Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-27
Large Emigration Of Laborers From
the New American Colony.
IT'S FINANCIAL CONDITION is POOR
What the Islands Politicians Say
About Governor Allen.
G q RIO q S c A s E

Written for The Evening Star.
The financial condition of Porto Rico does
| not seem to be so good as has usually been
represented here by newspaper correspond
ents and others The information furnished
by those correspondents comes from San
Juan, the capital, which is. SO to speak.
the center of business activity Of our new
possession. OF course, in San Juan the
people are not made to see, amid the lux
ury and comfort that good positions backed
by better salaries can procure, the real
condition which pervades in the interior.
The fact is. unfortunately, that many peo-
pie are starving for lack of work. Labor
crs who heretofore felt themselves satisfied
with the meager salaries earned in the
tillage Of the soil are leaving the island by
the thousand, and 'at full speed" Already
some three thousand men, if not many
more. have left their homes in order to go
| under contract to Hawaii, where chance
is offered them, We do not know at what
cost. to comply with the divine precept.
I'm the sweat Of thy face shalt thou eat
bread"
And not only to Hawaii are the Porto
Rfcan laborers migrating. Agents from
Cuba. ST. Domingo Ecuador, Venezuela and
Mexico are also on the field bidding higher
wages for the Porto Rican labor About
three weeks ago an expedition running into
the hundreds left San Juan for ST. Do
mingo On the 23d another expedition
sailed from Guanica. a southern port,
where, by the way, the American troops
first landed on the island, for Hawaii, car
rying not less than 300 men. women and
children. These laborers are mostly from
the rich coffee districts of Ponce Adjuntas
Yauco, Maricas and others, which fact
clearly shows that the development of the
agricultural wealth Of at least those places
Is at stake. On the 9th lot of men fill
ing to the utmost capacity the decks of the
steamer Catania left San Juan for Ecuador
under contract with an American railroad
company that is building q line from Quito
to the Interior. In this way, should not
the current of emigration be stopped, Porto
Rico. which is now one Of the most densely
populated countries In the world, will soon
become almost deserted
To the student Of financial problems there
Is field in our beautiful island OF the
tropics, doubtless the most beautiful of all
islands, for thoughtful and valuable in
vestigations. Notwithstanding the news to
the contrary that has recently been circu-
lated here. it is a fact that the agricultural
wealth of the island is undergoing very
severe trial. great majority Of the plan
tattons are under the bond of heavy mort
cages; their owners, deprived of means
which cannot be found there but at en-
ormous sacrifices, perhaps, are unable to
improve their plantations, which were al
most ruined by the hurricane which we
have heard so much of. Our farmers have
not as yet entirely recovered from the
shock that they then received. The follow
sued by the Agricultural Bank of San
Juan:
Sugar-Price, In the neighborhood of So 40
and $3.50, according to class; firm. The
holders do not want to Sell great quantities
accumulated.
Coffee-Stock only enough for the island
Quoted at from S14 to $1450. Good qualify
Tobacco-First-claSs wrapper. Unfortu-
nately 1t cannot be sold, even that of the
best quality, which makes the farmers feel
very disappointed.
Miscellaneous bonds-Inactive. No trans
actions.
The history of the island shows that even
during the worst periods which it has
undergone. the land always produced
there enough for the nearly one million in
habftants scattered throughout the coun-
try, for Porto Rico is mostly, If not solely,
an agricultural island. Furthermore the
statistics show that it's population. far from
decreasing. has steadily increased since
1765 up to 1899. Gen. Sangers report on
the census recently taken gives the follow
ing figures which. in view OF the present
emigration of laborers from Porto Rico,
Well deserve the attention of those who ere
interested in the welfare of the island: