Evening star., 1901-01-12
Statistics in Possession Of United
States Government.
POPULATION OF NEARLY A MILLION
Percentages Of IIIiterates and Per-
sons of Mixed Blood.
TIL E INDIANS EXTlN

AS soon as the census of Porto Rico was
completed last year the total population OF
the island was announced, together with
one or two other leading features Of the
work. The War Department Is now pre-
pairing to distribute copies of the full re-
port in regard to this census, made by
Lieut.. Col. J. P. Sanger of the inspector
generals department. The report is In the
shape of well-bound volume of over four
hundred pages. and contains between It's
covers more reliable information In regard
to Porto Rico than has ever before oeen
given in such intelligent form to the Amer
lean people.
The figures of population as given out some
time ago were approximately correct, the
total being 953,243. This figure shows a de-
cided increase over that of the last census,
which was taken in 1887. In fact from tie
earliest census taken in 1865 the population
has steadily increased from about $4,000 a
century and half ago to nearly a million
at the present time. Considering that the
island is only about thirtysix miles wide
and a hundred miles long it is densely pop
ulated. About 81 per cent of the people are
white, the other 3S per cent beng of col
ored or mixed blood The percentage Of
mixed blood in the colored population OF
Porto Rico Is very much greater than in
Cuba, for while 81 per cent of the colored
Cubans are full-blooded negroes, 81 per
cent of the colored Porto Ricans are OF
mixed blood. many Of them nearly white.
Percentage of Agriculturists.
A very large percentage Of the popula-
ton Of Porto Rico is of the agricultural
class. for only about $4,000 people live in
the three cities on the island. The per-
centage Of illiteracy is very high. Eighty
four per cent of the people-which is bat
one in six of the males and females over
ten years Of aegean neither read lor
write This is a higher percentage Of Hit
eracy than prevails in any one Of The
United States, or, in fact, in any other
country from which statistics are obtain
able, except Guatemala Much Of this lack
of schooling is apparently due to resi-
dence in the country for in the three large
cities over 30 per cent of the people can
read and write.
The strategic Importance of Porto Rico
was recogn zed at an early day. for at
tempts were made by England, Holland and
France to wrest it from the control OF
Spain, though without success. The attack
ing parties did considerable damage in their
assaults upon the city of San Juan. but
owing to the excellent natural defenses and
aided by yellow fever. the natives were
able to drive off the invaders.
The Indian population of Porto Rico at
the date of it's colonization by Spain is sad
to have numbered a half million souls.
These Indians were copper colored and very
similar in character to the Indians of south
ern Mexico. They had little industry or
enterprise and the Spaniards gradually ex-
terminated them, reducing many to s'aE-
cry. In 1913 it was reported to the King
Of Spain by the bishop of San Juan that
there were but sixty native Indians on the
island. The recent census taken by TIE
United States did not discover a single In
dian Of the aboriginal type, though close OBJ
servers report many people in the interior
Of unmistakable Indian descent.
Persons of Negro Blood.
The negro blood in Porto Rico comes as in
the other West India islands through the
importation of slaves, which commenced
nearly four hundred years ago and con-
tinued until 1872. when slavery was abol-
ished This black labor was Of great con-
sequence to the island in the cultivation Of
sugar cane, and when the slaves were freed
the condition made that they should
work certain number of years at a stated
salary to prevent any disaster to large en-
ployers of labor. There are very few Chi
nese in Porto Rico, none ever having been
other West India islands. In Porto Rico
their presence is entirely voluntary.
Cuba and Porto Rico have smaller per-
centage Of colored people in the population
than any other West Indian island, Cuba
having 33 per cent and Porto Rico 3S. In
the other West Indies the percentage Of ne
groes runs from 81 in the Bermudas to 9S
in Jamaica. Each of the American coast
proportion Of whites than Porto Rico or
Cuba. There are POI OH males Of voting
age in Porto Rico, and over 96 per cent of
these are native-born. About per cent Of
the population is Spanish, these people being
concentrated in the commercial centers.
where they are engaged in business.
The Marital Relation.
The conjugal condition In this island Is
very similar to that in Cuba, for less than
II per cent of the adults are married. Sew
enty per cent Of the adults are single. About
per cent live together by mutual consent,
and more tnan 4 per cent are widows and
widowers. The proportion Of the island
population engaged in breadwlnning is only
about one-third, while in Cuba the proper
ton is about two-fffths. OF people sixty
five years of age and over more than one
half are still working for a living in these
two West India islands. 1t is also to be
noted that large number of children below
the age Of nine figure among bread-winnerS.
The average death rate in Porto Rico dur
ing the past eleven years has been about 30
per cent. and the average birth rate about
35. There are no gains to the population by
immigration, and such small gain from
births that the population is now nearly
stationary, and will probably be more so In
the future, unless American enterprise re-
suits in a greater development Of agricultu-
raj area.
Area Under Cultivation.
MOSC OF the area OF ROrtO RICO Is neld as
farms. and more than one-fifth of the entire
island is under cultivation. The forest areas
are small and almost entirely confined to
the highest mountains. Few remains of the
primeval forests are to be found, timber
being very scarce. and most Of that used in
building is imported. The industries of
trade, transportation and manufactures are
of almost trifling Importance. Seventy-six
per cent Of the entire surface of the island
is included within the forty thousand or less
farms with not less than 21 per cent Of the
entire area under the plow.
These figures are in strong contrast with
those for Cuba, for on the latter island
only 80 per cent of the area Is included in
farms and only 3 per cent of the area is
under cultivation. The conditions in Porto
Rico more nearly approach those prevail
ing in the United States, where 16 per cent
of the area is under cultivation. Yet. con-
sidering the density Of the rural population
Of Porto Rico, which Is far beyond that OF
any portion of the United States, the pro-
portion of cultivated land is small. The
average size of a farm in Porto Rico is
forty-five acres, of which about twelve
acres are cultivated. In the United States
| the average farm contains one hundred and
| thirty-seven acres. Of which seventy-eight
acres are improved. In Cuba the average
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