New-York tribune., 1901-12-12
PORTO RICAN CONDITIONS.
NEW INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES UNDER
uAY-HEAvY DEATH RATE FROM
LACK OF FOOD.
rRY TELEGRAPH TO TIE rarBuSE.l

-,-.srinpton. Dec. 1.-THE second annual report
:. the Commissioner Of the Interior for Porto Rico
=, .usr been printed. This department OF the
.rSnIar government includes the Board Of Public
TT-orks the Board o. Health, the Bureau Of Ag
,-7Ilt1Ire and Mines and Insular Telegraphs. The
-enort therefore presents fair summary OF in
61strfal conditions in the island.
IN the last year the organization OF the depart
snt has been changed by the addition of the tele-
e-aph system, which was turned over to the IN
,lsr government by the War Department last
Eabruary and by the transfer Of public charities
,d patent and trademark registry to other de-
,ortrnents by an Of the insular legislature
Stne thousand acres of public lands, in addition
"a those previously recorded, have been listed as
belonging 10 the government since the former re-
nart The Board of Public Works has control Of
-oads public buildings and harbor lands. and
s,nended last year Ss94,3lO the largest disburse-
,aeat made by any department Of the government
A portion Of this money was derived from the
-ustorls refunded by Congress when the civil gov
arnment was established Two concrete steel
bridges with total length of GA feet, have been
constructed by American contractor on the
military road between San Juan and Ponce at a
cost Of SIS, ,S5s. When the Americans occupied the
,s,and they found 157 miles of macadamized high
way built by the Spanish Government To this
sghty-fve miles have since been added, and sur
vevs for sixty-seven miles more were made this
wear. II is subject of complaint that the War
department still retains valuable property in San
Juan which is needed by the civil government
and IS undesirable for military purposes. Special
mention is made of the San Francisco Barracks
an old convent in the most crowded part OF the
city which is urgently needed for school purposes
Plans for six important franchises granted by the
Executive Council have been inspected and ap-
rroved by the board These include electric rail
wav at Ponce. being constructed; a water
mower company, an irrigation and harbor company
st Guanica railways and q telephone system
The Board of Health reports a slow but STEADY
Improvement in sanitary conditions. San Juan is
cf,l a
fematic sanitary and food inspection has been
carried on though lack of funds has hampereo the
hoard in this work. No case Of yellow fever mas
occurred in the island in the last year. though
BE government vaccine station is maintained at
Rio Peidras from which over 500 points were
sse6 last year The vital statistics. II correct are
somewhat startling. They show that in the decade
ceeded the deaths in only three yearsls92 1875 and
1se5-and that IN 1900 the number of deaths was
more than twice the number of births, or iSo4 ana
@ 259 respectively During the lhres years since
the American occupation the deaths have exceeded
the births by over 50090 In the year ended June So
1cn an incomplete report shows n555 deaths from
aneraia alone indicating that more than per cent
of the entire population OF the lsand ole ainudiS
from insufficient nutrition
TIE agricultural statistics show an increase OF
1854 acres in sugar land under cultivation and OF
1873 acres in land in minor crops. On the other
hand there has been decrease of more than Il 600
acres in the coffee area in the last year, ana OF
s5 acres in tobacco plantation The total area OF
land under cultivation is 44 S6l acres an increase OF
seo5 acres over the previous year. Pasture lands
have decreased from 12oS,605 to 1232o6 acres. Inc
superintendent insular telegraph reports that in
the six months ended June 80, 1901 6635l messages
were handled. The cash receipts were S,4s 5l for
that period and the total expenditures ssh 13.
THE deficit was about covered by the value OF free
messages transmitted for the government.