REPORT ON THE ISLAND OF PORTO RICO; ITS POPULATION, CIVIL GOVERNMENT, COMMERCE, INDUSTRIES, PRODUCTIONS, ROADS, TARIFF, AND CURRENCY, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS BY HEZNTtY K. CARROLL, Special CoxrLmissioner for the United. States to 3?orto Rico. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED TO hon. William Mckinley, President of the United States. October 6, 1899. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1899. REPORT ON THE ISLAND OF PORTO RICO; ITS POPULATION, CIVIL GOVERNMENT, COMMERCE, INDUSTRIES, PRODUCTIONS, ROADS, TARIFF, AND CURRENCY, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS BY HENRY K. CAKROLL, Special Commissioner for' the "United. States to Porto Rico. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED TO HON. WILLIAM: McKINLEY, President of the United States. October 6, 1899. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OT* 1 1899. ICE, 55807 Treasury Department, Document No. 2118. Office of the Secretary. FlflW , U. \ co:nte.jts of eepoet. Page. Explanation of words and terms used in this report j 5 Work of the commissioner 7 Character of the island 8 The climate . ... 9 Prevalent diseases 9 The population _ . 10 History of the island , 11 The civil government 15 Government finances 16 Municipal government. 17— System of taxation *... 20 The codes and courts . _ _ 23 The notarial and registration systems 26 The church and church property ._ 27 The cemeteries 31 The public schools _■ 32 Public charities and prisons ^ . . . 33 Social conditions . _ 35- Character of the people.. 36 Political parties 37^ Roads, railroads, and communication 38 Commerce and industry 41 — Agriculture 44 Condition of the laboring classes 48 The tariff 52 . — The currency and banking . ... 52 Changes under the military government 53- ~~l What Porto Rico expects from the United States •_ . . 55— J Capacity for self-government 56- As to change of language and customs 58 Free commerce between Porto Rico and the United States 59 ■ — The right of suffrage 61 Departments and salaries 62 Recommendations 63 3 CONTENTS OF APPENDIX. Page. Agriculture— soils, crops, methods, resources 67 Industries - -. 121 Commerce, foreign and domestic 143 — Means of transportation _ , 156 -\ Census of the population 179 Geographical . 200 Climate. 202 Public health and sanitation . ... 206 Flora and fauna.. - _-'- 222 Insular government — 231 Insular revenues and expenditures _ . . 253 Codes and courts 264 Mortgage, notarial, and registration systems 319 Civil divisions . . . ..-." .. -- 339 Political parties 340 Suffrage and the system of autonomy. 352 System of taxation 366 Porto Rican tariff _. 385 — Money question 449 Banks and hanking . 498 Postal, telegraph, and telephone service . . 509 Public lands and mines 512 Municipal government. 517 Prisons and charities . ■„.. 588 System of public schools .. 615 Church and church property 651 Law and customs of marriage.. 690 Condition of the laboring classes 712 Demand for free commerce with the United States 766 -~ Opinions of the people on various questions of reform .. 786 4 EXPLANATION OF WORDS AND TERMS USED IN THIS REPORT. Abogado. Counselor. Aguacate. Alligator pear. Alcaide. Warden of prison. Alcalde. Mayor. Alguacil. Constable. Area. 119.6 square yards. Audiencia Criminal. Criminal court. Audiencia Territorial. Supreme court. Ayuntamiento. Municipality. Barrio. Division of municipality, ward. Beneficencia. Charity. Blanco. White. Bocoy. Hogshead, holding 1 ,400 to 1 ,800 pounds. Bagazo. Stalks of pressed cane. Boriquen. Carib name of the island. Cabotage. Coastwise trade. Cacao. Chocolate beans. Calle. Street. Camino vecinal. District road. Candelaria. Feast of Candlemas. Car eel. Prison, jail. Carretera. State road, cart road. Casa consistorial. City hall. Cedula .personal. Passport. Centarea. 1,550 square inches. Centavo. A copper coin; the hundredth part of a peso. Central. Sugar mill grinding for a dis- trict. China. A sweet orange. Ciudad. City. Coche. Coach. Comercio. Commerce. Comisario. Head of a barrio or ward. Comunica ciones. Comm unications, postal and telegraphic. Concejales. Aldermen or councilmen. Consumo. A special tax on articles of food, drink, and fuel. Contribuyentes. Taxpayers. Cuerda. .99 of an acre. Delito. Crime. Derechos reales. Royal dues. Diputacion provincial. Insular admin- istrative body. Doble peseta. Silver 40-centavo piece. El Componte. Name given persecution by G-uardia Civil. Escribano. Court clerk. Expediente. The documents of a case. Falta. Minor offense. . Ferrocarril. Railroad. Finca. Farm, estate. Fiscal. Prosecuting attorney. Fomento. Improvement; department of the interior. Fresa. A kind of strawberry. Frutos Menores. Small crops; bananas and vegetables. Gastos. Expenses. Gratificacion. Bonus in excess of sal- ary. Gremio. Trade union ; cl ass of taxpayers . Guardia Civil. A special police force. Guineo. A small banana. Gu'ira. A small gourd used as instru- ment of music. Hectdrea. 2.47 acres. Huesera. Receptacle for bones of dis- interred bodies. Ingresos. Income. Jamaica Tren. A primitive process of sugar making. Jibaro. A mountain peasant, or ignor- ant countryman. Juez del a Instancia e Instruccion. Dis- trict judge. Juez, municipal. Municipal judge. Junta. Board of council. Ley. Law. Morenos (brown). Blacks or negroes. Naranja. A bitter orange. Notario. Notary. 5 6 . Palillos. Instrument of tortnre in the form of pegs. Pardos (gray). Mulattoes. Patente. Tax on opening shops for busi- ness. Pecuaria. Pertaining to cattle. Peones. Peasants or field laborers. Peseta. Silver piece of 20 centavos. Peso. Unit of currency, one hundred centavos ; three-fifths of American dol- lar. Pie. One-third of a vara, or 10.945 inches. Pldtano. Plantain. Plaza. Public square. Poblacibn de derecho. Legal popula- tion. Poblacion de hecho. Actual popula- tion. Presidio. Penitentiary. Presupuesto. Estimate: applied to bud- gets. Procurador. Attorney. Pueblo. Town, city. Quintal. One hundred weight. Real. A fictitious coin of 12-J centavos. Registrador. Registrar of property. Sindico. Counsel for municipalities and supervisor of accounts. Sueldo. Salary. Sumario. Summary, or court brief. Teniente alcalde. Vice-mayor. Transeuntes. Temporary residents. Vales. Tickets given laborers instead of money. Vara. Unit of cloth measure, 32.835 inches. Vecino. Neighbor, citizen. REPORT ON PORTO RICO. Treasury Department, Office Special Commissioner for the United States to Porto Rico, October 6, 1899. To the President. Sir : Under appointment by you to investigate the civil, industrial, financial, and social conditions of Porto Rico and make report, with recommendations, I have twice visited the island, under instructions from the Treasury Department, to which I was assigned for immediate supervision. WORK OF THE COMMISSIONER. The commissioner sailed in the U. S. transport Manitoba October 10, and landed at Ponce October 15. Two days later he crossed the island, by coach, over the famous military road to San Juan, the capi- tal, where several weeks were spent in an inquiry into the customs and currency questions and the system of civil government. Return- ing to the United States November 15, the commissioner made pre- liminary reports on these subjects, and sailed for Porto Rico a second time on the 31st of December. Meantime the offices of the commis- sion in San Juan were kept open, and much information, statistical, industrial, and social, was gathered by the secretary, Mr. Charles E. Buell, and the interpreter, Mr. Alfred Solomon. Early in January a tour of the municipal districts of the island was begun and the testi- mony of representatives of all classes of the population was taken. As the commissioner had been instructed to make his inquiry broad enough to embrace all subjects concerning the present condition and future welfare of the people, all interested persons were invited to attend the hearings, all who offered information were heard, and numerous statements of individuals and firms, in the nature of memo- rials, complaints, and recommendations, were received. The tour embraced the chief cities and districts of the island : Bayamon, Vega Baja, Arecibo, Camuy, Quebradillas, and Isabela, in the north; Aguadilla, Mayaguez, San German, and Cabo Rojo, in the west; Yauco, Ponce, Guayama, and Arroyo, in the south, and Maunabo, Yabucoa, Humacao, and Fajardo, in the east. The interior towns of Utuado, Coamo, Aibonito, Cayey, and Caguas, and Isabela II, on the island of Vieques, were visited, and representatives received from other places. The commissioner had a cordial welcome everywhere. Insular and municipal officials, judges, lawyers, doctors, bankers, merchants, planters, manufacturers, artisans, field laborers, inhabitants of the 8 poor quarters in cities — persons of all classes and colors, leaders of the political parties, natives, Spaniards, Germans, and other foreign residents — willingly gave testimony, or secured documents, or obtained information, often at no little pains, and endeavored by every means to make the investigation a successful one. Statements embodying needed facts, making suggestions, or asking immediate relief from oppressive conditions were prepared in various parts of the island and submitted to the commissioner by deputation or by mail. CHARACTER OF THE ISLAND. The United States is to be congratulated on the acquisition of Porto Rico. It is a beautiful island, well worthy the admiration of its new possessors, accustomed to the most varied and picturesque scenery in their own wide domain. All its shores are approachable, and whether seen from the Caribbean Sea, on the south, or from the Atlantic Ocean, on the east, west, and north, it presents an attractive appearance. Its mountains, which refuse to arrange themselves in natural chains or ranges, rise with charming irregularity, covering nearly the whole interior of the island, and are visible for long dis- tances at sea. Mount Yunque, in the northeast, is the highest peak, reaching a height, according to the General Official Guide of Porto Rico, of nearly 5,000 feet. The mountains are generally well covered with verdure, natural or cultivated; even the very peaks are gardens of the husbandmen, or beautiful wooded areas, or rich pasture lands. These mountains serve to condense into clouds the vapor which rises from the sea, and these give frequent and refreshing showers. Scores of rivers and hundreds of smaller streams carry the accumulations of these rains by winding ways through the valleys to the sea, furnish- ing abundance of clear, cool water for the various uses of mankind, including power for mills, dynamos, and other machinery. Along the shores, forming a belt of varying width around the island, are rich alluvial plains. The soil has not been exhausted by centuries of cultivation, and this luxuriant sea border is ornamented with cocoa and royal palms and other tropical vegetation. The countless valleys and extended slopes are also devoted to cane, .coffee, tobacco, and various other crops of vegetables and fruits. The cultivable area is large, including practically all the island except the arid sides of some of the mountains facing the southern coast. The portion under actual cultivation is but a small fraction of the whole. The superficial area of Porto Rico has not been scientifically ascer- tained. The estimates are various, ranging from 3,150 to 3,860 square miles, the last being the figures given by the Official Guide. These estimates include, of course, Vieques, Mona, and Culebra, and nearly a score of smaller islands, as well as Porto Rico itself. The greatest length of the island is about 115 miles; the greatest width, about 36, according to the best maps. There are no charts of the coast, the scientific survey begun some years ago, under Spanish auspices, never having been completed, or if completed the results were not made known. There are numerous roadsteads and harbors, the best har- bors being those of San Juan, Jobos, and Guanica, which are land- locked. The chief rivers are the Loiza, the Arecibo, the Plata, the Manati, and the Bayamon, emptying on the north, the Culebrinas, the Anasco, and the Guanajibo, emptying on the west coast. There are many other rivers and streams that reach the sea at short dis- tances apart around the entire island. THE CLIMATE. The climate is tropical, but not torrid. Though the heat is con- tinuous, it is not extreme. The thermometer rarely rises to 100°.' The highest monthly average on record in nine years in San Juan was 86° (in June, 1878). The hottest day in that period gave a tempera- ture of 100.8°, but there was only one such day. The temperature is equable, and rises or falls through a very limited range. The highest point reached by the thermometer in San Juan in the period from November, 1898, to July, 1899, inclusive, was 91°, in the month of June. This was for one day onty, and on no other day of that month did the temperature exceed 86°. The lowest range in the same period was 66°. The winter season extends from October or November to March, inclusive. No really oppressive weather was seen in the capi- tal during those months in 1898-99. Showers came frequently, but were of short duration and were mostly at night. Every day the unfailing trade winds blow from the east or southeast, making the air delightfully fresh. The nights are cool and comfortable. The sum- mer season is marked by a slight increase in the average temperature, much more rain, and a great deal of humidity. The continuity of the heat and the unfavorable conditions for evaporation of perspiration make the climate somewhat enervating. San Juan has an elevation of only about 100 feet. In the mountains the higher elevations dimin- ish the amount of heat, and Aibonito, Cayey, and Utuado are con- sidered as remarkably cool cities. Occasionally the island is visited by a disastrous hurricane. The first record of one of these tropical terrors was in July, 1515. They come at irregular intervals and Avith varying degrees of force. The most violent storm the island ever knew, according to history, was in August, 1772, when houses were demolished, trees uprooted, planta- tions flooded, and many people killed. In September, 1806, there was another visitation of less destructiveness, and still another in September, 1819. The latter was followed by a famine. The hurri- cane of October, 1867, was very severe. In August, 1886, the south coast was ravaged and the coffee plantations in the southwest suffered severely. The last furious storm occurred August 8, 1899, and was terribly destructive, particularly on the eastern and southern coasts and in the interior. Humacao was well-nigh destroyed ; Yabucoa, in the beautiful valley of the same name south of Humacao, was a heap of ruins, and but little was left of the old town and port of Arroyo. The damages at Ponce and at the port of Ponce, on the south, were extremety heavy. The streets were swept by a flood and many nouses were torn from their foundations. The crops of coffee and cane were quite generally destroyed in the east, in the south, and in the interior, and orange and other fruit trees were uprooted or stripped by the vio- lence of the wind. Arecibo, on the north coast, directly across the island from Ponce, also suffered great injuries. Between 2,000 and 3,000 persons lost their lives, and the destruction of live stock was very great. The fall of rain was enormous, amounting to 11.20 inches at Juana Diaz, north of Ponce, in twenty-four hours. PREVALENT DISEASES. Though enervating, the climate is salubrious. The death rate is moderate. Yellow fever is not indigenous. Smallpox becomes epi- demic sometimes, but under General Henry's administration an extra- 10 ordinary plan was conceived and executed for the vaccination of the entire population of the island with vaccine produced from native cattle. The prevailing diseases are consumption and malarial fevers. With improved sanitation in the cities, already begun under United States military auspices, the health bill of Porto Rico will compare favorably with that of countries in the temperate zone. The general disregard, hitherto, of the primary principles of sanitation makes it a matter of wonder that the scourges of Porto Rico have been so few. There was an outbreak of cholera in 1855, chiefly among the colored population, and it was estimated that 30,000 or more died of it. A reference to the table of the causes of death in San Juan in the year 1898 shows, that of 1,151 deaths, 143 were from some form of consumption, 25 from pneumonia, 44 from congestion of the lungs, and 49 from bronchitis — a total of 361, or about 31 per cent from these causes. Of 76 deaths from fever 28 were attributed to malarial, 11 to pernicious, 20 to typhoid, 11 to typhus, 2 to yellow, and 4 to other fevers. Consumption attacks with great severity the mixed and black races. Only one-fourth, or 36, of those who died from this disease were whites; 62 were of the mixed and 45 of the black class. As the whites constitute about 64 per cent of the population, the mortality among the 36 per cent of colored people appears remarkably high. Bowel troubles, such as dysentery and diarrhoea, are quite gen- eral. There were 83 deaths from these causes, of which 55 were of white, 13 of mixed, and 15 of black persons, showing that the whites are specially subject to these diseases. The statistics are not suffi- ciently comprehensive to show the full effect of lack of proper food; but it appears that in 50 or more cases anaemia was a chief or collat- eral cause of death. Dr. A. Stahl, in a pamphlet giving comparative statistics of the death rate in seven rural municipalities, covering two years, shows that the months having fewest deaths are February, March, April, May, and June. Of 1,348 who died in those places in one year 543 were below the age of 20, and 146 were 60 and upward, 28 having passed the age of 80 and 6 that of 90. There is little which bears on the question of longevity, except the census of 1860, which shows, in a population of 583,308, that 2,442 were over 80 years of age and that of these 73 had passed, the century mark. THE POPULATION. The population, according to the census of December 31, 1897, for a full copy of which I am indebted to the late secretary of state, the Hon. Luis Munoz Rivera, numbers 890,820, or, including the Spanish military and naval forces then quartered on the island and the penal population, 899,203. In 1887 the figures were 802,439, including sol- diers, sailors, and prisoners, showing an increase in the ten years of 96,704, or a little more than 12 per cent. In the previous decade — 1877-1887 — the increase was 70,784, or between 9 and 10 per cent. The growth of the population in the last ten years can not, it would seem, be regarded as unsatisfactory. As to sexes, males are slightly in excess of females — 448,619 to 442,201. This excess would be consid- erably increased by the addition of the Spanish militaiy and naval forces and of the penal population. The excess would not be specially remarkable in a colony were it not that in 1887 the sexes were not only more equal in number, but there was a slight excess — 523 — in favor of the females. This is explainable on racial grounds. The white males exceeded the white females in 1887 by nearly 6,000, but females 11 of the mixed and colored classes exceeded the males of the same classes sufficiently to make up the difference. A more remarkable fact appears concerning the races from a com- parison of the two censuses, namely, that the colored classes are decreasing. The census distinguishes blancos (whites), pardos (gray), and morenos (brown). In 1887 there were 323,632 pardos and.more- nos; in 1897, only 317,724, showing a decrease of 5,908. Every pre- ceding census of which details can be had shows an increase. Between 1775 and 1834 there was an increase of 89,458 free colored persons and 35,246 slaves; from 1834 to 1846 the increase was 49,392 free colored and 9,398 slaves; from 1846 to 1860, 65,224 free colored, with a de- crease of 9,480 slaves; from 1860 to 1877 (slaves were freed in 1873), an increase of 82,617 free colored persons. This large increase for seventeen years is now followed by a decrease. For the cause of the decline no explanation is at hand. It is worthy of note that the decrease appears in all departments of the island excepting San Juan and Arecibo. The colored population seems to be fairly prosperous and contented. The occupations generally are open to them, and in San Juan they are the artisans, carpenters, masons, painters, etc. Of whites there are, exclusive of Spanish soldiers and sailors and the penal population, 573,096, or upward of 64 per cent; of mixed, 241,895, or more than 27 per cent; and of blacks, 75,829, or less than 9 per cent. There are two distinct census tables, those of the hecho, or actual, and those of the derecho, or legal, population. The former (890,820) is made up of residents present and transeuntes, or transient visitors. The latter consists of resident and ausentes, or absent, citizens of Porto Rico and Spain, excluding . the transeuntes. Included in the derecho population were 7,932 Spaniards and 127 foreigners, who were absent when the census was taken. It is somewhat surprising to find that 886,442 of the the actual population are classed as Spaniards, and only 4,324 as foreigners. This is a small number to include all the citizens of the United States and other countries of America and the rest of the world living in Porto Rico at the close of 