Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-09

illustrates the working of the same eco
nomic law demonstrated in the smaller.
crowded countries of Europe, like
Switzerland. Holland and Belgium.
where handworkers in laceS, embroid-
cry and other products have developed
their highest skill.
The coffee exports of Porto Rico. I'M
like most of her output, 60 chiefly to
countries other than the United States.
Cuba Is the best customer. with Ger
many, Italy and Spain taking most of
the rest of the $4,000, 900 CROP. The
fruit shipments. with about the same
total value as the coffee, go largely to
the United States. The banana and
the plaintain flourish In the same LAVISH
abundance which greeted the occupying
troops in 1898. They remain great
factor in the native diet, especially in
the mountain regions.
With all of this material prosperity.
have the Porto Ricans been able to
abolish poverty. filth, wretchedness and
disease? To a. large extent they have
entirely. perhaps not. The SlumS OF the
capital city, San JUAN in the old bar
rio of SalsipuedeS (Get-out-n-y ou-can).
have Shrunk to perhaps one-tenth theE'
old proportions. The newer, modern.
cleanly Barrie Obrero houses in COM
fort great numbers Of working people.
This change is observable in varying de-
greeS elsewhere on the island.
New Public Buildings
Meanwhile the new schools, hospitals,
| roads and other improvements are
steadily changing the life Of the island.
Raising an annual budget in excess OF
| $40 900 900, the Legislature has gone In
| for improvements. The new Capitol
Building, now almost finished on the
/ neck of land which reaches out to the
promontory and old fortified city Of San
Juan, would ornament the capital Of
any state or nation. Some OF the older
taxpayers complain a little about it,
saying it was planned in the boom
years when the World War shot sugar
prices to crazy heights and gave Porto
| Rico too quick boom. 1t will be COM
pleted and occupied in February. The
new Medical Building of the University
of Porto Rico, on the great highway
leading out of San Juan and across the
island, is a pride of the island A new
group of penal and free hospital eStab-
| liShmentS is being finished one unit at
a time More than IS per cent of the
revenue of the territory goes for educa-
ton. Excepting for the governor and \
! handful of officials, the territory is self
governing under its own Legislature.
This is election year and merry cam
paign is under way.
Mai. Gen. Frank Mcintyre, veteran
chief of the Bureau of InSular Affairs.
under the Secretary of War, with juris-
diction in many territorial matters. re-
turned to Washington recently after his
sixth trip to Porto Rico, the first be-
ing with the expeditionaries Of 1898.
Summing up the 80 years of progress
which he has been able personally To
observe and take part in, he declared
that in agriculture, health. public
works and education Porto Rico has
establishments which would be source
of pride to any State in the Union.
Trade With the Island.
This summary of 80 years econon.
progress has not considered the othcs
side of the picture, the value of Porto
Rican trade to continental United
States. We sell to the island from the
mainland almost as much as we buy
The balance of trade remains each year
with the island, to the extent of from
to 10 millions, the latter being the
boom figures of 1920, but sales of Amer
lean products there run between 80 and
80 millions a year. Rice is the great
Porto Rican food import, but the island
buys almost everything which is traded
in anywhere. Shoes and automobiles
and meat products are bought in about
4 equal values, and g. the list of imports
looks like department store inventory
on a grand scale. 1t demonstrates
clearly that the benefits of 80 years of
American effort for the good of Porto
Rico have been mutual H.,