Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-04
CARIBBEAN POLITICS.
III-PORTO RICO AND SUGAR.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.
SAN JUAN, P. r.. April q. 1912.

SAN JUAN, P. r.. April -, 1871.
Seldom has any country. large or small.
had 30 much at stake as has Porto RICO
today in the legislation. pending IN Con-
gress 10 nut sugar on the free list. When
this island was made . part OF the ter
ritory OF the United States the sugar tar
ifr operated in such a way as to make
the sugar business OF the island one AT
fordng such rich returns that rortnWth
practically every other industry was neg
lected and the Porto Rican people COM
mitted the economic mistake or potuns
all their eggs in one basket. Practically
every foot OF available land was trans
formed into cane fields. Thousands upon
thousands OF acres Of pasture lands,
which had hitherto brought fair returns
to their owners. who were engaged IN
cattle raising. were converted into sugar
plantations, and sugar mills sprang up
almost overnight in every part of the
island.
The result has been that the annual
output OF sugar has Increased from TO-
OOO tons prior to the passage of the For
aker act to nearly $4,000 tons In 1911.
Sugar planters have found the business
so rich in its returns that they have
straightway invested the earnings In ex-
tending their mills and plantations. The
result has been that an economic condt-
ton has been brought about In which
practically the entire prosperity OF the
island Is bound up In the question OF
free or taxed sugar in the United states.
+ Tho wages Of the laboring class OF
Porto Rico have enhanced remarkably
under the
Wages Of Laborers great stimu-
Are Greatly Increased. ,nd".,r y AM
authorities agree that the average price
Of labor in Porto Rico at the beginning
OF the decade just closed Appropriated
20 cents day. 1t now approximates &C
cents a day. In order to build the great
mills. or sugar ccntrals. the sugar plant
ers had to borrow much money from the
banks. and nearly every one Of these
mills Is now under heavy bonded debt
The banks fear that the sugar mills will
cease to be profitable II the tariff on SUI
gar is removed. and they have served
notice on the sugar planters that they
must have their money. In such a situa
ton it is little wonder that there il
panic among the sugar planters Of Porto
Rico.
Today the sugar planters and manufac.
turers pay approximately one-half Of the
insular budget of Porto Rico, a bulge,
which amounts to $500 OO a year Out OF
that budget $1,3OOOOO is spent on educa.
ton. The planters declare they will not
be able to pay, their taxes II sugar is put
on the free list. and that the schools OF
the island must suffer. The assessed
value OF the sugar lands Of the island av.
erages $92 an acre. II the free sugar
measure passes the planters assert that
the producing value of their land will be
vastly cut down. They say that they have
hu.lded up the sugar industry on the
island on the assumption that the tarffl
would be continued. and that they have a
right to demand. not merely to petition
that the duty on sugar in the United
States shall be continued
How Intensely in earnest are the sugar
planters Of Porto Rico In their dread OF
:. free sugar
plankAre Yn&anaA1u ma, y