1897. The most populous of the eight departments of the island are those of San Juan and Arecibo, on the north, 295,724; Ponce and Guayama, on the south, come next with 290,961; Aguadilla and Mayaguez, on the west; third, with 221,557, and Humacaoand Vieques, on the east, fourth, with 83,578. Drawing a line through the center of the island, as near as may be from east to west, it is found that 475,856 are north and 414,964 south of the line. West of a line drawn north and south, through the center, there is a considerable preponderance, the number being west 521,055 to 369,765 east. The gains in the last ten years have been chiefly in the west. Of the 84,109 increase for the whole island, 64,562 was in the west and 19,547 in the east. HISTORY OF THE ISLAND. The island of Porto Rico, which forms part of the Archipelago of the Antilles, situated betweeu 18° 30' and 17° 55' north latitude and, including the smaller islands, 68° and 65° 10' west from Greenwich, was discovered by Columbus on his second voyage. The expedition which left the port of Cadiz on the 25th of September, 1493, called at the island of Santo Domingo the 3d of November, and on the 16th, in the afternoon, sighted Cape Malapascua, in southeastern Porto Rico. On the 17th his fleet coasted around the south of the island; on the 18th they doubled the Morillos of Cabo Rojo and ascended the west 12 coast; and on the 19th cast anchor off Agnacla, the northernmost bay on that coast. The admiral landed and planted the symbol of the Christian religion on the shore, and, raising anchors, left on the 22d for Santo Domingo. The supposed place of landing, south of Agua- dilla, is marked by a monument of granite, erected by the people in 1893, in commemoration of the fourth centenary of the event. The monument is in the form of a cross and bears the inscription, " 1493, 19 de Noviembre, 1893." This colonizing expedition had on board Don Juan Ponce de Leon, who, later, was the captain who subjugated the island. He was a son of Santervas de Campos, and first saw service in Santo Domingo, in the district of Higuey, under the orders of Capt. Diego de Valasquez, the conquerer of Cuba. Commander Ovando, who was governor of Santo Domingo in 1508, gave permission to Ponce de Leon to make a journey of discovery to the neighboring island of San Juan. He embarked from the port of Salvaleon, in Santo Domingo, in a caravel, with a handful of followers and a few Indian guides, about the end of 1508. On the way he called at the island of Mona, then thickly populated by Indians, traversed the south of the island, making friends with the chiefs (caciques), and brought his ship to anchor finally in Sardinera road- stead, about 24 miles west from the capital. From this point Ponce de Leon and his followers moved on to the bay of San Juan, where he embarked for Santo Domingo to report his discoveries. The natives called the island Boriquen. (Some say Borinquen, some Borinquen, the last being the accepted popular term among the islanders. Scholars incline, however, to Boriquen as the true Indian name.) Columbus christened it San Juan de Bautista (St. John the Baptist). Capt. Ponce de Leon initiated the conquest with some 300 followers, laying the foundations of the first town on the spot known as Pueblo Viejo (.Old Town), on the shores of the bay fronting the capital. This town was called Caparra, the name given to it by Commander Ovando. It was afterwards named the city of Porto Rico and was transferred to the present site in 1521 by royal order, on the recommendation of the St. Geronimo order of monks. In the course of time the island has taken the name of the city, Porto Rico, and the city that of the island, San Juan. Ponce de Leon took up his residence in Caparra and sent one of his lieutenants, Cristobal de Sotomayor, to the south, where the latter founded a village in the port of Guanica, which, owing to the unhealthiness of the site and the plague of mosquitoes, did not prosper, and was transferred to the port of Aguada, contiguous to the village of the cacique Aymamon. They began to work the mines. The natives, whose number was about 100,000 in the whole island — although there are historians who compute their number much higher — soon began to show open oppo- sition to the conquerors, who forced them to wash the auriferous sands, to burn lime, and other laborious work. The cacique TJrayoan or- dered the young Spaniard Salcedo to be drowned in the river Anasco in order to prove to his people that the Spaniards were not immortal. The cacique Guarionex set fire to the village which Sotomayor had founded in Aguada. Lieut. Don Cristobal de Sotomayor himself was killed by the cacique Guayabana, and the struggle extended in all directions, forcing the Spaniards to leave the west of the island and retire to Caparra under the command of Captain Salazar. Ponce de Leon sent notice of the rebellion of the natives to Santo Domingo, then called La Espanola, and prepared himself for the de- fense. He soon, however, took the offensive, beating the Indians in 13 every battle and terminating the rebellion with the death of the prin- cipal cacique, Guayabana, who was killed by the arquebus of a sol- dier. The Indians then submitted humbly to their conquerors, who enslaved some 5,500 of them, and thus terminated the period of conquest, initiating the period of colonization. The colonization was turbulent. The Emperor, Charles V, conceded the right of governing the island to Don Diego Columbus, and Ponce cle Leon had to turn the command over to Juan Ceron and Miguel Diaz, two of Viceroy Columbus's lieutenants. They arrived from Santo Domingo with some of their adherents, founded the original town of San German at the estuary of the River Anasco, and started a reign of intrigue and quarreling among the colonists. The natives, who were obliged to work on the lands of the Span- iards, among whom they had been divided into gangs called enco- miendas, in order to teach them the doctrines of the Catholic religion, little by little began to decrease. The conquerors began by appro- priating their handsomest women as spoils of war, and t^hen sub- jected them to a hard and cruel slavery. Many of them emigrated to the neighboring islands, not a few committed suicide, while small- pox wrought devastation among their reduced numbers. On the 20th of April, 1543, after consulting the Council of the In- dies, the king ordered the Indians of Porto Rico to be freed. The bishop of San Juan, on the 20th of March, 1544, informed the king- that "Indians, young and old, natives of the island, who had been granted such signal mercy, numbered 60," and according to Bar- tolome de las Casas, when the Spaniards first arrived at Boriquen, " it was as full of people as a hive, and as beautiful and fertile as a garden." The working of the alluvial gold mines, calculating from the $669,160 paid to the Spanish crown as a tithe of one-fifth, must have produced about 13,000,000, although owing to the concealment of the findings from the fiscal agents the quantity may easily have been greater. The colonization of the island received a setback by the emigration to Mexico and Peru. In 1595 the English, under Drake and John of Aquines, assaulted the capital with a fleet of twenty-four ships. The Spanish fleet was stationed in the bay and the English were prevented from taking the city, the general, John de Aquines,, losing his life in the action. In 1597 the Earl of Cumberland cap- tured it, but had to abandon it owing to an epidemic of dysentery which decimated his troops. In 1625 the city was attacked by the Dutch with seventeen war ships. They captured- the port and the whole city, but could not take the Morro, and had to reembark with the loss of their general, Boudoino Henrico. In 1702 the English attacked Arecibo; in 1703, Loiza; in 1743, the coast of Ponce; and in 1797 the capital, but in each instance were repulsed. These frequent attacks made the fortification of the capital neces- sary. The first fortress built was Santa Catalina, begun in 1533 and finished in 1538. Casa Blanca, the oldest building in the city, was begun in 1525; the Morro in 1584; San Geronimo and Canuelo in 1608; the city walls in 1631, and San Cristobal in 1766. The, population of the island increased little by little. The natives were replaced by African blacks. In 1765 the island had 29,846 inhab- itants, besides 5,037 slaves. The end of last century showed 138,758. According to the last census (1897), there were 899,203 inhabitants. The first sugar mill was built by Santaolaya, in 1848, near the capi- tal, and was called Santa Ana. In 1897 there were 25,090 hectares under cane, and the island exported 63,413 tons of su^ar. The gen- 14 eral aspect of Porto Rican civilization at the beginning of the present, century was that of a Catholic colony following a patriarchal life. There was but little commerce, owing to the fact that exporting was only permitted to certain ports of the Peninsula, notably Malaga. Owing to smuggling the treasury could not pay its way, and Mexico had to send annually about $100,000 to cover the deficit of the island. There were no public schools. In 1815 a royal order, styled "act of grace," allowed foreigners to establish themselves in the island, and many came in from the French and English Antilles, bringing their capital and their slaves. The Venezuelan and Dominican emigrants, flying- from the wars in their countries, came in search of peace to Porto Rico and helped to swell the population. This marked the overthrow of the prohibitive system, which had prevailed since the discovery of the island. In 1778 a concession allowed Catholic workingmen to come in, but the royal decree of 1815 opened the doors, though certain restrictions adopted jn 1816 somewhat modified the liberality of the decree. One of these restrictions required foreigners who had not acquired domicile, under the rules, to quit the island in three months or suffer the penal- ties prescribed for disobedience. The ' ' golden " age of Porto Rico began with the date of the order, and the population not only increased, but agriculture and commerce were greatly developed. The slavery of blacks, which had begun before the disappearance of the slavery of the Indians, was abolished on the 22d of March, 1873, by order of the republican Government of Spain, giving freedom to 34,000 persons. The history of the island since the beginning of this century is notable only by reason of the formation of a distinct type of Porto Rican Spaniard, as opposed to the Peninsula Spaniard, in which the latter has received all the favors at the hands of the home government, while the former has been almost entirely excluded from- participation in the administration of the island. A long list of governor-generals contains but few names which are mentioned by Porto Ricans with affection. The attitude of Porto Rico toward Spain has been one of obedience and endurance, if not of love and devotion. There have been no important uprisings since the aboriginal inhabitants made their final stand early in the sixteenth century and were defeated and enslaved. Some Colombians in 1825, inspired by the desire to free Porto Rico as they had freed their own country under the leadership of Simon Bolivar, landed at Aguadilla and captured some of the defenses, but were beaten off by the Spaniards and gave up their enterprise. Then was Porto Rico's opportunity, but she did not welcome it, perhaps did not see it until it was too late. In September, 1868, when the revolution broke out in Cuba, an attempt not very well planned and but weakly supported was made to throw off the Spanish yoke in Porto Rico. There was an outbreak at Lares, where a force of 700 or 800 insurgents took the field and won a few unimportant victories, being finally routed, it is said, by less than a dozen militiamen. Many escaped and some were taken and ordered to be shot, but before the order could be executed the Queen at Madrid had been deposed and political prisoners were released. An insignificant insurrection was begun in Yauco in 1897 which was soon put down; the prisoners taken were made conspicuous objects of the Crown's clemency. There was more or less of persecution by the Spanish authorities for the last ten or twelve years of the Spanish domination. The civil 15 guard arrested many persons on suspicion of being members of an alleged secret society, believed to have disloyal ends in view. In the first years of that period, when Romualdo Palacio was Governor- General, the persecution was particularly severe, being known as el componte, a word borrowed from the negroes of Cuba. Persons were arrested, generally at midnight, and tortured. The instrument most used was called the palillos (sticks or pegs). The smaller ends of three of these pegs, 6 or 7 inches long, were tied close together. The pegs were inserted, close to the string, between the fingers of the victim, and the loose ends were pressed together, giving the most exquisite pain, and crushing the bones. Some were killed by other instruments of torture. These methods of promoting loyalty were continued until j 896, when a more liberal and humane policy was adopted for effect, il is said, on public opinion in the United States. THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT. The civil government of the island was the Govern or- General, and the Governor-General was the civil government. All power was lodged in his hands and he was accountable only to Madrid. He was at once the executive, the legislative, and the judicial head. As Captain- General, he had chief command of the military forces, and made such disposition of them as he chose; as Governor-General, he conducted civil affairs, whether insular or municipal, according to his own pleasure. To quote from Senor Munoz Rivera, late secretary of the govern- ment, whose statement is given elsewhere, "the Governor- General was absolute master of the destines of the country." He was " sur- rounded by a number of influential persons to whom he granted favors and on whom he depended to keep up the appearance of a sys- tem of representation which was at bottom completely false." "The budget of the country was voted by the Spanish Chambers." Munic- ipalities had no power to control their own affairs. They had to submit all their acts to the Governor- General for approval, and he "appointed all municipal employees, naming arbitrarily every employee down to porters and janitors. " He ' 'directed finances through a manager who was his subordinate, who had under his order the chiefs of all the other departments." If, as occasionally happened, he was a wise and good man, seeking the welfare of the people rather than his own personal enrichment or the advancement of his political friends, there was less cause for complaint from the people, who were completely ignored. As the position was one of great power and of large opportunities for pecuniary profit, it not infrequently went to those who were prepared to exploit it in their own interests. The establishment of the diputacion provincial was the first step in decentralization. This is a feature borrowed from the provinces of Spain. In Porto Rico it consisted of twelve persons elected by the people, one each from the twelve judicial districts. It met twice a year, a permanent committee of five transacting its current business. The members were unsalaried. It had oversight of the department of fomento, including public works, roads, the lottery, schools, prisons, etc. , also of municipal budgets. Its income was derived from terri- torial taxes and taxes on commerce and industry, of which it received 50 per cent; from special duties collected at the custom-houses and from earnings of raffles and lotteries. It controlled the expenditure of upward of 1,200,000 pesos per year. It was abolished by the United States military government. 16 The system of autonomy, which was proclaimed November 25, 1897,. was never fully installed. The war intervened, and the provincial legislature, which was its most important feature, was dissolved when Sampson's fleet appeared, and the Governor-General conducted the government practically on the old plan, except that the ministry, as provided by the autonomistic law, was retained, as follows: Secretary of government or of state, secretary of the treasury, secretary of the fomento or interior, including public works, public instruction, pub- lic lands, mines, etc., agriculture and commerce, and secretary of jus- tice and worship. The last three secretaries were subordinate to the secretary of government, through whom all orders from the Governor- General and all communications to or from him must pass. The autonomist law allowed the secretaries or ministers to be members of one or the other of the two legislative chambers. The Governor-Gen- eral with his council constituted the executive power. No act of his was valid unless approved by one of the secretaries, and the secre- taries could issue no order which he had not countersigned. He had the power to convoke or dissolve the chambers, to refer objectionable bills to Madrid for approval or disapproval, and to appoint or remove the secretaries. All matters of a diplomatic character were in his hands exclusively and, constituted by the Pope patronato real, he was the head of the church in the island and practical director of ecclesi- astical affairs. The legislature consisted of two chambers, the coun- cil and the house of representatives. The council was composed of fourteen members, eight of whom were elected, and six appointed by the Crown ; the house of representatives of one representative for each 25,000 inhabitants, elected by the people. The liberality of this law is further indicated by the fact that it gave the right of suffrage to all males of 25 years of age and over. The two chambers were em- powered to legislate on all insular questions, such as the estimates, which must be adopted by the Cortes at Madrid , public instruction, public works, sanitation, charities, etc. It will be seen that the reforms granted by this autonomistic decree were large in the letter, taking powers which the Governor- General had exercised unques- tioned and giving them to the people, who had never been allowed to participate in the government of their own country. Whether it would have proved liberal in practical operation is not so certain. The Government invariably discriminated against Porto Ricans in favor of Spaniards, and it is also to be remembered that Spanish laws as written and Spanish laws as administered are not always identical. GOVERNMENT FINANCES. The finances of the Government, managed by the hacienda or treas- ury department, were so conducted that no provincial debt was created. Sufficient amounts for the various purposes were included in the esti- mates, which were sent to Madrid for approval, and those amounts were collected and disbursed. The finances of the cities were conducted on a similar plan, the provincial deputation exercising so careful a vigi- lance that such debts as appeared were due to failure to pay the prov- ince's quota of revenue. In only a few instances were towns or cities allowed to raise money by large bonded loans. Sometimes a consid- erable surplus was accumulated in the provincial treasury, from which the Government at Madrid borrowed on several occasions. The pre- supuestos or estimates consisted of two parts, gastos or expenses and ingresos or income. There were two distinct budgets; one by the 17 provincial deputation, the other by the treasury department, with two independent treasuries, whose operations are combined in the figures which follow. The sources of revenue were classified under five heads, namely: (1) taxes and imposts; (2) custom-houses; (3) monopolies; (4) state prop- erty; (5) incidentals. Under the first head were territorial taxes, levied on urban and rural estates; taxes on industry and commerce, levied on manufactures and on the income of merchants, doctors, lawyers, etc. ; royal dues and dues on transfers of property; mining imposts, cedulas personalesor passports; a 10 per cent tax on the business of railroads, and the consumo tax on petroleum. Under the second head were customs duties, fines, and confiscations, warehouse dues, 10 per cent transitory tax, and special duties on loading and unloading of freight and the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers. Under the third head were the monopoly revenues, such as ecclesiastical bulls, stamped papers for instruments of indebtedness and other legal pur- poses, postage stamps, forms for" payments to the State, for receipts and accounts, drafts, insurance policies, bank and company shares, drafts for the use of the press and custom-house stamps and documents. In the fourth division, which was insignificant, were included rents and sales of public lands, tax on quarries, mines, etc. The fifth division, incidentals, embraced various small items. The estimates for the financial. year (July 1, 1897-June 30, 1898), including those of the provincial deputation, amounted to 5,157,200 pesos. Of this total §3.377,900 was expected from the custom-houses; $1,051,200 from terri- torial taxes; $312,200 from stamped paper, postage stamps, etc. ; $9,300 from state property; $309,700 from the lottery, and $96,900 from all other sources. The estimates of revenues, compared with those of expenditures, indicated a surplus of over 400,000 pesos. The expenditures were divided as follows: General obligations, $498,502, all of which went to Madrid, for