Evening star., 1939-04-30

Puerto Rico, facing within the next
two months the greatest unemployment
in It's history and sharp drop in its
dollar income, has been deluging Wash
ington with sharp protests against re-
strictions which have been placed on its
industries by the Federal Government,
together with requests that the United
States announce its future policy with
respect to the islands political and eco
nomic status. Insular spokesmen charge
that Congress and the administration
have throttled Puerto Rican industries
through quotas, reciprocal trade agree
ments and various other legislation, and
they are demanding the removal of these
handicaps.
In addition, political and industrial
leaders point out that the island has re-
ceived far less than its per capita share
OF Federal relief appropriations, although
the people of Puerto Rico are American
citizens and presumably entitled to share
in Federal funds on the same basis as
territories
BY cable, airmail radio and personal
visits these protests have been reaching
Washington in an increasing number
during recent years. There have been
as many as 80 Puerto Rican government
officials and businessmen in the Capital
at one time on certain occasions, SEEK
ing to have the island included in some
bills and excluded from others, persuad-
ing Federal agencies to- allocate funds
to the territory and trying to get various
restrictions removed.
Sugar Curb Starts Protest.
The first serious protests came in 1884,
when the sugar quota system originally
was established and Puerto Rico, alone
among the domestic sugar producing
areas, was forced to reduce it's production
substantially. Inasmuch as sugar had
come to account for two-thirds Of the
Islands total income by that time, the
whole island felt the reduction in one
way or another. Until the sugar legisla-
ton was passed Puerto Rico had felt
kindly toward the Federal Government
for aid extended following the hurricanes
in 1923 and 1882 and the promise OF
extensive relief funds for general eco
nomic rehabilitation.
The next major blow was the Cuban
reciprocal trade agreement, which also
went into effect in 1884. This agreement
halved the duty on Cuban fresh pine
apple and reduced sales of the Puerto
Rican fruit. But little was said about
a. Gle
the pineapple industry was in relatively
few hands.
Then, in 1887, Congress passed a new
sugar quota bill which reduced Puerto
Rico's quota still further, while granting
an increase to Cuba, and resulted also
in depressing the price Of sugar. The
insular government and businessmen
again protested vigorously and sent sew
eral delegations to Washington.
Even up to this point, the objections
from the island were relatively mild, be-
cause the dollar income from all Puerto
Rican industries had been increasing
steadily and business conditions were
gradually improving.
Labor Act Increases Indignation.
1nsular indignation reached a new
peak last June, however, when Puerto
Rico at the last minute was icluded
under the Fair Labor Standards Act,
fixing a minimum wage of 25 cents an
hour for all industries not exempted.
The bill clearly meant the end of the
islands s21 100000 needlework industry
which is believed to have offered full or
part time employment to about 10000
workers, most of whom had no other
means of support. Wages in that indus
try had been considerably lower than
the 25-cent minimum, in some cases less
than 10 cents an hour, but that was the
only reason the industry ever had sprung
up. Competition for the most part was
not with similar concerns in the United
States mainland but with foreign coun-
tries where wages were greatly lower.
Other smaller industries were SINH
larly affected by the wage and hour
legislation and Puerto Ricans soon en-
visioned another 100000 workers joining
the ranks Of the unemployed, which
already numbered about 10000 indi-
viduals. A half dozen delegations visited
Washington, called on Administrator
Andrews and attended hearings. Gables
and radio messages came faster than
ever, until 1t became clear that only an
amendment to the act could save the
needlework industry.
Just as the wage and hour law went
into effect the State Department an
nounced hearing on amendments to
the Cuban trade agreement Lower
tariffs on sugar, tobacco and rum were to
be considered, and Cubas Col. Batista
was reported to have announced that the
lower sugar tariff already had been
agreed to. Once again the Puerto Rican
delegations arrived, fortified with briefs,
and testified against the proposed reduc-
tions.
Another Outlet damned.
1t then was discovered that the re-
ciprocal trade treaty with Great Britain
had reduced the duty on coconuts to the
point where the Puerto Rican product
could not be sold profitably on the main
land market, thus crippling another
small but essential industry.
Meanwhile, the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture which administers
the sugar quotas announced that Puerto
Rico would have to reduce its 1899 and
1910 sugar production by about IS per
cent in order to reduce the existing sur
plus of sugar in warehouses. Though