The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-06-26
COFFEE.


According to the Importance of each
of the matters stated, and which we
hereby submit to your consideration,
the first place belongs to our Coffee.
But before entering fully on the sub
ject, we think it pertinent to state the
views of this Chamber of Commerce
and to explain the grounds upon which
we base our pretension that said prod
uct should obtain, in one form or an
other, the protection which We claim
for it. and which it urgently needs.
In spite of the subtleties OF the Fora
ker Act,-subtleties which we do not
hesitate in declaring as productive OF
great good for Porto Rico, for in de-
priving its Inhabitants momentarily
of American citizenship, 1T relieves
them, by virtue of the deprivation it
self, from very onerous burdens very
difficult to bear at the present time
it is more than clear that from an
Economic point of view we are con-
sidered de facto an integral part of the
Nation, for no other Interpretation can
be given to the fact of our having the
same Tariff laws. the same Immigra-
ton laws, the same Postal laws, the
same Bankruptcy laws, the same Nav1-
cation laws, etc, etc.
l.
we are not considered as foreigners in
the great American commonwealth, it
is logical, Gentlemen, it is just, that we
should desire, that in the same man
ner as by our consumption, which by
the way is relatively great, we are con-
tributing to sustain the Protective sys-
tenn of the Nation, so in like manner
all our productive forces should find
the protection which the system offers.
Unfortunately. Gentlemen, and in
spite of Statistics, in spite of Official
Reports which without the slightest
doubt have been inspired in the great
est good will in the world. it is an I'M
deniable fact that want and wretched-
ness are showing themselves in COM
paratively vast districts Of the Island,
those which are, properly speaking,
Coffee districts.
If YOU consult Statistics comparing
them with those of other times, you
will be favorably impressed at the first
glance: but on examining the several
items. it becomes manifest that Coffee
the value of which represented in form
er times two-thirds of our exports,
now appears with a value of $3,1S5662
in a total export of $12,309.16
And those figures are perfectly nat
uraI. Coffee which constituted for
many years the principal product of
Porto Rico and it's most important
source of wealth. is threatened with
humiliation: Coffee has not been able
to elude. as have others Of our more
fortunate products, under the protec-
ton of the Dingley Tariff. the effects
of an UNPRECEDENTED supply. rendered
more disastrous to US by the conse-
quences of the most terrible phenome-
non of the last century which destroy
ed plantations involving years of labor
to bring to a high state of production
and the investment of vast amount
of capital.
And in this connection also. we can
not rely on statistics to arrive at the
true extent of our falling-off in the
production of the berry.
According to Statistics. last years
production was 27.OOOOOO pounds. or 80
u. C. OF our former crops, but that only
shows TO a limited extent its decrease,
for it must be borne in mind, that
when the cyclone occurred. the island
mad been preparing for a production
of about 100000 600 pounds; such had
been the efforts Of our planters.
And said assertion, Gentlemen, is not
far from the truth as the last Census
of Porto Rico clearly demonstrates; Tor
out of the $4,000 acres of land reported
in same as under cultivation, $4,000
or Is %. c. were devoted 10 Coffee.
That same Census also shows cul-
tivated area of 1000 acres in bananas;
and we mention this product because
as general rule. Coffee and bananas
are concomitant. and where from any
cause the cultivation Of one plant De
clines OF is abandoned, the other FOL
! lows in its wake.
Without being pessimistic, such an
abandoning in Porto Rico may ana
surely will, come, Il the universal oe-