expenses of the colonial ministry, losses on exchange, auditing of accounts, etc., for payments to returned soldiers and marines, and for pensions, civil and military, pensions, etc., amounting to $362,700; worship and justice, $423,819, of which $197,945 was for the support of the clergy; war, $1,252,378; navy, $222,668; treasury, $260,800; fomento or interior, $2,095,876. In the last sum were included all the expenditures in connection with the postal and tele- graph business, the lottery, light-houses, schools and asylums, public works, the civil guard, which cost $351,633, and the corps of vigilance and security, which cost $92,293. According to the budgets for 1897-98, it would appear that the cost of the postal and telegraph service was $295,452 and the income only $128,000; at least, this is the only amount which is credited to the service in the estimates of income. The cost of the lottery, of which there were eighteen drawings annually of 30,000 tickets each, was $23,180. It yielded $309,700, leaving a net income to the State of $276,520, according to the budgets, which indicate no other expenses. MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT. The island is divided into districts, taking the name of the chief town or city in which is the. seat of the government for the whole district. There are at present about seventy of these districts, some of which are as large as counties in the United States. Utuado, in the interior of the island, is 19 miles long by 10^ broad in its greatest dimensions, 1125 2 having an area, perhaps, of 145 square miles. Arecibo, the second largest district, lying on the coast, directly north of Utuado, has an area of somewhat less than 120 square miles, extending 12 miles along the coast, east and west, and about 10 miles north and south. Some districts are very small, notably that of San Juan, in which the capi- tal is situated, which is less than 7 miles long and 2£ miles wide in its greatest extent. Besides the city or principal town, these districts embrace other towns or villages, but for the most part the population in the rural portions is widely scattered. The tendency to concentrate in villages, manifested in countries like the United States, seems to have been discouraged in Porto Rico. In many sections the houses are few and far between. Even on large plantations there are few families living, ordinarily. The peons or field laborers often walk long distances to and from their daily labor. Many families live in comparative isolation, and the majority of the population would probably, strange as it may seem, be found outside the seats of municipal government. In the large district of Bayamon, lying next to that of San Juan on the west, reporting in 1887 a population of 15,169, only 2,200 were in the town of Bayamon. The rest were in the rural barrios, of which there were 18 besides Catano. In the district of Aibonito, on the line of the military road, only 1,430 out of a population of over 7,000 reside in the pueblo, or town; the rest are in the 8 rural barrios, 2 of which return over 1,000 each. Humacao, on the east coast, has two-thirds of its population outside the city proper, in its 12 rural barrios. In the same section, the district of Fajardo, which now includes the former district of Ceiba and part of that of Luquillo, embraces a pop- ulation of 17,616, of which Fajardo itself has 3,865. The most popu- lous municipal district in the island is Ponce, which has a popula- tion of 48,198. Fully two-thirds of this is in the rural barrios. The distance of these 23 barrios from the city varies from 1 to 13 kilo- meters. (Five kilometers make 3 miles.) TJtuado, lying in the cen- ter of the western half of the island, is a typical rural district. It is second to Ponce in the number of its inhabitants, 41,056. This pop- ulation is so widely distributed that, according to the General Official Guide of Porto Rico, the city itself, in 1887, had less than 2,500 inhab- itants, 3 of the most distant barrios having each a larger number. The ratio of the population of the citj^, in that year, to the total of the district, was as 1 to 13. Some of the barrios were more than 10 miles distant from the seat of the municipal government. Mayaguez, on the west coast, with which Hormigueros has been united, is the third municipal district in the island in point of population, having a total of 37,662, of which probably two-thirds will be found in the numerous rural barrios. All the barrios of a municipal district are under the jurisdiction of the mayor and council of the chief city or town. Municipal regula- tions and supervision are coextensive with the boundaries of the dis- trict. Where the districts are small and the settlements near, admin- istration is not difficult, perhaps; but in the larger districts, with considerable villages and towns outside the seat of municipal govern- ment, and a large scattered population, the exercise of municipal functions can not be easy. Each barrio has an alcalde de barrio, or comisario, who represents the alcalde, or mayor, with the powers of a police justice. The mayor and council, constituting the ayuntamiento, are subject to the ley municipal, or municipal law, which prescribes their duties. 19 These are more particularly described in the Manual del Secretario de Ayuntamiento, a volume of nearly 900 pages. Under the old system the mayor or alcalde was nominated by the Governor-General. The councilors, whose number is determined by the population, are elected by vote of the people. Towns of 801 to 1,000 inhabitants are entitled to one alcalde, one teniente, or vice-alcalde, six regidores, or council- men, making a body of seven, besides the alcalde who presides, with increase for every thousand of inhabitants; towns of 9,001 to 10,000 to one alcalde, three tenientes, and thirteen councilmen, or sixteen in in all; towns of 18,001 to 20,000, one alcalde, five tenientes, and sixteen councilmen, or twenty-one in all. One of the tenientes takes the alcalde's place in his absence. The councilmen are not elected by barrios. Practically the administration is in the hands of those elected by the city or town proper. There may be representatives from other parts of the district, but often there are not. Thus the thirty members of the Ponce council are elected by the city, although, as already shown, less than half of the population is within the city limits. Thus the majoritj^ of the people have no direct representa- tion in the government of the district. The inayor of Ponce, in answer to questions by the commissioner, said: "All members of the council are from the city. If they lived in the country they would never come to the meetings. " The distances and the condition of the roads would make it impracticable for country members to come to the weekly sessions. If there were representatives for each barrio, the member for Guaraguao would have to come 13 kilometers, or about 8 miles; the member for Tibes 12 kilometers, the one for Anon 11, for Maragiies 9-g-, for Real 9, and so on. On being reminded that many of the ordinances and appropriations of the council had no reference to rural needs, and farmers were being taxed for electric lights, street improvements, fire department, etc., from which they get no benefit, he said: "You are quite right in that. We make the countrymen pay for what they don't enjoy. That is one of the things we could arrange on an equitable basis if we had municipal autonomy." He stated that in addition to the ayuntamiento Ponce has, in common with other cities, a municipal junta, or board of thirty members, from 'all parts of the district. This board unites with the council in an assembly to consider matters concerning the whole district. One of its duties is to pass upon the budget. It has power to increase or decrease any item, but not to remove items or insert new ones. The powers of the mayor and council were quite limited. Under the regime in existence at the time of the American occupation, the power of the Governor-General was paramount. He appointed all the municipal employees, according to Senor Luis Munoz Rivera, and named the alcaldes, although the municipal law of Spain provides that they may be elected by the council, if the Governor- General does not wish to appoint. The mayor and council formed the annual budget and supplementary budget, setting forth the necessary expenditures and the expected revenues. Both had to be sent to the insular gov- ernment for approval, and for every undertaking necessary to the health or order of the municipality the consent of the Governor-Gen- eral or secretario de gobernacion was a prerequisite. The police force could not be enlarged, temporarily even, without such authority. The mayor and council, in addition to ordinary municipal duties, were expected to keep the parish churches and the cemeteries, hospitals, and jails in proper condition, to unite with other ayuntamientos in 20 the support of the departmental prisons, and to exercise control over the public schools, under supervision from the capital. The income of municipalities was derived from the consumo tax on articles "de comer, beber y arder" (food, drink, and fuel), coming into the city; from the tax on territorial, industrial, and commercial wealth (being 7% per cent of the valuation by the State), and from fines, leases, licenses, rents, etc. The income of San Juan for 1897-98 was estimated at 1598,484. Of this sum, 1127,119 was expected from the city's 7^ per cent of on incomes, $167,786 from the consumo tax, $252,000 from a loan, and the rest from fines, rents, licenses, special taxes on business, appropriations from the State and from other municipalities for the support of the provincial and depart- mental prisons. The income from licenses was for construction of buildings, scaffolds, sidewalks, for street vending, for billiard tables, cock fighting, prostitution, and even street begging. Special charges were made for graves and niches for interment in the cemetery. Its expenses were as follows: For municipal administration, $24,417; police, $91,145; public instruction, $27,660; beneficencia, $28,972; public works, $6,550; public correction, $26,351; payments on debt and for various purposes, $120,635; new public works, $249,163. The income of the municipality of Ponce was estimated at $287,759 for the same period, 1897-98. Of this, $89,564 was to come from the usual percentage of direct taxes on income, $28,399 from licenses and special taxes, $21,871 from rents, and the rest from various sources. Of the expenditures, $33,200 was to be devoted to the administration, $52,383 to police, $34,033 to public instruction, $33,748 to beneficencia, $29,410 to public works, $39,064 to public correction, $51,921 to various obligations, such as payment of debt, subventions, and the like, new public works, $13,000. This budget showed an increase over that of the previous year. The fire department cost the modest sum of $3,799, including, of course, no salaries. The provincial and municipal systems embraced all there was of civil administration in the island. It was a highly centralized form of government. All the officers, provincial and municipal, received their positions, with few exceptions, from the Governor-General, and were removable by him. There were elections for councilmen, for members of the provincial deputation, and for senators and deputies to the Cortes in Madrid. The legal voters elected half the senators, the other half being nominated by the Crown. That was all the participation the people had in their own government. Moreover, most of the important offices under the insular government were filled by Spaniards. The large list of civil pensioners in Spain tends to bear out the statement, often repeated by natives, that favorites were sent from Madrid to Porto Rico for a short service that they might be put on this list, and live comfortably the rest of their days in Spain. SYSTEM OF TAXATION. Customs duties were levied both on imports and exports. There was also a special tax on the loading and unloading of freight, the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, and transitory dues of 10 per cent on duties on imports. The revenues from these sources, as has already appeared, constituted by far the largest item of the receipts of the insular treasury. There was a system of direct taxation, resting on the basis of income, and not on valuation. The territorial tax, yielding $410,000 to the 21 insular treasury, affected urban and surburban property; the indus- trial and commercial, yielding $240,000 to the insular treasury, included all kinds of manufactures and industries, all branches of the mercan- tile and banking- business, and all occupations. The industrial and commercial tax was divided according to the population of cities and towns, classified according to character of business, and graded according to amount of business. There were six divisions on the basis of population. San Juan, Ponce, and Maya- guez constituted the first division; towns with custom-houses of the first class the second; towns with more than 12,000 inhabitants the third; the other three divisions being graded down from 12,000 to 4,000 and less. Then there were five classes of tariff. The first, with eight grades, included merchants, wholesale and retail; the second, importers and exporters, money lenders, transportation, salaries of officials of banks, railroads, and other companies; the third, the manu- facture of sugar, rum, machinery, chemicals, chocolate, ice, etc. ; the fourth, the professions and occupations, and the fifth, patents or new shops, factories, etc., which had to pay a special installation tax. Merchants in the first class of the first tariff would pay 130 pesos in San Juan, Ponce, or Mayaguez ; 104 in Aguadilla, Humacao, etc. ; 72 in Adjuntas, Bayamon, etc.; 52 in Coamo, Camuy, etc.; 39 in Aibo- nito, Barranquitas, etc. ; and 31 in Dorado, Santa Isabela, etc. Mer- chants, wholesale or wholesale and retail dealers in various lines of wares, on commission or on their own account, paid according to the first grade; retail shops, hotels, and restaurants, according to the second; pharmacies, shoe, provision, and other retail stores were in the third ; stationery shops in the fourth, wholesale and retail tobacco shops in the fifth, cafes for the sale of soda waters, etc. , in the sixth, boarding houses in the seventh, and shops for the sale of native flowers and plants in the eighth. The second tariff embraced salaries, wages, commissions, and the like. Governors or directors of banks, railroad companies, etc. , paid & per cent of their wages or salaries, contractors 6 per cent of the amount of their contracts, banks 10 per cent of their profits ; import- ers and exporters, receiving and remitting, buying and selling, ship- ping and conducting banking operations, paid $700 in cities of the first division. Provincial and municipal officers were not required to pay tax on their salaries. But no kind of business seems to have escaped the sharp eye of the State experts. Public baths, balls and concerts, periodicals, including daily papers, laundries, funeral agen- cies, gymnasiums, livery stables, all kinds of industries, even the manufacture of artificial feet were taxed. Blacksmiths paid, accord- ing to the town in which their business was conducted, from 12 to 3 pesos; architects from 36 to 6; dentists and pharmacists the same; physicians and surgeons, 48 to 12; nurses and midwives, 18 to 5; vet- erinarians, 15 to 5; barbers, 8 to 2; lawyers, registers of property, and notaries, 48 to 16; while carpenters, cabinetmakers, bookbinders, florists, tailors, milliners or dressmakers, professors of music, lan- guages, painters, etc. , paid according to their class and grade. Among the exceptions may be noted washerwomen, barbers without shops, clerks in commercial houses, and similar classes. Day laborers were assessed on the basis of one-third the value of half a year's wages. According to the law, some classes of business and occupations are agremiable and some are not. A particular class is called a gremio. The lawyers, for example, would form one, the doctors another, the merchants another, and so on. The custom was for the State to 22 announce the amount it needed, and those composing the various gremios would meet, each gremio by itself, and apportion the amount among its members on the basis of the tariff. The territorial tax was levied on the income of real estate, both urban and rural. It yielded nearly twice as much as the tax on com- merce and industry. The valuation was made in each municipal district by a commission of three, with three subcommissioners for each class of wealth, the three subcommissioners representing, respec- tively, the largest, the medium, and the smallest class of taxpayers. These commissioners were appointed at a joint meeting of the coun- cilinen, with three times as many taxpayers, elected in equal parts by the three classes of taxpayers. In valuing the income of a farm the commissioners would fix a certain price for the respective products. Sugar, for example, was estimated at 13 a quintal, and 75 per cent was deducted for expenses; coffee, at 112, and $8 was allowed for expenses. On urban property 25 per cent discount was allowed; on pasture lands 10 per cent. All taxes were payable quarterly. The amount assessed for the benefit of the State was 5 per cent, both on urban and suburban prop- erty. The rate for the municipality varied according to its needs, but was generally 7 or 1\ per cent. The complaint was quite general that those who had much property, and ought to have paid large sums, escaped with small payments. Methods of evasion not unknown in other countries seem to have been practiced in Porto Rico, including bribery of officials. A German resident of an interior district told the commissioner how he got his annual tax reduced by bribery, learning the trick from older residents. It is charged that Span- iards were favored by the State at the expense of the natives. Mr. Andres Crosas, a merchant of many years' standing in San Juan, but an American citizen, informed the commissioner that a Spaniard who rented a farm, had agreed to pay the tax on it, which, while he had it, was only $80 a year. The farm afterwards came into Crosas's possession, and the tax was raised from $80 to $100. As to the tax on commerce, he said that formerly he paid $700 a year to the State as an importer of the first class, and $1,050 to the municipality, making $1,750 a year. He then had himself placed in the second class and paid $421 to the State, refusing the municipality's demand for its 1\ per cent. From this brief review of the sytems of taxation it will be seen that if the laws had been faithfully administered no person and no article or form of property could have escaped his or its share of the public burden. The direct taxes would seem to have been extremely oner- ous. The earnings of merchants, manufacturers, and other producers were subject to a tax of 12^- per cent or more, according to the financial exigencies of the treasuries, provincial and municipal. For example, if a merchant's income were valued at $10,000 a year, he would pay in direct taxes $1,250. He would also pay for his cedula or personal passport, the amount of which was graduated, according to personal means, from 12 cents up to $25 or more. He would pay direct taxes on his residence and furniture and on his horses and other live stock, if not used for labor. If he were just starting in business, he would pay a patente or tax for the privilege. And yet the general testimony, as will appear elsewhere in this report, was to the effect that taxation was not really oppressive, or would not have been, if it had been impartially assessed and collected. But the fact that it was so heavy doubtless had an influence in inducing peo- 23 pie to conceal their property as much as possible and undervalue their annual income. Articles of common use, such as rice, flour, corn, charcoal, wines, etc., not only paid heavy import duties, but were subject, together with fresh beef, milk, and sugar produced in the island, to a consumo tax at the gates of the municipalities. For ex- ample, flour, which had paid a duty of $4 at the custom-house per 100 kilos, paid at the city gates $2.50 consumo tax, or a total of $6.50, which was at the rate of about $3 a hundredweight; rice, the com- mon article of diet, paid $2.70 import duty and $1 consumo tax; fresh beef paid a consumo tax of $5 a hundred kilos, or 220 pounds. This was in addition to the head tax paid the city by the slaughterer. THE CODES AND COURTS. There are three Spanish codes, the penal, in three books, with twenty-five titles and eighty- four chapters; the civil, in four books, with forty-two titles and one hundred and twenty-six chapters and nine appendixes, and the commercial, in four books, with twenty- seven titles. The graver crimes of murder and homicide are set forth ^ in the penal code with very great brevity. The chapters on parri- cide, murder, and homicide are extremely brief. Parricide is consid- ered the gravest crime and is punishable by sentences ranging from "cadena perpetua" (a term usually of thirty years) to death. Mur- der, when committed under any of the following circumstances, (1) by treachery, (2) for money or promise of reward, (3) by means of drowning, fire, or poison, (4) with premeditation aforethought, (5) in a passion, with deliberation and inhumanity, involves penalties rang- ing from "cadena temporal" (twelve to twenty years) to death. Slaves or freedmen committing this crime incurred the penalty for parricide. It will be observed that treachery is placed first in the list of aggravating circumstances. The Spanish law is especially severe in punishing abuse of confidence or betrayal on the part of slaves or domestic servants. For example, a servant who steals $25 from his employer could be sentenced, according to Senor Casalduc, a judge of first instance, in Utuado, to six years imprisonment. The crime is considered aggravated by the element of treachery. Homicide is punishable by terms of imprisonment; infanticide with the penalties of parricide. Distinctions are made between delitos, or crimes, and faltas, or faults. The difference was thus illustrated by Senor Fulladosa, judge of first instance, in Humacao. If a peon, passing through a field of sugar cane, cuts a stalk of cane and sucks it, that is a falta. If, after having eaten one stalk, he cuts others and takes them away, he would be guilty, not of a falta, but of the delito of lar- ceny. The former would be punished by thirty days imprisonment; the latter by a heavier penalty. The reason given for the distinction was this: In the first case the man takes a single cane on the spur of the moment and from a sense of immediate need; in the second the element of immediate need is absent, and he appropriates the prop- erty of another for his future use. The penal is the briefest of the codes. The civil code is characterized by great attention to minute details, as is also the commercial code. Marriage, ownership and disposition of property, laws of inheritance, nature of contracts, etc., are treated in the civil code, and everything pertaining to mercantile life in the commercial code, which gives in the fullest detail, the law of mercan- tile firms or companies, mercantile contracts and the like. There is 24 a system of legal registration, under the courts, for all kinds of mer- cantile documents, and the code prescribes the manner in which a merchant's books must be kept in order that they may have the force of testimony in law suits. Besides these three codes are the Ley Hipotecaria, or mortgage law ; the Ley y Reglamento del Notariado, or notarial law and regulations ; a compilation of legislation affecting education ; Legislacion de Primera Ensanza de Puerto Rico — a book of a thousand pages; the Ley de En- juiciamiento Civil, and the Ley de Enjuiciamiento Penal — relating to legal procedure; Leyes Organicas del Poder Judicial — defining the powers of judges, making a considerable body of official legal litera- ture, which is supplemented by manuals for the various classes of officials. The codes and laws are regarded by the lawyers and judges of Porto Rico as, on the whole, equitable, suitable, and effective. They concede that reforms of a minor character are needed under certain heads, but insist that the systems are admirably drawn and are among the best in use among the Latin peoples. It is in the organization of the courts and in the methods of judicial procedure that occasion is most generally found for considerable amendments and changes. The judicial system of Porto Rico was a very simple one. There were three criminal courts of the same grade, the audiencia territorial (criminal chamber) at San Juan, the audiencia criminal of Ponce, and the audiencia criminal of Mayaguez. These three courts dis- posed of all the graver criminal cases. Appeals were taken direct to the supreme court at Madrid. The audiencia criminal consisted of a president, two justices, with a justice suplente, or supplementary, a fiscal and an assistant fiscal, a secretary, and the usual court officers. For the trial of high officials a special court was provided, consisting of the president, two justices of the audiencia territorial, and two members, doctors of the law, of the provincial deputation. The audiencia territorial was constituted as follows: A president, a president of the hall of justice, five justices, a fiscal and assistant fiscals, a secretary, fifteen secretaries of the hall of justice, etc. Appeals in civil cases were taken from the courts of the various judicial districts to the audiencia territorial, and thence to the supreme court of Spain. The island was divided into eleven judicial districts. In each of these was a judge of first instance and instruction, that of San Juan having two. He had power to hear and determine civil suits, there being an appeal from his decisions to the audiencia territorial. His function in criminal cases was restricted to investigation. ■ He sum- moned and examined witnesses privately, and made a brief for the audiencia criminal. He had to prepare a summary of all the testi- mony, and indicate for what crime the offender should be tried or why he should be acquitted. If the audiencia considered the case incomplete, or as requiring emendations, it was returned for comple- tion or correction. In every municipal district there was a municipal judge, who had jurisdiction in civil cases involving $200, or less, and in cases of viola- tions of municipal ordinances. He could impose fines up to $45, and imprisonment up to thirty days. Appeals from his decisions were to the judge of first instance. When a crime was committed, it was his duty to prepare the case and submit it to the judge of first instance within three days. 25 Municipal judges had no salary. Judges of first instance received from $2,000 to $3,000 a year; judges of the audiencias, $3,000; and the two presidents in San Juan, $5,000 and $5,500, respectively. The attitude of the Spanish law toward accused persons differs from that which characterizes Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence. Under our law they are regarded as innocent until proved guilty ; under the Spanish law, according to Judge Fuliadosa, they are regarded as guilty until proved innocent. The denuncia on which arrest is usually based may be made by a private person or by the fiscal. The order of arrest does not state the charge. After arrest the accused is questioned pri- vately by the judge, and is held incomunicado in the first stage of the inquisitorial proceedings, no one being allowed to see him or talk with him for two or three days. He is not permitted to be present while the judge examines the witnesses, also in privacy, only one wit- ness being present at a time. Asked by the commissioner why the accused is not informed of the charge against him when he is arrested, the judge of first instance at Humacao replied: "Because he might prepare himself for a defense beforehand; he might put himself in communication with persons for that purpose ; they are very clever here." After he learns what he is accused of he may name a lawyer, but the lawyer has no control over the secret proceedings. No wit- ness is allowed to disclose and no newspaper to print any of the testi- mony. The case when completed is passed on to the audiencia for trial. The summary is examined by the court, which certifies that it has been properly drawn; the fiscal then examines it and passes it to the counsel for the defense. On the trial the presiding judge asks each witness the usual questions as to his age, birthplace, etc. , and then allows the prosecution and the defense to examine. The witnesses for the prosecution are first called, then those for the defense. The testimony before the court may be the very opposite of that given in the preliminary proceedings; but this contradiction does not involve per j ury . That only is regarded as conclusive evi- dence which is given on the trial. This is a comparatively recent provision of law, the reason for which is said to be, that people were so much in terror of the civil guard that they would give false testi- mony before the judge of first instance to conciliate the guard, which seems to have haled men to prison on the barest suspicion. The com- missioner attended one session of the audiencia criminal at Mayaguez, when five men were on trial for burning a*h estate in Rincon and shooting the wife of the proprietor. Two lawyers sat with the three judges, all wearing black gowns, with white lace at the wrists. Little latitude seemed to be allowed to the counsel for the defense, the presi- dent calling them to order frequently, by ringing a small bell, and ruling out their questions, though no objection was raised by the fiscal. The testimony of the wife of the proprietor was contradictory of that of her husband on minor points. He said there was no light in the house when the attack was made ; she said there was ; he said the accused were in front of a group of trees when they shot; she said they were behind the trees. The president himself got brief explana- tions from the two witnesses, and refused to allow the counsel for the defense to go into the matter at all. The court exercised larger powers than is customary in the United States, asking many ques- tions itself and limiting the functions both of the prosecution and the defense. The case was concluded with the written arguments of the lawyers on both sides. 26 There is a strong demand for reforms in the courts. Senor Aguayo, an able and upright judge of first instance, in a statement to the com- missioner, urged that all secrecy in the preliminary investigation be removed. He points out as the greatest evil of the system that the secrecy "produces in the public conscience a sort of terror," and, as a rule, "witnesses have to be made to testify by force." He insists that publicity would insure general cooperation; those having knowl- edge of the case would come forward to testify; that it Would be "a guaranty against the venality of judges," and that the defendant could produce all the proof on his side. He would have the jury system which is in use in Spain introduced immediately. The time occupied in making the sumario, ordinarily a month or more, was well-nigh wasted, since it was not conclusive, even in cases where the summary showed that conviction was improbable. It must, in any event, go up to the audiencia to be tried or dismissed. Abuses, the commissioner was told, were numerous. The delays are long and vexatious. After the sumario, consisting of from 500 to 1,000 sheets, is in the hands of the court, it may be six months or more before the trial begins. Sometimes the prisoner is set at liberty before his case comes on, his- innocence having been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the judge of first instance; nevertheless, the court may proceed with the case. Men with malicious intent have, it was said, abundant opportunity to secure the imprisonment of innocent persons for a month or more, and yet escape prosecution for making false charges. The prosecution of minor offenses was made difficult by the dis- tances the complainant often had to go, the horrible condition of the roads, and the time and expenses involved. A case in illustration was given the commissioner by a German farmer living at Gobo, having his farm partly in the municipal district of Utuado and partly in that of Arecibo. A man with whom he had had trouble stole his horse. He pursued, him and got the horse. He immediately made complaint before the comisario of the district, and next day went before the judge of first instance in Arecibo. He proved his owner- ship of the horse and received him in deposito. Then it was dis- covered that the crime was really committed in the district of Utuado, and he had to go to that place, almost as far as to Arecibo. There he was told that the trial would take place at Mayaguez six or seven months later. He would have to go to Mayaguez with his witnesses, consuming two days each way, besides the time occupied in the trial. The law provides for the expenses of witnesses, but it is claimed that it is so difficult to collect them that the claims are often sold at a con- siderable discount. The horse was valued at $25. The German had already lost two days, expected to lose a week more at the trial, and to pay $50 in expenses. Under such circumstances crimes would, in many instances, go unreported and unpunished. THE NOTARIAL AND REGISTRATION SYSTEMS. The drawing of deeds, wills, and all kinds of legal contracts and documents was in the hands of notaries, whose number was limited, so that new members could not be admitted to the college until vacan- cies occurred. There were twenty-five for the island, two each in the three larger cities, and one each in cities of less importance. They were admitted, on competitive examination, by the Crown, and paid, it is said, large fees for their exclusive privileges. They not only drew deeds and wills, but were the depositaries for such documents, giving a bond of security for damages from the loss of important papers. The 27 dean of the college, Mr. Guerra, informed the commissioner that he had paid $17,000 for the privilege, which is transferable. Registries of property are established, as a rule, in those places entitled to notaries, the work of the one being complementary to that of the other. The system of registration comprises deeds, mortgages, wills, and all forms of ownership and transfer of property. The law requires a registrar to inquire as to the validity of titles which he inscribes, and holds him responsible for their legality. The registrar charges fees according to an elaborate scale fixed by law. He was allowed to charge for inscription, which included only certain parts of documents, for passing on the validity of the title, and for search- ing the records. Formerly registrars might charge for correcting defects in documents offered for inscription, and abuses grew out of the practice. The system appears to be a good one, although the charges are complained of as excessive. An increase in the number of registrars, so as to have one in every municipal district, is very desirable. Much property remains unregistered, owing partly to the heavy expenses involved and partly to the feeling of security in pos- session. Litigation over titles, deeds, wills, etc., is, it is stated, not very extensive. The expenses of transfers were very great. In the first place, they were subject to the royal dues; second, to the notarial charges, which were very heavy; third, to the fees of registration, amounting sometimes to $12 for property worth $300; and, fourth, to the cost of the stamped paper, on which all the documents had to be written. According to the mayor of Guayama, the tax on transfers was "so onerous that the island is full of deeds which have been held in hopes of better times, and have not yet paid this tax, thus making the titles inoperative." The stamped paper cost from 15 cents up to $25, according to the value of the contract or obligation. Its use was obligatory in all documents of a legal character, even by judges in the preparation of a sumario. Mortgages, which may be referred to in this connection, were gov- erned by the hypothecary law, which sought the security of the lender rather than the convenience of the borrower. There are two methods of foreclosure, one called the executive; the other is a special pro- cedure. Most of the actions are taken under the latter, and are of a summary nature. The debtor has no power to intervene, and his estate may be sold at auction thirty days after proceedings are begun in the court. Many cases of hardship under the law were reported to the commissioner, in which owners of plantations were about to lose their property for a fraction of its estimated value. In accord- ance with his earnest representations, Governor-General Henry issued an order, prepared by him, suspending the law of foreclosure as respects farm property and machinery for one year from January 19, 1899. The law needs to be reformed in the interest of debtors against con- scienceless creditors, so as to give sufficient opportunity to the former to save their property from sacrifice. The mortgages recorded in the various districts amount to a total of nearly $28,000,000, indicating that borrowing is extensive. The largest mortgage indebtedness exists in the registration districts of San Juan, Ponce, Mayaguez, and San German. THE CHURCH AND CHURCH PROPERTY. The Catholic was the state religion, and at the time of the Ameri- can occupation there were but two churches of any other faith in Porto Rico. There was a Protestant church in Ponce and another at Isabel II, in the island of Vieques, both under the auspices of the 28 Church of England. The latter had been established nineteen years. The Governor-General, under appointment by the Pope, was patron- ato real, or civil head of the church. The bishop, with his staff, and all the clergy were borne on the provincial pay roll, and received their salaries through the custom-houses of the various districts. For salaries alone $167,340 was appropriated in the budget of 1897-98, including $42,400 for the cathedral in San Juan, out of which the bishop and his staff were paid. For expenses, apart from salaries, the sum of $26,270 was provided. For other purposes, including sal- aries of ecclesiastical judges and military chaplains, subventions to religious sqhools, and Sisters of Charity in the hospitals and asylums, about $41,000 was set apart, making in all about $235,000 for the church and various religious purposes. The bishop formerly received a salary of $18,000 or $20,000 a year, but this amount was gradually reduced to $9,000. The dean of the chapter was paid $3,000; canons, $2,000; parochial priests, according to their class, from $1,500 down to $600 a year. Formerly the church was supported by tithes and first fruits, and monthly sums from the ayuntamientos. The royal decree of 1858 abolished tithes and first fruits, forbade fees for the sacraments, and provided for the church in the budget. The capitu- lar vicar informed the commissioner that there had probably been some abuses in the charging of fees by the clergy for baptisms, mar- riages, and burials, but he did not believe they were extensive. A priest, who announced that he was about to leave the church, stated that the fees collected averaged about as follows: Marriage, simple service, $10; more elaborate service, $16; burial, simple service, $14; more elaborate service, $22; masses, $1. Several persons told, the commissioner that they had paid $16 for their marriage service. After American occupation, the priests having no support whatever, charged, in some instances, whatever they could get. One American paid a fee of $65. The clergy were almost entirely Spaniards. Very few natives were in the priesthood. Reared and educated in Spain, they did not, for the most part, command the sympathy of the munic- ipal officers, who were chiefly Porto Ricans, and as there was more or less friction between Porto Ricans and Spaniards, and the priests were paid by the Government and were understood to be in entire sympathy with it, they did not really come into close touch with many of the natives in their parishes. At the close of the war a number of the priests, including the bishop, went back to Spain. There are no monasteries in Porto Rico. Formerly the Dominicans and Franciscans were established there, but the Government confis- cated their property in 1837-38, using part of it for public purposes, selling a part and renting a part. The chapels attached were, however, not disturbed. Such orders as are now represented are engaged in educational, hospital, and charitable work. The churches, which are invariably situated on the chief plazas of the cities and towns, vary in value and size, according to the popula- tion surrounding them. They are usually among the best buildings, though some are old and need repairs. None of them would be called magnificent. Evidently no great amount of private wealth has been bestowed for their adornment and furnishing. The assumption that the church in Porto Rico is rolling in wealth has nothing to support it. The secretary of the bishopric, Senor Caneja, lectoral canon, informed the commissioner that the church has no other property except the churches and parish houses; that by will or gift it is in the 29 receipt of censos or annual payments for specific purposes, such as masses, sermons, or other memorial celebrations. These censos are fixed charges, which must be paid by the holder of the property upon which they are a claim. When state support was suddenly withdrawn the church had ho resources. The capitular vicar stated that its con- dition was lamentable. The people had not been accustomed to the American system of voluntary contributions; most of them were too poor to take upon themselves additional burdens, and the priests had to depend upon the fees they could get and upon their own resources, which in some instances were ample. The moment that Spanish domination ended the question of the ownership of the churches was raised. None of these properties were registered. The church, under the law, could not register them, and few or no papers or records of gift or conveyance appear to be in existence. The capitular vicar said to the commissioner: "The church has no title in the sense of documents; but it has always been an understood thing that these properties belong to the church. " In so far as lands or other gifts were made, the donors, he added, "did not bother about giving written titles." The municipality, or the state, generally, gave the ground and in most cases the municipal- ity built the church. The commissioner inquired thoroughly into this matter in all the municipalities he visited. In some cases the surplus