The Washington herald., 1921-02-08
PORTO RICO SEEKS COFFEE
EXEMPTION,

EXEMPTION.
Conee growing in Porto Rico, the
poor mans industry" of our island
protectorate, faces a critical condi-
tion because of the high cost of
labor and production, according to
Jorge Armstrong, of Ponce, Porto
Rico, commissioner to Washington
from the National Coffee Growers
Association
Armstrong, who is in Washing
ton for a few days to appear before
the Congressional Ways and Means
Committee in the interest OF the
elimination of coffee from the free
list of the new tariff. and to rec
ommend duty of cents a pound
on coffees imported from foreign
countries, believes that If continen-
tai Americans once acquired a taste
for Porto Rican coffe it would haN.
preference over the product now
imported from Brazil and other for
eigp countries.
Porto Rican coffee growers re-
alize that protection of the coffee
produced on national territory by
protective duty has never met
with great favor because national
production of coffee is quite small
bean 'copsumed by the American
people. - But Armstrong points out
that national interests would be
served by the levy of such a duty,
since there are no corporate in
tereSts engaged in this industry in
the island.
The corporations in the island
are engaged only in such industries
as are protected by the tariff, such
as the sugar, tobacco and fruit in
dustries, in which they have in
vested sums running into the mill
ions of dollars" Armstrong ex-
planned.
The National Coffee Growers
Association of Porto Rico repre-
sents approximately 10000 proprie-
tors, who hold from 1000 to 1000
acres of cultivated coffee land. the
total number of acres under culti-
Vation being estimated at 100000.
COFFEE NOW BRINGS
PREWAR PRICES.
At the present time coffee is
bringing very little in the market
| according to Armstrong-ll and u
cents a pound compared with 80
and .S5 cents a few years ago. La
Dor on the other hand, has greatly
| increased in cost, the ordinary
workmen on the coffee plantations
earning as high as Sl.35 a day as
against IS cents a few years ago
In addition to the daily wage the
plantation worker has his dwelling
furnished. Living costs but little,
many of the workers subsisting
mainly upon the plantain banana,
comparatively inexpensive food.
Two important factors in the
problem confronting the Porto Ri
can grower in his efforts to COM
pete with other countries is the
difference in currency and the diff
| ference in the cost OF living. Both
| of these unfavorable conditions
threaten this small but vital island
industry.
"All or nearly all Spanish -Ameri-
can coffee producing countries, Mex
leo included, are competitors of the
islanders. having as a representa-
tive of value, when not paper, a
currency which political economy
designates as "unsound." For this
reason wages. salaries, and other
things which go to make up the
cost of coffee in these competing
countries are insignificant as com
pdltu " I'LL lllOSt III OIlO lAltb
where all services, wages, salaries
and taxes are stipulated and must
be paid in American money
Guatemala, for instance, still uses
slave labor on her farms, Armstrong
pointed out. Mexican growers also
enjoy an advantage. When the COf-
fee grower of CoatepeC. for in
stance, sells his Coffe in New York
at IS cents a pound he really gets
80 cents for it because of the diff
ference in value between the Mex
lean peso and the American dollar.
And it being a fact that the rate
of wages there is numerically great
er, the advantages of the Mexican
grower over the Porto RiCan are
apparent The disadvantage is all
the greater in the case of competi-
ton with Brazil, Colombia, Guate-
mala and other countries whose
monetary unit is generally of even
less value than the Mexican peso. as
compared with the dollar circulat-
ing here.
PORTO RICANs QUICK
To ADOPT AMERICAN VIEWS.