Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-02
PORTO R|CAN COFFEE
Protest of Island Merchants
and Growers.
IMPORTS TO AMERICA
BRAZIL COFFEE REsHIPPED FROM
THE ISLAND.
Present Crop Heavy and Good Quality
Labor Poorly Paid for-Long
Hours.
TO AMERICA
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
SAN JUAN. p R.. November "a. 1908.
Every coffee grower IN Porto Rico and
every newspaper in the island united this
week in storm of protest against the
repetition of an offense committed
against the interests of Porto Rican cof-
fee, upon the prosperity of which berry
so much depends here.
Seventy-two bags of Brazilian coffee
arrived from the United States on the
last trip of the S. S. Ponce. which coffee
was sent here for the purpose of reship
ping to the United States under the name
of Porto Rico coffee, and thereby reaping
the extra price which the Porto Rico
product commands.
DcpTeciates Reputation of Their Coffee.
The Porto Rican merchants and growers
are therefore vigorously declaring against
any Porto Rican assisting in the scheme to
depreciate the value and reputation of the
islands coffee.
The Ponce arrived on November II
with the cargo of coffee consigned to Rafael
Barrabeight of San JUAN the ConSgnor in
New York being B. Joachim. Joachim was
formerly in business here. The coaster
Vasco tool. the coffee her last trip
around the island, consigned to Joachim's
agent Aguadila.
The Vasco reached here one day too late
to reship the coffee to New York by the
Ponce and so the plan was divulged and the
commotion has followed The coffee. how
ever will probably go back to New York by
next weeks steamer. the Caracas, or a
week later on the Coamo.
Big Profit in Deception.
The difference in price between Porto Ri
can coffee and Brazilian coffee in the New
York market is more than the cost of trans
portation to and from Porto Rico, hence
the profit to be derived in this transaction,
for by showing the bill of lading the New
York merchant can readily sell his coffee
on board genuine Porto Rican coffee, and
at the price paid for that coffee.
Brazilian coffee sells in New York for
from to cents pound. the regular
grades bringing at the present time about
GA to G12 cents.
Porto Rican coffee is quoted at from to
91a, and the superior grades from 91a to 1888
The profit on this small shipment of seven
ty-two bags. therefore, is no very great
sum- perhaps $500.
But this is moi the first time that this !
scheme has been tried. About two years |
ago shipment of 2yO bags arrived and the |
press made such protest against the fraud |
that the coffee not allowed to be taken |
off the steamer. This time a Porto Rican !
paper, the Boletin Mercantil of San Juan, |
was the first to expose the situation.
GuSM1CS u 1Slduu s
Collector of Customs Cruzen said: There
is no way to prevent the shipment of Bra
lillian coffee Porto Rico coffee, but those |
who do that enemies of the commerce |
of the island, and the practice should be
stamped out as quickly as possible
The custom house officials think that this |
was the only shipment of the kind for a |
long time and say that they do not know of |
any since the one of two years ago. Most |
of the large shippers here when interviewed |
said they preferred not to say anything in |
regard to it, because it was American |
who was involved. and they could not afford |
to criticise the Americans They all frank |
ly stated, however, that If 1T were Porto |
Rican who was involved in the trade cal |
culated to njure the good name and reputa- |
ton of Porto Rico coffee they would openly |
denounce hin.
Legislative Remedy Probable.
The next legislative assembly of Porto |
Rico. which meets January u, will doubt |
less enact a law to protect Porto Rican |
coffee and tobacco by having 1t bear idenu- |
fcation and grade stamps before shipment.
The coffee picking season is now at its
height and the crop will be heavy and or
quality which should command a good
price. Many women are employed with
the men sorting the berries, and at Aqua
dilla last Friday more than 2o0 OF THESE
women went on a strike demanding %
cents day instead of Is cents for twelve
to fourteen hours work
Peon Labor Yields Big Profits.
Despite the low price of coffee the Span
ish firm for which these unfortunates work
is said to make net profit of $420 on each
100 pounds or $4,000 yearly. The principal
owner of the property is now in Europe
with his family. These women look more
like an army of beggars than like working
people.
According to the statements of some of
them, they have many children to support,
and their husbands, most of them, are
without work They g9n(Rarefooted and
years of moral and physical suffering.
They work from in the morning until at
least in the evening, and many of them
work Sundays and nights. They sort a bag
of coffee. 40 or 1870 pounds in twelve or
fourteen hours, and receive for this work
10 cents.
Advised to Strike When Advantageous.
Aguadilla is the town where they compel
the laborers to work longer and pay the
least OF any place in the island. The sort
ers and threshers of coffee appealed to the
Federation Libre for cooperation, and the
organizer of the American Federation of
Labor. Santiago Iglesias, told them that
they had right to strike when it was to
their advantage. But without being or
ganized, and not being united in your work,
your case is lost he said to them. Unite
and you will triumph by the justice of your
demands
In view of the fact that large part of
the unfortunate poems had yielded to work
for ID cents the rest of the strikers also
went back to work. Coffee laborers are a
little better paid in some other parts of the
island.