in the treasury was used for this purpose; in other cases spe- cial provision was made in the municipal budget, and in a number of instances a kind of apportionment was made among the ratepayers by the ayuntamiento. Almost without exception the alcaldes and councilmen, questioned by the commissioner, asserted municipal ownership of the church property. In Arroyo the church, according to the vice alcalde, was built by popular subscription and turned over, to the state; in Yabucoa the title is not vested in the municipality, says the alcalde, but in the state; in Aibonito the town gave $15,00,0, the state $12,000, and the balance (17,000) was raised by subscription; in Humacao the church cost $45,000; it was built by the people and taken over by the state; in Ponce the church property is claimed by the alcalde as belonging exclusively to the municipality, which caused it to be registered after American occupation. The fine, large church in Guayama was built in 1873, from the annual surplus of the muni- cipal budget and from returns for old taxes; in San German, which has, it is said, the oldest church in the island, it was conceded that the property belongs to the church ; in Cayey the church was built by public funds and the parish house was bought by municipal money; in Coamo the land was given by the town and the church built by taxation; in Caguas the church was built by municipal funds. This brief summary of important testimony, given before the com- missioner, indicates how the churches were generally built. Some of the ayuntamientos seemed quite firm in the purpose to hold the churches as municipal property, but were willing to sell or to rent. In other cases the proposal to transfer the title to the church was appar- ently welcomed. There is little question that public funds built in whole or in part nearly all the churches. The considerations which seem to me to control the question are these : (1) The churches were built for Catholic worship, and for no other, by Catholic communities; (2) they were consecrated by the rites of the Catholic Church; (3) they have been regularly used for Catholic services, and for no other purpose, since consecration; (4) their use for this purpose received 30 the acquiescence of state, municipality, and people; (5) according to the law, edifices for public worship, no matter by whom built, passed under control of the church when consecrated; (6) the law did not allow such property to be registered by the church; (7) no records or deeds of gift were usually made of donations or transfers of prop- erty for church uses; (8) under the law of registration, twenty years' undisputed and continued possession gives valid title. On the other hand, municipalities claim the ownership of most of the churches, on the ground that they were built in whole or in part by municipal funds raised by taxation ; that the payment of such taxes was obligatory, and that it was not permitted to loyal citizens to protest against them. Church and state were one, the bishop occu- pying, in the council of administration and similar provincial organi- zations, the place next to the governor-general. In one instance, already referred to, church property was registered without protest as municipal property, but this was since American occupation. It was not the custom to register municipal property, though there was no law prohibiting it. Perhaps this was due to the heavy registration fees. The fees for registering six pieces of property in Ponce were as follows : Catholic cemetery in the playa, $379 ; the Catholic church, $598; the Tricoche hospital, $156; the civil hospital, $81; and the Protestant cemetery, $13. On appeal to General Henry he relieved the municipality of the charges and the property was registered free. The churches have been kept in repair by the municipalities. It is admitted that consecration gave the church use or control of the edi- fices, but it is denied that it gave also ownership. The churches in Yabucoa and Arroyo, according to the alcaldes of those districts, belong not to the municipality but to the state. If this be so the question might be raised whether these churches and any others in the same category do not, under the Treaty of Paris, " belong to the public domain and as such to the Crown of Spain," and have there- fore been ceded by the treaty to the United States. But this cession was made subject to "the rights of provinces, municipalities, public and private establishments, ecclesiastical or civic bodies," etc. The churches spoken of as belonging to the state were perhaps property of the province and not of the Crown. In so far as titles may be legally established by ecclesiastical bodies, or on the part of the Prov- ince of Porto Rico, or by the several municipalities, the United States is evidently bound by the treaty to grant possession. Neither the municipalities nor the province could be coerced to a surrender of such churches as may legally be held by them. But if the will of the Porto Ricans were permitted to have effect with their official repre- sentatives, the churches, as a matter of simple justice, would be passed over to the control, possession, and use of the Roman Catholic Church. The commissioner found that everywhere the majority thought that the churches ought to be for Catholic worship, but ought to be held by the people and not by the priests. Some alcaldes and councilmen and others, including men who were said not to be good Catholics, insisted that the municipalities should have some return for what they had expended, either by sale or by annual rental. If the right of municipalities to control them is established, it is conceivable that in some cases they might be sold or rented to representatives of other faiths for public worship of a different order and thus give cause of offense to Catholics. The ends of justice could probably be most surely and promptly reached by creating a special court or commission to investigate the 31 whole matter, with power to determine each case brought before it, and give legal title, possession, and use to the rightful owners. The people seem to be entirely in accord with the American prin- ciple of separation of church and state, and complete religious liberty. The capitular vicar urged that gratuities from the state treasury to the clergy be granted, as a temporary measure, until the church could organize a system of self-support, but the commissioner found no second in the island to this proposal. In every municipality he visited he was told that appropriations for the repairs of the churches had been discontinued. Other forms of worship have been introduced in San Juan, Ponce, Arecibo, Rio Piedras, and other places without demonstrations of hostility. This is no small tribute to the liberality of a people who have in all the past been accustomed to one form of religion to the exclusion of others. THE CEMETERIES. In this connection the question of control of the cemeteries has been raised. It is not disputed that these cemeteries were bought and built by municipal funds. But they were consecrated by the priests as burial grounds for Catholics, and while the secular owners have rented and sold graves and niches, issued through municipal judges permits for burial, and kept the grounds in condition, the priest was allowed to exercise the right to indicate who were entitled to ecclesiastical burial. Those not Catholics were buried in unconsecrated ground, generally a small plot outside the walls. After American occupation one or two ayuntamientos took action in favor of the secularization of the cemeteries, but the military government has not conceded that right. On the contrary, General Henry issued an order confirming to the priests the right of prohibiting the interment of non-Catholics in consecrated ground, and at the same time requiring the municipal authorities, from the proceeds of rentals and fees which they collect, to pay for the maintenance of the cemeteries. Ecclesiastical control is claimed, not on the ground of ownership, but on that of immemorial usage. Priests have always been allowed to consecrate the ground and to say who should be buried in it, and the church insists that it gained a right by consecration and continued control which can not properly be taken from it. The question raised is a delicate one. It is not the same exactly as that concerning church property. The church existed for all who chose to attend its services and accept its offices; but persons could refuse to worship in it or to patronize it. Not so the cemetery. Those who die must be buried, and the right to sepulture in a cemetery owned by all the people can not be denied, it is argued, without substantial injustice. The issue might be met by having plots for non-Catholics. Where such plots already exist they are generally outside the walls and are not kept in proper condition. As new cemeteries are established they will prob- ably be on a secular basis, with a provision allowing the graves of Catholics or Catholic portions to be consecrated. Municipalities should be required to provide ground for non-Catholic burials, suf- ficient, eligible, and in no way inferior. The custom of disinterment of bodies entitled only to temporary sepulture, if not dangerous to general health, is shocking to those not familiar with European usage, and should be discontinued. The order of General Henry to that effect is not fully carried out for want of room in the cemeteries. 32 THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The system of public schools was antiquated, and few improvements seem to have "been made. In practice it was decidedly inferior and insufficient. Most attention was given, naturally, to urban schools, and these were inadequate in almost every respect. Less attention was given to schools in the rural districts, where the difficulties were greatest. Something was done for the boys, but little for the girls. Indeed, the first rural school for girls is said to have been established no longer ago than 1880. The general administration of public schools was under the direction of the provincial deputation. At the close of the Spanish domination it constituted a bureau of the department of fomento or interior. The expenses of this administration were in- cluded in the provincial budget. The pay of the teachers, the rent of buildings, and the expense of supplies devolved on the municipali- ties. In every municipality there was a school board, of which the mayor was chairman, charged with immediate supervision. It was ordinarily composed of the most intelligent men available, but is said to have been negligent usually in the discharge of its duties. The finances of the cities were so often made difficult bv the heavy prior claims of the state on taxpayers that the appropriations to the schools frequently suffered. The schools were domiciled in rented rooms, generally unfitted for the purpose. Only half a dozen occupied public buildings. Space, light, ventilation, furniture, appliances, and sup- plies were never adequate, the surroundings were unsuitable, and the conditions unsanitary. The school age was from 5 to 18. Children of well-to-do parents usually entered at 5; those of the poorer classes not until 8. The scholars were generally clothed, but there were some exceptions among the smaller ones. Very poor parents, seen by the commissioner, excused their neglect to school their children by saying they could not give them decent clothes. The school popula- tion of the island, as reported by Secretary Carbonell, on the 1st of November, 1898, was 125,695. Of these 27,938 had attended school and 93,757 had not. Returns in March, 1899, showed that the total of registered scholars was 26,588, including private schools, and the average attendance 18,979. According to this, a little more than one- fifth of the school population were registed and the average attend- ance was upward of one-seventh. Of the registered scholars 17,521 were boys and 9,007 were girls, the boys outnumbering the girls nearly two to one. The masters or teachers were required to show the teacher's title in order to obtain employment. Some were prepared in the two normal schools or in the secondary institute in San Juan; many came from Spain. As a rule, they were a faithful, poorly paid class of public servants. Women taught the girls' schools in all cases, the sexes being rigidly kept apart. Teachers were allowed to collect fees from parents able to pay. This, it is said, led to more or less partiality for the pay scholars. Supplies were furnished to those who could not buy them. Schools were held every day but Sunday the year round, excepting feast days and holidays, with morning and afternoon sessions of about three hours each. Iu summer the afternoon session was shortened or omitted. The schools were supposed to be divided into elementary , of first and second grades, and superior. Of the latter there were only seven. The system of instruction was generally superficial and not solid, and theoretical rather than practical. The commissioner visited and 33 examined many schools, as described elsewhere in this report. He found the children wonderfully bright and quick. They answered the questions of the teachers promptly and confidently, but hesitated and stumbled when asked the simplest questions in geography, arith- metic, and other studies, indicating that more attention had been given to the making of brilliant than competent scholars. There were few general institutions. A conciliar seminary was established for the priesthood ; the Provincial Institute, recently suppressed, carried scholars to the ordinary freshman or sophomore year; the College of the Esculapian Fathers, the College of the Mothers of the Heart of Jesus, the College of San Ildefonso, the School of Arts and Industries, and a private academy of drawing constituted, with the normal schools, all the general educational institutions. The first great need of this system of education is suitable, sanitary public buildings; second, a more efficient corps of teachers; third, more schools, particularly in the rural districts; fourth, larger pro- vincial appropriations, until the municipalities are in a condition to support their own schools; fifth, reorganization of the studies and better text-books ; sixth, effective provincial supervision, such as the military government has provided, under which great improvements have been made;' seventh, better normal schools. The last census does not give returns for literacy and illiteracy except in certain districts. There are no later figures than those of the census of 1860, when the population was 583,181. Of this num- ber 51,250 were literate and 531,931 illiterate. Over 90 per cent were unable to read. The estimates of present conditions vary; some say that 15, others 18 or 20 per cent, of the population are literates. Of the population of Ponce, numbering, according to the census of 1897, between 48,000 and 49,000, 14,394 can read or read and write. This is over 29 per cent, showing a gain since 1887, when the percentage was 24. The population of that district was as follows : Poncenos, 37,203; from other districts of the island and Cuba, 8,493; from the Peninsula, 2,283; from other foreign countries, 1,021. The floating population was remarkably small, being only 342. The greatest amount of illiteracy is, of course, in the rural districts, where the population is hard to reach with school facilities. PUBLIC CHARITIES AND PRISONS. The public charities of Porto Rico are few, poorly supported, and poorly organized, as a rule. The municipalities make appropriations for beneficencia, including town doctors, hospitals, aid for the sick poor who can not get to the hospital, and occasionally for a house for infirm poor. Every district has a hospital, generally insufficiently equipped and not well kept, but there are few orphanages and scarcely any provision for the insane, outside of San Juan, where an insane asylum is maintained by provincial funds. There is an excellent asylum for children in San Juan under the care of the Sisters of Charity, and one or two small orphanages. There is need of more generous provisions for orphans. Mothers of illegitimate children very rarely abandon them, but when these unfortunate women die, the children are often cast on the street, and live like animals. The people are very kind and helpful to those in distress. It is the custom when a child is left without natural pro- tectors for the relatives or neighbors to provide for it. One will give 1125 3 34 shelter, another food, another clothing, another education, thus divid- ing the burden. Among the poorest of the poor the commissioner found a system of mutual helpfulness. When a poor woman falls sick and her income stops, neighboring women care for her out of their own slender resources. The poor commonly have a strong prejudice against the hospitals, and will not go to them unless helpless. They say those who go in sick come out dead. They differ in their state- ments about the town doctors. Many said they would not visit the sick poor without pay; others that they would. Dr. Stahl, of Baya- mon, says that scarcely one in a hundred of the poor who die has the attendance of a physician. The Tricoche Hospital in Ponce, estab- lished by a private benefaction, is one of the best in the island. It is kept clean and in good order by the Sisters of Charity. The prisons, of which there is one in each judicial district, with a penitentiary, so called, for the whole island, in San Juan, besides ordinary jails, are almost without exception worthy of condemnation. They are generally crowded, damp, pervaded by foul smells, danger- ous to health, according to native physicians. With the exception of separation of sexes, no division whatever is attempted. Young and old, the first offender and the old criminal are herded together, the man accused and awaiting trial with those serving long sentences. The care of the penitentiary at San Juan was undertaken by the insular government. The cost of maintaining the district prisons is borne by the municipalities within the district. Many of the prison- ers in the penitentiary were kept in chains. General Henry abolished this form of punishment, and put the district prisons under the care of the province. Much has been done under the military govern- ment to remedy abuses and improve the sanitary conditions, but the whole system needs to be reorganized according to modern peno- logical methods. Crime, particularly of the graver kinds, is not excessive. The dis- orders which followed the overthrow of Spanish dominion were of a serious character; but they did not spring oufc of a spirit of lawless- ness so much as out of a spirit of revenge. The native who had been oppressed by Spanish employers used the opportunity to pay off a Ions: score of personal injuries and insults. The attacks by those bands were not indiscriminate, and usually the motive was to destroy, not to appropriate property, to wound oii kill the master himself or his agent, and not the family. They were soon ended, and not a few of the guilty ones are serving sentences. Those familiar with the conditions before American occupation say that the wonder is that the outrages were not far worse. The prevailing crimes are those of homicide, and appropriation of property in the various forms of theft, larceny, and robbery. Burglary is almost entirely unknown. The summary for the provincial penitentiary shows that there were 4 serv- ing sentence for murder, 113 for homicide, 168 for theft or robbery, 2 for forgery, 5 for swindling, 6 for arson, 6 for violation, and 1 for abduction. Ten were under 20 years of age. Of 69 in the de- partmental prison at Ponce, 20 were under sentence for theft or rob- bery, 27 for wounding, 5 for swindling, and 5 for homicide. Of the prisoners 30 were white and 39 colored. Of the 308 prisoners in the penitentiary 131 were white and 177 colored, showing that the colored classes, forming about 36 per cent of the population, are responsible for considerably more than their share of crimes. The entire penal population, according to the census of 1897, was 1,101, or 1 in 817 of the entire population. The proportion in the United States is consid- 35 erably greater, being 1 in 766. In 1862, when Porto Rico had 600,000 population and Cuba 1,200,000, the latter had 1 homicide to every 7,100 inhabitants, the former 1 to every 75,000; Cuba 1 assault to every 1,799 inhabitants, Porto Rico 1 to every 5,120;. Cuba 1 robbery to every 7,453 inhabitants, Porto Rico 1 to every 15,789; Cuba 1 theft to every 753 inhabitants, Porto Rico 1 to every 2,112. . SOCIAL CONDITIONS. The statistics of births in 1897, elsewhere given, show that about 52 per cent were of legitimate and 48 per cent of illegitimate children. The births are by no means, owing to a defective law, fully reported ; but complete returns would not probably make the showing better. Half or more of the children born are illegitimate, and it follows that a large proportion of parents are living in conjugal relations with- out marriage. This does not mean that the people are immoral or that the sexes are promiscuous in their relations. The social evil is said to be quite extensive; but marriage is not shunned, with rare exceptions, for immoral purposes. Various reasons are given for neglecting the sacrament or ceremony. By some it is ascribed to a want of edu- cation, by others to the desire to be free from the obligations which marriage imposes, but by most informants