New-York tribune., 1901-01-22
CONDITIONS IN PORTO RICO
INDUSTRIAL POSSIBILITIES AND PUBLIC
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ISLAND.
IRF TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUNE-I


Washington. Jan. 2l-From the report or the
Commissioner Of the Interior of Porto Rico, just
published by the Interior Department. some in
teresting facts may be CLEANED as 10 industrial
possibilities and public improvements on the
island The Insular Office includes the bureaus
Of Public Works Charities. Health and AGri-
culture. There are nearly one hundred thou-
sand acres of public lands. more than one-htth
q II woodland. Some OF the latter, especially
large tract Of virgin timber in the Luquilo
Mountains is probably Of considerable Nalue-
This estimate does not include a large swamp
covering the northern part of Arecibo municipal
ity which. il is said, can be easily drained ana
made exceedingly valuable sugar land.
Excluding the military and naval reserva-
lions. retained by the National Government, the
Insular Government owns forty lots aggre-
eating over half million square feet In the
city of San Juan. In his capacity as Lana OI-
ficer the Commissioner reports great dlfnculty
in untangling the mass Of cross titles ana ouph-
Gated and tapping grants, as well as unauthor-
lied occupations. that have come over from the
old regime"
The Bureau of Public Works has perhaps the
most serious task before it in completing the de-
fective road system of the island. Speaking OF
This subject Commissioner Elliott says that the
ordinary revenues of the island viii permit no
more than the maintenance of the roads already
Euilt and that all new construction will have 10
be done by means of a loan. The Spanish Gov
ornment built l5S miles of macadamized high
way the only kind that viii resist the tropical
rains. at an approximate cost Of S3,4S462', or
over SD 000 a mile. Since the American occupa-
ton ninety-eight miles additional have been
brought nearly to completion. This work has
been done by contract. and the cost has varied
from $4,000 a mile in the lowlands along the
coast TO Sl7.451 for trife over 1900 feet of
highway. in the Adjuntas Mountains where
there was much rock excavation ana retaining
walls had tn be built.
In addition TO the roads and bridges. this
bureau has charge of the fifty public buildings
belonging TO the civil government, and certain
share in harbor improvements However. the
respective rights and duties of the Insular and
the National Government in the latter sphere
have been so imperfectly defined in the existing
law that practical stop has been put TO all
improvements. and the report urgently calls for
immediate Federal legislation defining the re-
sponsibility OF each government for coast and
harbor works
The Bureau Of Agriculture reports S0.034 acres
Of sugar land under cultivation, 1S0,2S9 Of oof-
fee 1924 Of tobacco. 104.059 in other crops.
120s, ,593 in pasture and $4,000 timberee and
brush land ThereCare forty mineral land grants.
returning q trife over 81 600 a year rental.
Three Of these. whose aggregate rental is nearly
one-half this sum- Of salt, silver and nickel
and copper carbonate and sulphate). respec-
lively. Claims for gold, iron. galena and phos-
phate Of lime are also held. Some of these date
hack for twenty years. and the hollers are prac-
tically all Spaniards Porto Ricans The
chief Of this Bureau, speaking Of the mineral
resources Of the island says that no systematic
search has ever been made for gold bearing
quartz lodes, though over 1900 pounds Of gold
were taken from the river sands in the first
Yuarter-cenrury Of Spanish occupation, and in
one valley four hundred families are supported
from this source at the present time. Iron ore
drift Is found in abundance in some Of the east
ern districts. and two partially developed claims
in the vicinity OF Humacao are said 70 show
over 100000 tons in sight.