The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-02-15
TRADE OF PORTO RICO WITH, THE
UNITED STATES.

Trade between Porto Rico and cont :
mental United States in the calendar
year just ended amounted to II million
dollars, or 10 times as much as in 1897,
the year preceding the annexation OF
that island by the United States. The
precise figures of the trade with Porto
Rico are, according to the December
Summary of Commerce and Finance, re-
Gently issued by the Bureau of Statistics,
Department of Commerce and Labor, as
follows: merchandise sent to Porto Rico,
S36, 793, 646; received from Porto Rico,
$35, 446, 1856; total of $72, 239, 1872. In
1897, the last year in which Porto Rico
was foreign territory, the figures were:
exports thereto. $2,O23, ISL; imports
therefrom, 81, 943, PSI; total OF So, 967, :
OO2. Thus shipments of merchandise to
the island gained in the period from 1897
to 1911 1874, 1853, 1916, or about ITO per
cent, while receipts of merchandise
therefrom increased $33, SOP. 935, or 1725
per cent.
The trade with Porto Rico since its an
nexation has grown more rapidly than
with any other commercial community
OF Importance, and now exceeds the
value Of our trade with Spain, or China,
or India; is nearly equal to that with Ar
gentina. and is more than that with all
British Oceania, including Australia, or
with the entire continent of Africa.
during the period since 1897 in which
shipments from the United States to
Porto Rico increased 1870 per cent. ex-
ports to Canada, with which our trade
has grown unusually rapid in recent
years, increased 300 per cent, those to
Cuba $40 per cent, to Argentina 745 per
cent, China 100 per cent, Japan IT'S per
cent, Germany III per cent, and to the
United Kingdom, II per cent.
Manufactures and foodstuffs form by
far the largest part of the domestic
merchandise shipped to Porto Rico from
the United States. Of the articles class
ed as manufactures, cotton goods, iron
and steel, lumber and other manufac-
lures Of wood, boot and shoes, automo-
blles, cars, patent and proprietary medi-
clnes, soap, paper manufactures, wooden
goods, india rubber manufactures, and
cement are the most important, and in
many of these, notably cotton cloths,
boots and shoes, cars and carriages, the
growth has bee1 very rapid. Of cotton
cloths the value increased from but 81, OlO
in 1897 to $3,l81,9 55 in 1911; of other
cotton manufactures, from So, 995 to ST.
525, 681; of boots and shoes, from about
81, 600 to 81, 144, 53s; of cars and carriages,
from sl3,s53 to 1,557, 1875; patent and
medicines, from about S1O,-
600 to $256, 627; and soap, from $500 to
1852, $50.
Of food stuffs of domestic production
shipped to Porto Rico, rice, meat and
dairy products, flour, vegetables, refined
sugar, fish, bread and biscuit and con-
fectlonery are the leading items. In the
period from 1897 to 1911 shipments there
to of rice from the United States IN
creased from NIL in 1897 to 81, Ais, 566 in
1911; those Of -four, from $573, All to ST.
652, no; hams, from $85, 204 to 1888, 1888;
pork picked, from $195, 1859 to 81, 252,-
707; butter, from s5,s18 to sl32, 9e3;
cheese, from $2,6O1 to sl2l, TIC; lard,
from 1924, us to S3O5, ISL; refined sugar,
from less than 500 to 1865, 272; and con-
fectionery, from about $500 to $195, 843.
OF many other articles the shipments
to Porto Rico last year were large; lum-
Der and manufactures of wood, 81, 029,-
63l; vegetables, S805, 437; leaf tobacco,
$3.50, 042; telegraph, telephone and other
scientific instruments, 1928 13; wool
manufactures, 1920, TT; bituminous coal,
$50, sos; cement, 1924, 763, fish, 1899, DOB;
fertilizers, $3.50, TIA; mineral oils, S461,-
207 and silk manufactures, 1855, 1913.
The United States sends to Porto Rico
more cotton cloth than to any foreign
country except China, five times as much
as to Canada, and more than TO Cuba
and Haiti combined; more boots and
shoes than to all Central America; as
many automobiles, measured by value,
as to France and Germany combined;
and more flour than to Germany.
The principal articles entering CONT
mental United States from Porto Rico
are sugar. cigars and cigarettes, to-
bacco, and fruits and nuts. Of sugar
the value increased from IL million in
1897 to $24, TO, 161 million in 1911; cigars
and cigarettes, from nil in 1897 to $5,-
34S, 166 in 1911; tobacco from $3.50 to ST.
SO7, 2O9; and fruits and nuts, from about
$21, 900 to 50, 227,745. The comparative
amounts of certain staples shipped from
Porto Rico, from Hawaii, and from for
eign countries into the United States
last year are: sugar from Porto Rico,
rs million dollars value; from Hawaii,
43 Ia million; from foreign countries 100
million dollars; cigars and cigarettes,
from Porto Rico, 5.3 million, and from
foreign countries, 81 million dollars; and
fruits and nuts, from Porto Rico, 2.2
millions, from Hawaii 2 1-2 million, and
from foreign countries, "A million.