to obstacles which the poor could not surmount. Two forms of marriage were j>rovided by law, the civil and the ecclesiastical. The code declared the latter to be the only form for Catholics, and the former for non- Catholics. Certain conditions were prescribed for both, such as consent of parents and advice of grandparents, certificates of age, proclamation of the bans, etc. The priest required, in addition, confession and communion. If marriage took place at the church in the morning, it was without cost, according to the testimony of priests. If it took place in the evening, as was the custom of the well-to-do classes, a fee was ex- pected. At most of the hearings held by the commissioner, persons insisted that these fees were too heavy for poor people, who preferred to live together unweclded than to meet all the conditions of ecclesi- astical marriage. It was the general testimony that these persons live together as faithfully as those under marriage vows, and are rarely untrue to each other. Many who were questioned by the commissioner in the poor quarters of Arecibo,Yauco, and other cities, said they would like to marry for the sake of legitimatizing their children, but could not pay the expenses. Under the prevailing interpretation of the law, they could not go to the municipal judge for civil marriage with- out abjuring the Catholic faith. Moreover, the expenses of this form were considerable. < There was another difficulty. In the smaller communities nearly every family was related to every other family, and often persons desiring to marry were related to each other within the degrees pro- hibited by both church and state. Ecclesiastical dispensations were difficult to get. The commissioner, at the request of General Henry, in consultation with the secretary of state and the secretary of justice, drew an order which opened the way to civil marriage for all, remov- ing delays and obstacles and making it free. The immediate effect was an increase in judicial marriages. It is desirable that this chap- ter of the code should be entirely recast in accordance with American principles, and the onerous provision requiring the mother to present herself and her child for registry, within forty days after its birth, under penalty, though she may live in a distant part of the district 36 and be unable to travel, should be substituted by a more reasonable and effective system. The deaths were considerably in excess of the births, according to the municipal returns for 1897. Births are con- cealed or unreported for reasons already indicated. There are no recent statistics of longevity. According to the census of 1860, of 583,308 inhabitants, 18,273 were above GO years of age, and 73 above a hundred. CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE. The Porto Ricans are a kindly, hospitable, polite people, very sociable, and always ready to do Americans a friendly service. If a stranger in their streets asks the way to any particular point the obliging native will often go with him instead of simply directing him, and refuse any reward. Courteous to everybody, they seem glad to be able to grant a favor. They are cheerful in disposition,. uniformly kind to one another, and manifest as parents great love for their children. Cases of brutal treatment of the little ones are rare. Street brawls and disorders occur occasionally, but respect for. law and order is very strong, and the people are lovers of peace. Although they have always been accustomed to the presence of soldiers, they appear to be grieved that they are kept under a military government. To the commissioner thej^ said again and again, "We want a civil government as soon as possible. Let the military regime be shortened. What have we done that we should be placed under military law? We have done nothing worthy of punishment." They spoke favor- ably of the character of the military government, its honesty, effi- ciency, and devotion to insular interests, but were impatient to have their civil status fixed. According to Senor Manuel Fernandez Juncos, one of the leaders of the autonomist party, the chief fault of the Porto Rican is -'lack of will force," and he urges that education should be so directed as to counteract this weakness. Naturally inclined to social intercourse, the conditions tend to restriction in the indulgence of their inclination. In cities there are social calls, balls and receptions, and occasional performances, musi- cal or theatrical, in the public theater, but outside of the cities few amusements are possible. Visiting is difficult, owing to bad roads, and family reunions, even, are not common, particularly among the poorer classes. They are fond of music, especially of string instru- ments, but are not a reading people. Books and periodicals are sel- dom seen on their tables. Games and outdoor diversions are not general, among either young or old, men or women. Balls and dances are perhaps the most popular and universal diversion. In the winter season the feast known as candelaria is celebrated, and much is made of the carnival just before Lent. During the former, which was observed in January, when the commissioner was in Mayaguez, many people came into the city from the rural districts and participated in the processions, balls, etc. It was a time also for games of chance. The market place and drinking houses were occupied with tables for all kinds of gambling, which is a passion with the people. Boys and girls, men and women, who had saved up their centavos and small silver coins for this purpose, crowded around the tables afternoon and evening and took their chances. Although this was contrary to law, the municipal authorities said the custom was dear to the people, and they thought the play was usually not serious, but a harmless pastime. In the carnival the good will and good nature of the people are mani- fested. They open on Sunday with the papelita, small paper disks, 37 which are showered upon the passers-by in the streets, balconies being- decorated with paper ribbons of bright colors. Then the maskers, of both sexes, appear in public and there are several days of fun and frolic, those thus disguised parading the streets with horns and other musical instruments in couples and in crowds. A large class of the men are devoted to cockfights. Every consid- erable town has its cockpit, to which an entrance fee is charged. A special breed of cocks is reared for fighting. The exhibition is usu- ally given Sunday afternoon, and betting is one of the most prominent features of it. In one town visited by the commissioner the munici- pal judge was the proprietor of the pit. No moral objection seems to have suggested itself to anybody, in proof of which it was said that priests sometimes attended the exhibition. The admission fees to cockfights are often much larger than those to theatrical perform- ances. Bullfights have never been popular in Porto Rico. Gambling is said to be the prevailing vice of the people. The field laborer often loses a large part of his weekly wages, the commissioner was told, in games of chance, and a few instances were related of loss of valuable estates in high play. The marriage customs are similar to those of Spain, though some- what relaxed. Men only join funeral processions. Among the poor, the coffin is carried through the streets on the shoulders of friends, followed by male relatives. At the grave the body is usually taken out of the coffin, which is only hired for the occasion. The newspapers are not numerous. There are several large and in- fluential Spanish dailies published in San Juan and Ponce. They give insular news, letters from abroad, and occasionally brief cable dispatches. They generally represent one or the other of the politi- cal parties. The oldest newspaper was established sixty years ago. It was very conservative under the Spanish regime, opposing auton- omy, and . stating that it preferred cholera and yellow fever to the proposed reforms. The editor of the oldest daily journal told the commissioner that there was no liberty of the press till after Ameri- can occupation ; that the life of a newspaper man was one of ' ' con- stant martyrdom." He was frequently arrested, and had whole editions of his paper confiscated, and during the war many columns of matter were ruled out. When he undertook to publish extracts from "Christian Doctrine," in place of the deleted matter, the mili- tary censor forbade it, because people might infer that important news had been suppressed. 'In November last there were twenty- seven or twenty-eight newspapers published in the island, in the towns of San Juan, Ponce, Mayaguez, Humacao, Arecibo, San Ger- man, and Utuado. In the majority of cases they are said to be short-lived. There was a limited demand for foreign magazines and periodicals. Small libraries exist in San Juan, Ponce, and a few other cities. Among these is the Municipal Library, established in San Juan in 1880, and the library of the Athenseum, founded the same year. The former has 7,000, the latter 5,000 volumes. POLITICAL PARTIES. The political organizations of Porto Rico corresponded, naturally, to those of Spain. The General Official Guide of 1896 has a list of four political parties, as follows: The Unconditional Spanish, the Liberal, the Autonomist, and the Progressive Left of * the Uncondi- tional Spanish. After the war but two remained, the Liberal and 38 those Autonomists who would not acquiesce in the Sagasta plan for Porto Rico, generally called Radicals. In March last the Radicals reorganized as the Republican party of Porto Rico, with a declaration of principles, calling for the retirement of the provincial currencj r , protection of the island's industries, and free trade with the United States. The platform of the Liberal party which was organized Octo- ber 1, 1899, as the Federal party, declares in favor of "a firm and resolute tendency towards absolute identity with the United States," the early establishment of a territorial form of government, the exten- sion of suffrage to all resident citizens, free commerce between Porto Rico and the rest of the Union, greater freedom for banking institu- tions, municipal autonomy and American methods in popular educa- tion. Its leader, Senor Luis Muhoz Rivera, was secretary of govern- ment or state under the autonomistic regime and had a very large following. Party feeling was strong, though for mouths after Ameri- can occupation no principle, apparently, was at issue. The differ- ences grew partly out of the history of the struggle for autonomy, including the first election under it, and partly out of the fact that one party was in and the other out of office. ROADS, RAILROADS, AND COMMUNICATION. There can be no civilization without means of communication and transportation. Porto Rico had a cheap and fairly effective telegraph and postal system, both under Government direction, but its roads, with few exceptions, were bad, and its railroads incomplete and not altogether satisfactory. There exists on paper a plan for a railroad system all the way around the island, but the gaps are much longer than the lines. From San Juan, the French line, so far as completed, extends along the northern shore westward to Camuy, a distance of 62 miles; then there is a, break from Camuy to Aguadilla of 25 miles; the line begins again at Aguadilla and goes on to Hormigueros, 34 miles; from Hormigueros to Yauco is another break of 21 miles; the third part runs from Yauco to Ponce, 22 miles, making a total for the French company of 118 miles, with breaks of 16 miles, in the route from San Juan to Ponce — 164 miles. •From Ponce eastward around to San Juan, about 140 miles, the rail- road is yet unbuilt, excepting about 14 miles, by the French company, from San Juan to Carolina. There are three other short lines of rail- road, one extending from Catano, opposite San Juan, to Bayamon, 4.35 miles; another from San Juan to Rio Piedras, 7 miles, and another from Anasco, on the west coast, to Alto Sano, 11 miles, with an extension in view to Lares. The total for all lines is 154 miles. The railroads are all narrow gauge. The French lines and the line to Bayamon are 39.37 inches, the line to Rio Piedras 30 inches, and the Anasco line only 23f inches. The speed of passenger trains on the French road is about 15 miles an hour on the San Juan-Camuy branch and less on the Aguadilla-Mayaguez branch,, or ordinary trolley time in this country. On the Aguadilla-Mayaguez branch it is about 12 miles. There are three classes of passenger fares. For first-class tickets from San Juan to Camuy the rate is $4.95; second-class, $3.85; third-class, $2.75, being about 8 centavos a mile for the first, 6 for the second, and 4-J- for the third. The cost of first-class passage from San Juan to Yauco, including coach hire, is about $30, using mail coaches; when the roads are bad, or by private coaches, it may be $40 or $50. By coach over the military road between San Juan and Ponce, 78 39 miles, the rate is $30, for one or two passengers. The freight charges are based on distances, amounts, and speed of trains. The rate between San Juan and Camuy (62 miles) on a hundredweight is $3, fast time. By slower trains the prices are arranged in four classes, ranging from $7 per ton up to $15 between Camuy and San Juan. There are also special tariffs, in which the following are included: Sugar, muscovado or refined, from Camuy to San Juan, $4.95 for each 1,000 kilograms, or ton, the minimum price being for 6,000 kilograms; that is, on any amount less than 6,000 kilograms the price would be six times $4.95, or $29.70. Coffee pays at the same rate. The freight on flour, oats, rice, or corn between the same points is at the rate of $7 a ton, the minimum price being $35. Oranges, lemons, cocoanuts, plantains, potatoes, etc., pay at the rate of $2.56 per 1,000 kilograms from Barceloneta to San Juan, 40 miles. According to statements made to the commissioner at Yaueo, freight rates seem to be about equal to those by cart when the roads are in ordinary condition. Both freight and passenger charges are too high in comparison with prices in general, and both a quicker and cheaper railroad service is desirable. If the resources of the island are to be developed, improved railroad facilities are indispensable. The insular government agreed to insure a net income of 8 per cent to the French company. On behalf of the latter it is claimed that lower rates would, increase the annual deficit to be made up by the province, which was about $150,000 in 1898; but lower rates and more rapid service would doubtless secure more business and therefore a larger income. The importance of having a line of railroad around the island can hardly be overestimated. Nothing has been done recently to com- plete the project undertaken by the French company, except that the roadbed has been extended some little distance beyond Hormigueros toward Yauco. If the belt line were completed it would be possible to market much of the agricultural produce which can not now be shipped, or shipped promptly, by reason of bad roads and high cart- age rates. Quick and cheap rail communication between the various points and ports on the entire coast of Porto Rico must be provided at an early day if the resources of the island are to be properly developed. Whether short lines to the interior are necessary, there may be two opinions; they are quite practicable, for there are many rivers which open the way through the mountains. Electric roads could be built, equipped, and operated more cheaply, and would, doubtless, be suffi- cient, except where heavy grades are necessary. The roads of the island are, in part, maintained by the insular and in part by the municipal governments. The carreteras, or highways, are under the control of the bureau of public works, department of the interior. Those which connect the towns of two or more municipal districts are in this class. The military road, so called, between San Juan and Ponce, crossing eight municipal districts, 133 kilometers in length, is the finest in the island. It is a smooth, macadamized road, divided into sections, with a house in each for the roadmaster. It cost, on the average, $15,000 per mile to construct, and requires $15,000 or more annually to keep it in condition. There are good, substantial bridges, except in the Ponce district. A branch road from Cayey to Guayama is of the same excellent character. In the same category are a few other short roads, notably the one from Aguadilla through Moca to San Sebastian, and that from the Playa of Ponce to Adjuntas. The rest of the carreteras, or highways, may 40 be classified according to degrees of badness. The very important one connecting the terminus of the »railroad at Camuy with that at Aguadilla is extremely rough most of the distance, with alternate soft places. It is a wonder that the coaches, usually of the phaeton class, are able to endure the strain. The horses, small but willing, are driven with no mercy. Some of the carreteras are nothing more than trails; for example, that between Yabucoa and Maunabo. An American ambulance was got over it once, and the feat is spoken of as miraculous. "When rain falls abundantly the roads of the plains and valleys, and, in fact, all which have not a rock foundation or are not macadamized, are extremely bad. They become so soft that teams are sometimes actually drowned in mud. Where this danger is not imminent the roads are rough beyond the power of description. At Utuado the commissioner was warned not to undertake to go to Lares without first making his will. Mud holes and hillocks occur in each track in such confused succession that while the fore wheel on one side is ascending, that on the other is descending, with the conditions reversed for the hind wheels. The caminos vecinales, or vicinage roads, are supposed to be kept in order by the various municipalities. Few are even in fair condi- tion. The larger cities give this matter more attention. Ponce spent in 1897 $13,000 on its streets and $7,200 on its roads; for 1899 the appropriations for roads and bridges was $3,230; in the district of Humacao the amount is $2,000, not sufficient, the mayor said, to keep the three roads in repairs; in Aibonito, nothing. In the important district of Yauco the vicinage roads are so bad in some places that coffee is brought down on the backs of mules over mere trails. The demand for good roads was more general than any other pre- sented to the commissioner. A memorial from Arroyo stated that "without roads the riches of the island can not be developed." Another, from the municipal council of Utuado, said: "Real roads do not exist from the interior to the coast; only tracks, dangerous even to travelers, are available, preventing the development of the country and sapping its life every day;" a delegation from Ponce represented that "means of transportation to and from the interior of the island are to-day in about the same primitive state as when Porto Rico was discovered," and that its "immense natural resources can not be developed" unless attention be given to this matter. In response .to the universal request for better roads, the military government has expended large sums of money, under its own direction, in road build- ing, but it will require years of ordinary effort to secure a proper sys- tem for the island. This subject is of the greatest importance. It is fundamental to the well-being and progress of Porto Rico. It affects all human interests — social, educational, industrial, commercial, political. Good roads increase travel and social visitation; make school facilities available; lessen the cost of marketing industrial and agricultural products ; cheapen the price of the necessaries of life ; make commer- cial transactions easier; facilitate the functions of government, and render possible a quick and effective postal system. Bad roads are the enemies ,of civilization. They destroy carriages and wagons and ruin horses and oxen ; they make the cost of transportation so great that products are wasted, production is curtailed, and profits eaten up. At Humacao the commissioner was informed that the shipments from that port might easily be 20,000 or 25,000 tons a year, instead of 9,000, indicating an annual loss of 11,000 to 16,000 tons. The cost of 41 transporting a hogshead of sugar, 1,600 to 1,800 pounds, from San Lorenzo to San Juan is $6. If the road to Humacao were passable it could be taken to that port for $2, a loss evidently of $4 a hogshead. The cost of transportation from Juncos to Humacao is so great that the margin of profit is very small. Planters in Utuado declare that it costs as much to get coffee from that district to the shipping port as from the port to Liverpool. In the wet season it costs an extra 25 cents a quintal to send coffee from Utuado to Ponce. At Gobo, on the border of the districts of Arecibo and Utuado, the commissioner's party overtook an ox team loaded with merchandise that had been already two days and a night on the way to Utuado. The planters and merchants in Humacao, when questioned as to why they did not raise more rice, pineapples, oranges, and cocoanuts, stated that it was because of lack of facilities of transportation. At most of the ports the arrangements for shipping and unloading goods are of a primitive character. There is no wharf even for small boats. Passengers must wade or be carried on the shoulders of the boatmen. The loading of a hogshead of sugar is a serious matter. A large flatboat, used as a lighter, is brought as near shore as possible and turned upon its side. The hogshead is then rolled in and the boat is righted. Port improvements are almost as necessary as good roads. More coastwise vessels are needed for the island commerce, and some of the port charges need to be reduced. At Humacao the pilot fee for each vessel was said to be $28, which is very burdensome, particularly when only a few goods are landed. COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY. The policy which has governed in Porto Rico hitherto seems to have been to put all its energy into the production of sugar, coffee, tobacco, and cattle, and import most of its food supply. Its crops, under a system of cultivation not the most advantageous, have been so large that it could pay its heavy bills for foreign goods, meet enormous interest charges on its working capital, and have generally a profit left. The movement of commerce at the custom-houses was indicated by detailed statistics, published under official auspices. For the cal- endar year 1897 the importations amounted in value to $17,858,063, native money, of which $7,152,016, or a little more than 40 per cent, came from Spain; $3,749,815, or upward of 20 per cent, from the United States; $1,755,755, a little less than 10 per cent, from England; $1,445,600 from English possessions; $1,314,603 from Germany; and the rest from many other countries, including $913,069 from India and $692,780 from Cuba. The importations from English possessions consisted chiefly of fish from Canada. From Cuba came manufac- tured tobacco and chocolate; from Spain, hats and shoes, rice, wines, olive oil, soap, furniture, and cotton goods; from the United States, coal, kerosene oil, boards, pork and lard, and flour; from Germany, rice, beer, cheese, and building materials; from England, coal, corru- gated iron for roofs, cotton goods, machinery, and cheese; from India, Belgium, and Denmark, rice; and from South America, jerked beef. Bacalao (codfish) and rice are the chief articles of common diet. The importation of rice was enormous — 35,451,874 kilos, or 77,994,122 pounds — far exceeding in weight any other single article, not even excepting coal. In value it exceeded by a million pesos any other imported article. Of codfish, 11,244,245 kilos, valued at $1,461,752, was imported; of flour, 13,852,030 kilos, valued at $969,642; of pork 42 and lard, 4,649,784 kilos, valued at $1,309,935. Including rice, flour, fish, pork and lard, vegetables and canned produce, cheese, olive oil, and common wines, the food importations reached a value of nearly $8,000,000, or well-nigh 45 per cent of the entire list of foreign articles. The exports — $18,574.678 — were in 1897 heavier than the imports, the balance in favor of the island being $716,615, or, deducting the articles reexported, $494,478. Coffee leads the list of exports in value. The quantity exported was 23,504,999 kilos, valued at $12,222,599, which was less by 3 ? 