Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-03-28
WAR ACTS LIKE TARIFF.

The island of Porto Rico furnishes
an excellent illustration OF prosperity
due to a war market. Porto RICO, as
probably everyone knows. is PRAGUE
ally a part of the United States insofar +
as it's being affected by the laws "
this nation is concerned. so, "hen
the Underwood tariff bill went INTO
effect. no portion of the United States
suffered more quickly than did Porto
Rico. The chief industry OF the
island is in the raising of sugar cane
and the turning of the cane into sugar.
The Underwood law took away tne
bulk of the tariff protection from the
smear and threatened to take away
all Of It. The effect was immaculate.
The island was thrown into an inuus-
trial panic. Sugar mills closed one
after another and plantation laporers
lost their Jobs. Ruin stared the plant.
ers in the face and the laborers coulo
find nothing to do. Things went from
bad to worse and Porto Rlcans De-
came very bitter at the United states.
Some unfortunate appointments TO
administrative positions by the ADMIN
jstration oficials at Washington-Bry-
an in particular-caused great dlscon-
tent On the island and there was sed1-
t:ous talk and threats against the
Yankees.
Then came the war.
One OF the very flrst results of the
war was an increased demand for
American sugar. This new demand
was q life saver to the beet sugar
planters Of the United States and 1t
was q godsend to the planters ana
millers of Porto Rico. The war with
it's shortage Of foreign ships and It's
shortage of foreign competition, TOOK
the place of the protective tar1h and
the sugar business was saved. Under
conditions of peace, the sugar indus
trv :, Porto Rico and the beet sugar
industry Of the mainland was doomed;
war produced condition similar to
that caused by protective. tariff and
nrosperity returned. Note what
correspondent of the Associated Press
has to say about the sugar industry
in Porto Rico:
sugar valued at 100000 is being
marketed hy Porto Rico this month.
Every ship to the United States IS
carving capacity loads. The months
deliveries present probably not more
than rs per cent of the value of the
sugar produced this season. Most OF
the sugar Is being sold on a rising
market at prices considerably above
s. per hundred pounds.
Never before in the history of the
island have the sugar men had sucn
a large crop nor prospects OF sucn
uniform high prices The islands
production. it is estimated, will be In
the neighborhood of 100000 tons an
increase of approximately $4,000 tons
over last year. And under present
market conditions 1t is expected that
the whole crop will be sold at an av-
erage OF five cents per pound, or pet
fer. Large sales this week were re-
ported at 1922 San Juan, equal to $5.4O
New York.
In practically every instance the
laborers have received an increase IN
wages and shorter hours Of labor. For
the first time in the history OF the SUI
gar industry the sugar planters have
granted the field labor an eight hour
day. One Of the largest mills in the
island, the Fajardo Sugar company
signed contract with its laborers pro-
yiding for a minimum wage of 70
cents day on nine hour basis. This
same company has also placed all OF
its employees In the sugar mill proper
on a wage based on the price OF sugar
Already they have received bonuses
as high as 50 per cent in addition to
their salary.