON. Nov I-The manufacturing
and farming interests seem to be about equally
benefited by the increased export trade win
Porto Kico, which has followed the Porto Rican
1arin act That act went into effect May ], 1900.
and the Treasury Bureau Of Statistics has Just
completed the figures covering the hve mohths
Of our commerce since that act became opera
tive These figures show that the exports 10
the island from May 1, 1900, to Oct I, 1900, were
t2.75i.2O5. against S7es 500 In the same months
of 1897. the last year In which Porto Rico was
under the Spanish flag, or nearly four times az
much In tho five months Of 1900 as In the cores
pondlns five months OF 1897 All the great
classes Of manufactures show marked IN
crease in 1900 as compared with 1877. ana 30 90
all the great classes Of agricultural products
Agricultural implements increased from N.2l7
In the five months Of 1897 to t3,Sse In the same
months Of 1900: sewing machines increased from
ti, sos to ssis2; cars and carriages from 1884
TO $4,000: builders hardware from e.ss5 to
S22 Ose furniture from S3,so2 70 e2a,2 lumber
from e95.47 70 eSal; petroleum iIoIn ~ xIT,s3o ,o'
to and Got,9n .lo|m W an eoasy stpikine
Increase Corn Increased from t357 in the five
months Of 1897 to se7i2 In the same nioii'Hs Oh
81 ,oe2 TO s2e, tos; bacon from soe49 TO s?s +sl;
pork from s7b,s?e to te+,5e7 lard from ssi @ soa
e s2oi . and noaT & ron Iians y.'bb both u in manu-
factures and iri agricultural products which
show an increase, while the products OF mt, the
ming also sh0T 1 marxssiE wsich s'HM increased 1 from
% lis Temar~aole growth in our exports to
Porto Rico T. especially interesting and some.
what surprising In view OF the stateiheil,s pe.r,e
made during the discussions OF the Porto
Rican act which Indicated that owing to the
DISRUPTION Of crops and, property IN Porto
Eico by the hurricane Of AUGUST. isss. @ Ine
people of that Island would have little 70 sell
and practically nothing WIN Thich 70 troy; pay;
the island have more than doubled IN the flve
months since the act went into ELECT as COM
pared with the same months 9t isSI, ana tne
exp ,rts 10 the island, already shown. have
nearly quadrupled
The list of imports is very much smaller mailer
than that Of exports the che, nns items Tbs oens s
Of exports includes very large number, of
articles. among them being agricultural i'm.
n9 9oo .ps fea o Various fs
kinds. coal, cotton goods of all classes, and
especially cloths: dried fish. eunpowder build
ers' hardware electrical machinery, cutlery
nails pipes and fittings. and numerous other
manufactures of iron and steel. boots ana
shoes, harness and saddles pane, Of varioa,
wood and manv other articles,
A comparison of the growth OF exports 70
Porto Rico In the five months operations oi
exports during the same comparative PERIODS,
is especially interesting. The total exports
from the United States during the five months
Of sS per cent. over the same months OF 1851.
while the exports to Porto Rico in the i've
months from May 20 Oct, |. 1000. show an
Increase OF 2ss per cent over the correspond
The following table shows the value OF the
principal exports from tho tnitod states 10
oct /. 1900 compared with the correspond
Ing months of 1897