157,195 kilos and $1,641,741 than in 1896. Next to coffee, constituting nearly two-thirds of the volume of exports, came sugar— 57,648,851 kilos, or 126,827,472 pounds (63,413 tons), valued at $4,007,9,99, an increase both in quantity and value over the crop of 1896. The value of the tobacco exported was $1,194,318; of molasses, $403,520, and of hides, $71,852. The coffee found market chiefly in Spain, France, Cuba, Germany, and Italy, very small amounts going to other European countries and the United States. The bulk of the tobacco crop went to Cuba to be manufactured. The United States, Spain, and Denmark took nearly all the centrifugal sugar; the United States and Spain most of the muscovado sugar, and the United States three-fourths of the molasses. Hides went chiefly to Spain, France, and Germany ; rum to Spain and Africa; cocoanuts to the United States and Cuba; oranges to the United States; the chocolate bean to Spain; cattle, of which the export value was $221,720, to Cuba and other West India islands; salt to the Dutch islands. Small quantities of vegetables, minor fruits, chickens, eggs, etc., are also exported. The imports were carried in 1,135 vessels — 809 steam and 326 sail- ing. Of the total number 210 were from Spain, 168 from the United States, 179 from 'the English possessions, 144 from Cuba, and 137 from England. The commerce of Porto Rico was controlled almost entirety by Spanish and European houses. Comparatively few Porto Ricans were engaged in either the banking or the mercantile branch. . The leading retail merchants were also Spaniards and had Spanish clerks. The majority of the planters or farmers were Porto Ricans, and the industries were mostly in their hands. Of the industries, apart from those belonging to the culture of the soil, which will be described under "Agriculture," there is little to be said. They are few in num- ber and small in extent. Salt is produced, notably at Cabo Rojo, by evaporation; hats, both common and fine, are made in the same sec- tion, chiefly by women ; there are a few factories of chocolate, soap, carriages, shoes, sdup paste, matches, ice, tinware, and trunks for domestic consumption. The manufacture of tobacco has assumed important proportions since the tariff was established on the raw material in Cuba and on the finished article in Porto Rico. All the cigarettes and most of the cigars used in the island are now made there. Rum is made in considerable quantities from the residuum of the sugar mills, and some of it is turned into bay rum, artificial bran- dies, and other liquors. There are sugar mills on many of the estates, very few of the most approved pattern, and centrifugal and musco- vado sugars and molasses are produced. The central system needs to be introduced for the sake of economy. Many mills are in ruins and vast sums of money have been wasted in niultiptying poor plants. In the beautiful valley of San German, from almost any point, one can see twelve or thirteen chimneys, the mills of most of which were long 43 since past grinding. The triple-effect system is found only in a very few mills, and these are owned almost entirely by Englishmen and other foreigners. The old method of pressing out the juice between wooden cylinders turned by oxen, with open boiling pans, in which the boiling liquor is skimmed by immense paddles and dipped by hand from one vat to another, is still used in many places. The waste from this process, known as the Jamaica train system, is very large, and it is difficult to see how any margin of profit is left to the producer. Coffee is prepared in primitive mortars and also by large modern mills, which strip off the inner husk, polish the berry, and color it for the European markets. The sorting and much of the cleaning also are done by hand, women and girls being employed at prices extremely low. There is excellent clay in the island from which bricks are made and also rude earthen jugs and roof tiles. The sea is well stocked with numerous varieties of fish, but comparatively few per- sons are engaged in catching and selling them, perhaps because of the difficulty of transporting them in a fresh state. They spoil utterly in a few hours. Oil was refined at Catano in a small refinery which the late hurricane destroyed. Many industries are possible which have not yet been undertaken, or undertaken in a small and ineffective way. The materials for the manufacture of soap and candles are abundant, and these articles command good prices. The cattle industry being large, and good tan bark from the mangle tree right at hand, tanneries might be estab- lished to cure hides which are now exported. There are numerous vegetable fibers, from which sacking, used in large quantities for sugar and coffee bags, could be made; also cordage, baskets, ham- mocks, sleeping mats, door mats, now made in small quantities, and a variety of useful articles. The yucca, from which a small quantity of starch is made, is easily raised, and the mayor of Fajardo says it yields a profit of $20 an acre. pf? • The commissioner questioned the people of Humacao, Yauco, and / other cities as to the materials for possible industries, and they gave long lists of them. The lack of capital was given as the reason why they have not been established. Perhaps initiative and technical knowledge are also wanting. It is of the utmost importance to the future of Porto Rico that its industries should be increased. When- ever coffee, sugar, and tobacco crops are destroyed by hurricanes, which visit the island three or four times a century, or bring small returns on account of low prices, the masses are in danger of starva- tion; not quick, direct starvation, which is hardly possible in a land where natural fruits are so abundant, but starvation of the slow kind, which gradually saps the strength, weakens the will power, and pre- pares the way for disease. The cry of labor is for more work, par- ticularly in the cities. The starting of new industries is an economical necessity, and it should be the policy of the United States to encour- age it. The prosperity of the island must be built on this basis. When labor is respected and well employed, the masses become larger consumers, and all classes of business are benefited. Spain never encouraged the Porto Paeans to establish any industry in the island which would unfavorably affect those of the Peninsula. For this reason its resources have never been developed, have never really enjoyed a golden age, and the mother country had. a restricted where \ it might have had an extensive market; for if the masses had been able to secure constant employment they would have bought Spain's fabrics to clothe themselves, and consumed quantities of articles that 44 they have been compelled to do without. In the United States a poor man carries an umbrella when it rains; in Porto Rico he protects him- self with a banana leaf. Give the latter the means and he will buy other things than codfish, rice, and a few garments of cheap cotton goods. AGRICULTURE. This is the chief, almost the only, source of industrial wealth in Porto Rico. Most of the lands — even the mountains — are susceptible to cultivation or use for pasturage. One may see on the military road near Cayey a tobacco field covering the whole side of a mountain from the base to the summit. The proportion of land under actual cultiva- tion is difficult to determine. It is not known certainly how much there is, as the area of the island has not been definitely ascertained, nor the surface occupied by water and by sites of cities and towns. The returns of the provincial board of taxation made in 1896 for rural estates may, however, be taken as a basis for an estimate. Those returns indicated that 294,973 acres were devoted to cane, coffee, tobacco, and other crops. > Taking 3,860 square miles, equal to 2,460,400 acres, as representing the area of Porto Rico, it would follow that a little less than one-eighth of the entire surface was under cultivation in 1896. Of pasture lands there were 1,116,262 acres and of forests and other similar areas 657,631, making a total for rural property of 2,068,866 acres. This would only leave 391,534 acres for city and town sites, streams and lakes, roads, etc. The common estimate of Porto Ricans is that only one-tenth of the cultivable lands are in actual cul- tivation at any one time. Partial returns of the bureau of agriculture at San Juan for 1899 show that in forty-five municipal districts eighty- one of two hundred and eighty-nine sugar-cane plantations are not in cultivation. The acreage devoted to the several crops, particularly to sugar cane and tobacco, varies from year to year. The tax returns indicate 60,953 rural estates and 50,753 owners. The lands are usually classified under four heads : Vegas de primera clase are alluvial lands, particularly valuable for sugar cane and cat- tle raising ; sobre vegas, higher lands, also alluvial, but not so rich as those of the first class; mountain lands, often requiring fertilizers, good for coffee, cattle, and small fruits; and, lastly, mountain tops, usually covered with forests. Along the coasts are sandy soils, good for little except cocoa palms, and tracts subject to the action of the tides, which could be redeemed by banks or dikes. The soils of the plains and valleys are generally very rich. They have borne crops for generations without the application of fertilizers, and seem to be well-nigh inexhaustible. There is a variety of soils — humiferous, consisting of organic matter ; argillaceous, or clayey ; siliceous, or sandy, and calcareous, or containing limestone. As classified for purposes of taxation, the alluvial soils of plains and valle3 7 s are con- sidered most valuable ; those of highlands, containing loam, with sand, clay, or lime, fall into the second classs ; lands producing inferior pasture, into the third, and rocky areas, which grow nothing but bushes, into the fourth. The crops most generally raised are, in the order of areas occupied, according to the agricultural census of 1896, coffee, 121,176 acres; cane, 60,884; tobacco, 4,222. Besides these are frutos menores, or minor products, including vegetables and bananas, to the raising of which 92,576 acres were devoted, and other crops, including oranges, 45 cocoanuts, and fruits in general, covering 16,115 acres. The lower alluvial lands of the coast plains and the valleys of the interior are well suited to cane; the elevated plains and the mountain valleys to coffee. Tobacco grows well in strong soils of the valleys and mountain sides. Cane, coffee, and tobacco are grown in every municipal district save Vieques, which produces no coffee. Coffee can not be raised without shade, as in Brazil. The coffee bushes need five years for full development, under the shade of banana or guava, or other trees. Bananas give both shade and fruit the first year; guavas and other trees in about five years. The coffee plant begins to bear full crops at the end of seven years, and continues in bearing condition to 25 and even 50 years of age. Coffee farms are exempted from taxes for the first five years. The amount produced varies from 1 or 1-J to 3 or more quintals per cuerda, a cuerda being a little less than an acre. The cost of production, including planting, picking, hulling, drying, sacking, and carrying to market, is estimated at about $10 per quintal. As the price was only $13 to $15 this year, there was little margin of profit; but this price was unusually low. .The average size of the coffee plantations in the neighborhood of Aibonito was said to be from 80 to 100 cuerdas. The grades of coffee produced are among the finest, and Porto Rican coffee brings excellent prices in European markets, for which it has to be polished and slightly colored. /The cane fields are found on the plains lying next to the coast line of the island and in some of the interior valleys. There are two systems of culture, one called the petty, by which planting is done in February or March and the crop is cut a year later; in the other, called the larger method, the planting is done in October and the entire cutting follows fifteen months later. Many of the lands are said to need fertilizing, much having been taken from them and little or nothing given back. The smaller farmers, having but little land, plant it so continuously that it fails to produce satisfactory results. On the larger plantations the process of alternation of crops can be carried out to some extent. Sugar plantations range in size from a few acres up to 700, 800, and even 1^000. The tendency in recent years has been to increase the size and diminish the number of plan- tationsj The planters go back to the days of slavery, which was abolished in 1873, as the golden days of the sugar industry. Then they got $5 and $6, where they scarcely get $3 now, and the expenses of production were then much smaller. Formerly they had sufficient capital to work their estates and did not need to borrow much; now they depend largely on borrowed capital, for which they pay from 9 to 16 or even 18 percent per annum, x The fall in prices in the world's markets has, of course, been due to increased production in other lands, in which the beet has become the rival of the cane. While cane producers elsewhere have improved their methods of cul- ture and manufacture, those of Porto Rico have changed but little. According to native experts, the production is only from 2 to 4 hogs- heads of 1,400 to 1,800 pounds each, when it might be 5 or 6 hogs- heads. They use seed from the same stock year after year. A dis- ease, affecting almost the whole of the stock, attacks it, and the pro- priety of changing the seed frequently had not even occurred to some of the growers. The changa (grillo-talpa), a cricket, commits great ravages among the young plants, and Spanish experts have failed to find a remedy. To almost all questions relating to improved methods 46 the planters gave the uniform answer that capital was required, and they had no capital. For example, the examination of the planters of one of the rich valleys proceeded substantially as follows : Q. What is the present state of the sugar industry? — A. Deplorable. Q. Due to what cause ? — A. Poverty of owners and of soil. Q. Why not use fertilizers?-— A. We have no capital. Q. Why do you not use phosphates from your mountains ? — A. Because we lack the means to mine them. Q. Why are you so poor? — A. Because, not having sufficient capital, we have to borrow at exorbitant rates of interest. Q. Why do not the planters unite for mutual improvement and defense and the study of methods ? — A. Because we have no money. Q. You have many poor mills and few good ones. Why do you not introduce the central system as an economical measure ? — A. Because we have no capital. Q. If your cane suffers from disease, why not try new seed? — A. We would, but we have no money. Certainly the condition of the sugar industry is deplorable, and the lack of capital is evident and affects all branches of agriculture. There is a combination of causes. First, decrease in prices, with no corresponding decrease in expenses of production and transportation; second, waste in method of manufacture; third, heavy interest rates; fourth, onerous direct taxes, amounting to 12^ per cent, or more, of net profits; fifth, high customs duties on machinery and heavy tax on the right of importation; sixth, withdrawal of capital by Spaniards returning to the Peninsula with the Spanish troops. -This last cause alone, considering the small amount of currency in circulation, would have serious results. While in other countries falling prices have been met by increased economy in production and manufacture, in Porto Rico planters seemed to be caught in a web of difficulties from which extrication was not possible. It is evident that, apart from the question of increased capital, at reasonable interest, to work their plantations, which they unite in urging as the first great need, and free access to the markets of the United States as the second, they must give more attention to methods of cultivating and manufactur- ing their crops, and agricultural experiment stations will be of great value. The third crop in value is tobacco. This was formerly a paying industry. The chief difficulty in growing it seems to be due to the changa. To protect the young plant from this insect, it is wrapped in the mamey leaf. This, it is said, affects its growth and its flavor. Formerly, most of the tobacco was shipped to Cuba, where it was manufactured. The tariff has shut it out of that market, and much of it is being manufactured at home. But there is no market except the home market ready for the manufactured article. The processes of cultivating and drying need, evidently, to be improved. Experts claim that the Porto Riean cigars have a green taste. The other vegetable crops are usually called f rutos menores. They consist of rice, corn — which is very highly esteemed as food, particu- larly by the colored people — potatoes, yams, bananas, squashes, toma- toes, and other garden produce. As seen in the markets, most of these articles are greatly inferior in size. Potatoes and tomatoes are scarcely larger than marbles; eggplants, cabbages, and pumpkins than goose eggs. The explanation generally given is that attention is absorbed by the chief crops, and the lesser ones are expected to pro- duce themselves, with little or no cultivation. The prices are gener- ally good. In the market at Ponce, in March, 1899, small native cabbages were selling at 10 and 12 centavos, while large imported cabbages brought 60 centavos a head. The appearance of the vegeta- 47 ble stands suggests that long use of seed of the same stock and lack of suitable culture have resulted in degeneration. It would seem that potatoes and onions equal to those of Bermuda might be produced and sent to markets in the United States in the winter or early spring, when the demand for those articles makes the prices remunerative. The commissioner was told that rice of fair quality is grown without great labor. As this is preeminently the food of the poor, the natural suggestion is that more of it should be raised for home consumption. Annotto, which yields a coloring material, is cultivated quite gener- ally; and yucca, out of which starch is manufactured, is, it is claimed, a profitable crop. The soil and climate seem to be well suited to the cacao, from the beans of which chocolate is made, and the production could be easily increased if there were better facilities for getting it to market. The fruits are such as are common to tropical countries. The orange, the culture of which is almost entirely neglected, is the finest fruit the island produces. It is large, juicy, very sweet, and has an exquisite flavor. The tree is seen almost everywhere, but yields the best results in the mountainous districts. It is very prolific, and in January, February, and March it is at its best, and the prices are remarkably cheap. They could be purchased in some districts at 10 centavos (about 6 cents) a hundred, and an American is said to have purchased a shipload at $2 a thousand. Few have been shipped to the United States, owing, it is said, partly to lack of certainty of transportation and partly to the cost of freightage. Cocoanuts are produced abundantly, particularly on the sandy shores, where little else will grow. Bananas grow everywhere in great variety and quan- tity, and form an important article of food for the poor. They require little attention and are very prolific. The small and delicious guineo is also grown. Unfortunately, it is too delicate to ship to other coun- tries. Among other fruits which are valued by all classes are lirnes, a .large and sweet kind of lemon, aguacates, or alligator pears, used for salad and spread on bread instead of butter; nispolas, very sweet and juicy; corazones, sweet and mushy; fresas, a small wild berry resembling the strawberry, with the flavor of the raspberry; pine- apples of a delicious quality; guayaba, of which excellent jelly is made; grosella, fruit of a tree, used for a dulce, or preserve; man- goes, tamarinds, and breadfruit. Grapes are also grown. At Fajardo the commissioner was informed that an excellent quality of Malaga grapes was raised there, and that three crops a year were gathered. The most obvious suggestion to those who study the soils and crops and agricultural methods of the island is the necessity of. improved culture of all products, and increased attention to vegetables and fruits. Porto Rico can and ought to raise more rice, potatoes, and similar articles for its own consumption, if not for export. Its oranges and pineapples, already very fine, can doubtless be developed by cul- ture to such a state of excellence as to compel recognition in the world's markets. But any material increase in native products for exportation can hardly be expected until better and cheaper facilities of inland transportation are secured. How the question of roads affects production is illustrated by the following questions and answers. Mr. Roig is a merchant, and owner of a sugar mill at Humacao : The Commissioner. What crops are raised here in addition to sugar? Mr. Roig. Corn, beans, yucca, a very few potatoes, some cabbage and other vegetables. We have a few oranges, also a few lemons, but only enough for our own use. Oranges are produced here easily. 