Waterbury Democrat., 1901-04-08
SUGAR FROM PORTO RICO.
Coming in Such Quantities That Pro

COmlnS III oucH QudulitleS 4Aat 4 "
 tection Is Asked For.
 Washington, April s.-President Me .Kinley has been informed by the gov ernor of Porto Rico; Charles H. Allen, that the production of sugar in Porto Rico has increased within a year from 10000 tons to 100000 tons, and that with preference of 80 per cen tin du- ties this means an advantage to the Porto Rican planters of S, ,5O0, ,000 in gold. In eleven months the 15 per cent duty will expire.
 No estimate is made of the possibil- ities of the increased productions with in the next year or two. Practically it is limitless, dependent in volume only upon the installation of modern machinery and improved agricultural methods In this connection 1t is noted that since the Foraker Porto Rican act went into effect, and up to February 1 last, machinery to the value of S4S5,272 had been exported to Porto Rico from the United States. This largely was machinery to be used in the manufacture of sugar.
 The total imports of sngar from Por- to Rico since the Foraker act took ef- feet to February last amounted to 89,- 000,00 pounds in round numbers, val- ued at S, ,347, ,590. The most of the su- gar was made under adverse circum- stances which will not hamper the fu- ture production of the island. All of this means that another great battle for the protection of the Ameri- can beet sugar industry of the United States will have to be begun with the assembling of the next congress.
 The investments in Porto Rican sugar lands and factories, large as they promise to become, are only a baga- telle compared with the existing pos abilities for sugar raising in Cuba. Furthermore, while in Porto Rico the profits will be made mainly by Ameri- cans, in Cuba foreign capital will ab- sorb the dividends wrung from the plantations at the expense of the American beet grower and manufac- turer.
 Governor Allen has called attention to situation the gravity, of which Is realized thoroughly by the American protectionists.
 Those whose watchfulness in the first session of the last congress caused the imposftion of the 15 per cent tariff are awake to the situation and will make themselTes heard at the opening of congress.
 It will be entirely within the prov ! l cent duty. The Foraker act provided that it should cease next March unless the Porto Rican legislature had in the meantime provided a system of taxa ton to raise revenue. There will be nothing to prevent congress amending the Foraker act, it is said, so as to continue the tax on imports from Porto Rico to the United States. It is not contended that the Foraker act divest- ed congress of its power to amend the tariff laws of the United States in the future.
 The system of taxation which the Porto Rican legislature has provided, under what is known as the Hollander law, is a tax on land and personal property.
 It is suggested that the Hollander law already threatens to bear heavily on the land proprietors, many of whom are Hand poor" and there are certain to be amendments to the act 1t is not deemed improbable that the consent of the Porto Ricans will be ob- tained to continuing the 15 per cent customs for revenue raising purposes.
 It is known in Washington that a crisis eonfrontsf the owners of the Por- to Rican coffee lands. These are mort gagged to an extent which is said to make hopeless any solution which does not contemplate a partial repudiation of the debt. The coffee planters are going through much the same experi- ence that befell the Kansas farmers who mortgaged their lands so heavily and afterwards suffered continual losses of crops.
 It is thought in congress circles that the attention of the country will be drawn with good advantage to the sit uation in Porto Rico and Cuba. and that the campaign of protection to American industries against tropical competition will receive material sup port. Il
 Driggs & Smith sell pianos that ore