St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-10-11
AeFA1Rs IN PORTO RICO
1870. .Id Pr0spects IN
bssin' p...er Than Ever
49,. saw. Gov. Hunt.

g. ,y;,,;.m n. hunt recently ar
so ho,o from Porto Rico on the
ri'eo Nc ,on1rts the New York
,1;,ar 1.ndedin Porto Rico four :
IS 80 ,o.dav dreat changes have
taken place and the lslano nas
to be thankful for slnce QUIZ Ae
raised. hyed
..The close of thefiscal year sno
1a++ar business. beter health and bet
ter prospects thanIe ever. Inc CO..
treasury balance Oh July was $314'-
600, gain of $239, 90 in the year. ~
total exports for last year aggfee
$40. $40 OPS. showinf an increase IN ex-
norts to foreign cpuntries of 81 7-lo
ner cent over theEprevious year, ana
40 Clio per cent. Increase %
to the United States. The increase -
principally in sugar, cigars and cigar
cites, straw hats and cot1ee. we eeno
sooA 5oo worth of Straw hats alone to
the United States last year.
"American merchants would do we'll
to study Porto Hcan Imports 1l
Europe, with vidN to enlarging home
trade. Porto Ricdbought over S4oo'ooo
worth of Nova Scotia Goldfish last year
and over $150,O0O worth OF 1ore'gn
soaps. Spain seat us rice valued az
more than 10000, and over $5oo'ooo
worth of potatoes. This business
should go to OUT own markets, anu
with larger Development in the 1slano'
it's future commerce must be kept
closer at home The Porto Rican COZ
fee continues to 10 to Europe-to Aus
tria, France, Spain, Italy and Ger
many. America took only $29, 900 worth
last year, while Europe took over Do
0oo,0 900 worth. The superiority OF the
coffee is such that we cannot under
stand the Insignificant demand for 1t
in New York; still, it is gradually gam
ing favor, and will soon be sold ex-
tensively, hope.
"Fruit growing is receiving atten-
ton, and with quicker transportation
will invite investment. Improvement
is noticeable il all directions. The
people welcome schools. The insular
government cannot supply enough, be-
ing necessarily limited to 100000 per
annum for education. But we are
teaching nearly $4,000 children, and
expect to open two industrial schools
in the fall. Adults want to learn, and
in some instances children are teach
ing their parents. There was an ex-
traordinary decrease in the number
of deaths last year-13,000 fewer than
the year before. There is much less
anaemia than formerly. People look
healthier, live better and take better
care of themselves. All sanitation has
improved.
New codes of law are in effect; the
island is now controlled by American
statutes. There was ready adjust
ment to the change, however, and re-
ports Of the operation Of the new laws
are gratifying. The criminal code,
modelled largely after the California
penal laws, il giving particular salts
faction.
"Porto Ricans are ambitious for
closer relations with the United
States, and deserve all encourage
ment. In my residence of over two
years in the island. I found them
generous, warm hearted, good peo-
pie. They are impressionable, but
gentle and kind. The result of the
liberal government given them is
steadily growing mutual respect and
liking between them and the citizens
of the main land. I regard this in
itself most desirable achievement
of our occupancy