Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-11
SPEAKS OF PORTO RICO
ADDRESS LAST EVENING BY THE
TREASURER OF THE ISLAND.
Members Of National Geographic So
ciety Listen to Description Of
Prosperous Conditions.

Prosperous Porto Rico" was the sub
ject Of an address delivered last evening
in Hubbard Memorial Hail, 10th and NJ
streets, before members of the National
Geographic Society, by Mr.. William F.
Willoughby, treasurer of the island. He
traced the development Of the islands re-
sources under American regime. Prof
Willis L. Moore, president OF the society.
introduced the speaker.
To indicate the prosperity of Porto Rico.
according to the speaker. an analysis of the
trade of the island with outside countries
was essential During the last fiscal year,
1t was stated, the imports amounted to
$21. 500, geo, and the exports to $23.500, 900.
total foreign trade Of s45,000,000. And
yet, the speaker remarked, the island is
only 100 miles long and SO miles broad.
Before the acquisition of Porto Rico the
United States sent there 100000 worth
of goods annually, while during the last
fiscal year this country furnished $751;
100000 Of the islands 81, 600 worth
of imports. =
Among the Chief Products.
The chief products Of the island in or
der of importance and value, 1t was ex-
planned, are sugar. tobacco. coffee, cattle
and fruits Until about the time the
United States took possession coffee was
regarded the staple means Of livelihood
Of the natives. But the year after the
American possession a heavy rain washed
the soil down the sides Of the mountains
and changed the character Of it on the
plains below to sugar lands. Since that
time, sugar has become the chief product
The free trade with the United States, in
conjunction with the protective tariff on
Cuban and other foreign sugar, proved a
great incentive to the raising of cane.
Since the American invasion the small
mills have been replaced by large facto-
ries of centrals, each factory taking the
product of from 5000 to 10000 acres. Steam
plows and mechanical devices Of all kinds
introduced, and artesian wells have been
drilled along the south coast, where the
rainfall Is scarce. At present there are
, five or six large factories, two owned by
French capital, one by Belgian capital. and
the others controlled by Americans.
Large interests have, taken to the raising
of tobacco. Formerly Porto Rican tobacco
had no standing in the market and most OF
1t was sent to Cuba and reshipped as Cuban
tobacco. Raising It under cheese Goth was
tried and proved successful, and there is
now a large acreage. There are a number
of well-lighted, well-ventilated tobacco fac
tories on the island, taking the place of the
huts in which the cigarmakers formerly
worked. The exports Of the product during
the last fiscal year amounted to $4,000 600
cigars, 10000, 600 more than during the pre-
ceding year.
Coffee Raised in Interior.
Coffee is raised in the interior, on the
mountain slopes. AS regards that product
there is an exception to the generai pros
perity. The hurricane mentioned the speak
er said, did such damage that the island
has-not yet recovered. Whereas the plants
were allowed to grow wild before, they are
now carefully selected and planted; so the
coffee crop is expected to become an I'm
portant factor in the export trade of the
island within a few years. Fruits are being
raised, also, many growers moving from
Florida and California and planting thou
| sands of acres with orange, lime, grape
fruit and pineapple trees. The protection of
All the crops figure in the total increase
of trade. The productiveness has been dou-
bled, foreign trade doubled and the money
derived has been increased so that the peo-
pie are living better.
The efforts of the government to improve
the material equipment of the island were
mentioned by the speaker. Two problems
the present ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS when
it took hold OF affairs, were Transportation
and education. The army engineers and
later the board of public works under the
civil government worked out system OF
railways. AS the center of the island is q
mass of mountains and there Is little trans
island traffic. trans-island railroads did not
figure In the plan. The Spaniards had
planned a belt line around the island. touch
ing all the important ports; but 1t was far
from completed when the Americans reach
ed the island. The belt railroad was re-
organized as the American railway under q
new charter. The line wtu b completed