48 The Commissioner. Why don't you raise larger quantities of oranges? Mr. Roig. Because no one has thought of doing so. I think there is more money in planting cane. The Commissioner. Do you raise rice? Mr. Roig. Very little. It flourishes, but it comes cheaper from outside? The Commissioner. Is it any trouble to raise it? Mr. Roig. No. The Commissioner. Why, then, do you import it? Mr. Roig. All the rice here is raised by the poor people. The Commissioner. Do you raise many bananas? Mr. Roig. Only for home consumption. The Commissioner. Why don't you raise them for export? Mr. Roig. I am unable to say. The Commissioner. I think I can tell you why. Your roads are so bad you can not get them to market. What other crops are raised? Mr. Roig. Cocoanuts. The Commissioner. Do you raise many for export? Mr. Roig. Yes. The Commissioner. You have plenty of land on which you could grow more for export, have you not? Mr. Roig. Yes; we come to what we said before. The Commissioner. Do you raise pineapples? Mr. Roig. Yes. The Commissioner. Do they require much labor? Mr. Roig. No. The Commissioner. You don't export any? Mr. Roig. No; or at least very few. Perishable products need quick as well as cheap transportation, and it is obvious that opportunities for sale may be lost by delay, and that regular service by carriers is a matter of importance. The raising of cattle is an important and lucrative industry. The pasture is generally abundant and of good quality, and the expense account is small. The breed is of African stock crossed with Euro- pean, and the cattle are large and heavy and Avell suited for the meat market and for working purposes. The cows are generally poor milk- ers, the maximum quantity being 8 or 10 quarts a day for each cow. Doubtless the fact that they are only milked once a day accounts in part for the small quantity. The quality of the milk is poor. The oxen are extensively used for plowing and carting, the race of horses having so degenerated, although originally of the famous Andalusian strain, that they are chiefly of use for the carriage and the saddle. A pair of oxen ready for work will bring $100, being worth more than a pair of ordinary ponies. Besides supplying the. domestic meat mar- ket, many cattle are shipped to other West Indian islands, chiefly Cuba. The number of head in the island in 1896 was upward of 300,000. The chief cattle districts are on the north side. The retail prices of beef vary from 28 to 40 or 42 centavos a kilo, or 2.2 pounds. CONDITION OF THE LABORING CLASSES. Those who depend upon daily wages for support constitute the great majority of the people. The sources of employment are not numerous. The raising, harvesting, and grinding of cane require many more hands than the care and cure of coffee or tobacco; but even on sugar estates the work is not continuous. Some are kept the year round; others only during the busiest season. .; The daily wages of the com- mon field laborer range generally from 35 to 50 cents, native money. A few of the more skilled get from 60 to 75 cents a day in the mills. Young boys and the few women employed receive about 25 or 30 cents a day. Women are rarely seen at work in the fields. Sometimes they 49 assist at, the mill in putting cane in the carrier which takes it to the cylinders. Men are paid by the day to work in the tobacco fields; but coffee pickers and sorters are hired, not by the day, but at so much by measure. Women and girls are found in' coffee houses doing the sorting, and also in tobacco factories. In the poor quarters at Arecibo the women who worked at coffee sorting stated that they made from 12 to 18 cents a day, never more than 24 cents. They received 6 cents a kettle. Ten kettles make a quintal, or a hundred pounds, and they could not do half a quintal a day. Laborers in the cane field usually go to work early in the morning, at 7 o'clock or before, and work steadily until 3 in the afternoon, when they quit for the day. On one estate visited by the commissioner they were served once during the forenoon with bread, presumably by the planter. In the mills the day is from sunrise to sunset. The house of the laborer is very small and very poor. In the rural districts it is built usually of thatch of the palm, leaves of the sugar cane, or other vegetable fibers. It is placed on four posts, standing from 1 to 3 feet from the ground. The floor is very uneven and far from tight. It has generally three rooms, sometimes only two. These rooms are usually about 6 by 7 or 8 by 10 feet in size. Fortunately, no sash is needed for the windows in that mild climate. Almost no furniture is visible. A kettle serves as a sort of portable range. In this, with a little charcoal or splinters of wood, whatever cooking is necessary is done. Sometimes a scissors bedstead, without mattresses or pillows, and with little covering, is seen ; sometimes a sack or two suspended from the roof does duty as a hammock. These houses are often occupied by families of five or more, who dispose themselves for sleep in the different corners of the room, often on palm branches. For chairs, a box or two must do as substitutes; and as for tables, it is not every man that can afford one. In the poor quarters of the cities the houses are often made of pieces of old boxes or short boards which have served some other purpose. In Arecibo houses of this class are ranged in rows or groups on very narrow streets or alleys. Several of these houses the com- missioner was allowed to examine. In one the husband and wife were seated on the floor eating their noon meal from a dish and a little naked child was in the back room crying. There was no chair or table, only a little wooden stool. Nothing else was visible, except the small charcoal stove already described. This house, the roof of which was full of holes, brought $2 a month rental to its owner. The woman was white, the man black. Other houses in this settlement were of the same description; some a little larger; some better kept and with more furniture; others a little l^es comfortable, perhaps. At one of the larger houses, preparations were being made for the usual Sunday night dance. Two men were practicing the music on a home made guitar, accompanied by a guira, a native instrument made of a gourd, over whose regularly lined surface a short, slender iron rod was scraped back and forth. Extreme poverty and squalor were in evidence, but there was no sign of vice and unhappiness. Living in this neighborhood of kind-hearted, polite, and sociable people were a woman, said to be over a hundred years old, evidently having Carib blood, and a helpless woman who had been a beggar. Both were eared for by those who esteemed themselves better off. The sick, in these small, crowded, dirty quarters, are not allowed to suffer for a bit of bread, or fish, or a little soup. The poor quarters of 1125 4 4y 50 Yauco are on the hillside. The houses were a little better, perhaps, than those in Arecibo. There were no sanitary arrangements of any kind, and the water used had to be brought from the river, distant a mile or more. Now and then a case of thrift will appear where, under similar conditions as those of the majority a family will have better food and better furniture and cleaner clothes than their neighbors, and sometimes own the house they live in. All are industrious, as a rule, and the only complaint they make is that they can not get work enough. The food of the poor varies in quantity and quality, according to their means. In the house of an intelligent laborer at Yauco the table was standing when the commissioner visited it. On it were small plates of rice and codfish. It was then 5 o'clock in the after- noon, and the family of five were taking their first meal that day, and said they were thankful for even the small portion they had. A woman who had been deserted by her husband was supporting four children. * She paid $1.25 a month rent, and earned about 25 cents a day picking coffee. Few of the laboring: classes are robust. Tbey are small and thin and are decidedly anaemic. More nourishing food may be said to be the universal need, and a less destructive drink than the native rum. Porto Ricans are not as a rule intern perate. Those who can afford it drink wine or beer with their meals in mod- eration; but the tariff and consumo tax on common wines put them beyond the reach of the poor. The fiery rum does them no little physical injury. A good supply of pure water is almost everywhere wanting. It would be a boon alike to the well-to-do and the poor. The old stone filter's in use are quite inadequate purifiers. The ordinary household utensils, not numerous, consist of a square tin case in which oil was imported, with a bar of wood across the top nailed to the sides to serve as a handle; a fire kettle, like a plumber's; cucharas and cucharitas, large and small spoons, and cups and ladles made of the gourd ; washtubs fashioned from the sheath of the royal palm, the ends being drawn together; mills for coffee and corn, circu- lar flat stones, and mortars hollowed out of trunks of trees, with the machete to serve as ax, hatchet, and knife, and fingers as a substitute for forks. The rule of the planters appears to have been to pay their laborers in money once a week. To this rule, however, there were exceptions. Sometimes they paid in vales or tickets, redeemable at the store of the proprietors. There were many complaints from workingmen that what they got at these stores was poor in quality and high in price. The law required that the wages be paid in money, but the employee had no means of enforcing it. Workingmen showed these vales to the commissioner and besought his intervention. On inquiry it appeared that some of those who paid in this way could not command the cash at all seasons of the year, and gave their employees the choice ,of quitting work or taking them. The field laborer is usually illiterate and is bringing up his children as he himself was raised, entirety without schooling. This is due in part to the lack of school accommodations in rural districts, partly to the want of suitable clothing, and in some measure to the failure of parents to appreciate the importance of education. The clothing of the poor is of the cheapest description and is very meager. The young children go entirely naked. Those who have two changes of clothing, usually thin cotton goods, consider themselves fortunate. As to shoes, 51 few wear them at all. A committee of iTusiness men in Ponce made a careful calculation of the number of shoes required annually for the people of the island. Their estimate was as follows : Fifty thousand wear four pairs a year; 50,000 wear three pairs a year; 50,000 wear two pairs a j^ear; 50,000 wear one pair a year. According to this, 150,000 of the 900,000 inhabitants wear shoes regularly, and 50,000 irregularly, leaving 700,000 as belonging to the barefoot class. The artisans are better educated, have better food, and wear better clothes. As their work is chiefly in the cities, it is a necessity for them to be suitably dressed. At the invitation of the commissioner, the artisans of San Juan, who are organized into a dozen or more gremios or unions, came to his headquarters one evening and were examined. There were eleven of them, representing painters, tinsmiths, silver- smiths, bookbinders, cigar makers, printers, masons, carpenters, bakers, shoemakers, and boatmen. Nine of the eleven were colored men, who seem to monopolize the trades, at least in the capital. All except one wrote his name and occupation in the stenographer's note- book. They were neatly dressed, well-appearing, intelligent men. Each spoke of his own trade. It appeared that their freedom of meet- ing had been restricted, and that they had not been allowed to concert strikes. The substance of their complaints was that their yearly in- come is too small to allow them to live comfortably and educate their children. In most cases their earnings were from $1 to $1.25 or $1.50 a day of ten or eleven hours. They complained of lack of work; that boys of 15 years or less are allowed to undertake toil too hard for them, breaking down their physical constitution, and that their trades were generally overcrowded. Skilled workmen in other cities were worse off. Coopers, tailors, and others on the average get employment for only four to six months a year. In Arecibo the commissioner was informed that many of the artisans were kept away from the hearing because they had no hats or shoes to wear. The carpenters and masons suffer because there is little building even in the cities ; the bakers, because there are so many of them; the tailors and shoemakers, because so many cheap clothes and shoes are imported; the printers, because there is so little demand for newspapers. The masons of Arecibo, numbering thiiiy-six, prepared a circular in January, 1899, asking those able to do so to build houses on the numerous vacant lots in that city in order to give masons and carpenters work, but natu- rally their appeal was without effect. Some of the masons make less than 75 cents a day. One of them in response to an inquiry said the conditions had been bad ever since he could remember. It is evident that the condition of the laboring classes can not be greatly improved unless agriculture becomes prosperous and minor industries are developed. This means practically a revolution in the methods of raising, and marketing crops, and it can not be accom- plished without the influx of new capital. How this shall be attracted is one of the problems for those interested in the regeneration of Porto Rico. It is manifest that the great object to be gained is the raising of the working classes to a higher level of intelligence, of effi- ciency as laborers, of power and influence as citizens, and of comfort and enjoyment as social creatures. Give them remunerative work, and all the rest is possible. They will then, as has already been said under another heading, want better houses, better furniture, better food and clothing, and this in turn will give increased employment to masons and carpenters and to producers of foodstuffs and the vari- 52 ous fabrics. The great wheel would turn all the lesser wheels. Laborers are good consumers when their labor is sufficiently paid, and there can be no real prosperity in which they do not share. THE TARIFF. The commissioner had the honor of making, in December last, a preliminary report on this subject, which will be found in another part of this report. Upon the basis of it, the Hon. Robert P. Porter, special commissioner for the United States to Cuba and Porto Rico, revised the schedules with the aim of levying, on the average, a rate of about 15 per cent ad valorem. The change in the value of the native money in United States currency, which took effect at about the same time, was taken into consideration. Previously the rate of $2 Porto Rican to II American had prevailed at the custom-houses; the new order made $1.66f Porto Rican receivable for $1 American in customs dues. As Mr. Porter points out, this alone made a "reduc- tion of 16f per cent in the amount of revenue paid in pesos." The effect of the new tariff was to give considerable relief to the people, particularly in the price of foodstuffs and the cheaper grades of cot- ton goods, and in machinery. All export duties were abolished. A special report of its operation was made by the commissioner to the Secretary of the Treasury from San Juan in February, 1899, from which it appears that at minor points changes are desired. The new tariff proves, so far, to be a good revenue producer. The receipts for imports in the first six months of 1899, including less than five months under the present tariff, amount to $697,902. For the same period in 1896 they were $705,033; in 1895,1606,065; in 1894, $464,987. There are no returns for 1898. The total amount collected in the year 1897, according to the official Estadistica General del Comercio Exterior de la Provincia de Puerto Rico, expressed in United States money, was $1,489,172; the export duties for the same year were $144,844. It is not possible with the data available to make an accurate comparison between the old tariff and the new as to net results. Attention is called to the statistics of manufacture of tobacco and manufacture and sale of liquors, gathered with a view to taxation for internal revenue. THE CURRENCY AND BANKING. The commissioner's views on the currency were also presented in a preliminary report. The action of the President in fixing the value of the peso in United States money was as just a solution of the problem as could have been reached. It only remains to complete the process by retiring the native currency when it can be done with- out injurjf to the interests of the island, and allowing the monej' of the United States to be the circulating medium of the island. The depreciated silver of the Spanish regime is a source of confusion in commercial transactions. Silver dollars and half dollars — American — of practically the same weight and fineness pass for dollars and half dollars, while the peso and 40-centavo piece are received at a little more than 60 cents and 24 cents, respectively. The time for the change will come when cabotage, or free commerce, is established between ports of Porto Rico and those of the United States. The people desire a monetary system which will harmonize with those of other countries. The currency in circulation is so limited in amount and the banking facilities so meager that borrowing has been attended with difficulties 53 and great expense. There is only one bank of issue — the Spanish Bank of Porto Rico, in San Juan — which had in circulation usually from $2,500,000 to $3,000,000 of paper money. These notes were accepted in some parts of the island, but they were not a legal tender, and did not circulate extensively outside of San Juan. The Terri- torial and Agricultural Bank, in San Juan, was founded in 1894 on the model of the Credit Foncier of France. Its nominal capital is $2,400,000, of which only one-fourth has been realized by the sale of shares. Its principal business is to make loans on long terms on first mortgages on real estate, for which it issues hypothecary bonds. These issues have not exceeded $1,000,000. There were two savings banks (caja de ahorra), one in Ponce and one in Mayaguez. Their cedulas (so large that they had to be folded) obtained some circulation. They were taken as a convenience instead of silver. There is great need of a banking system for Porto Rico which shall allow of the establishment of banks in the chief cities and towns of the island. The Spanish banking law permits the free establishment of note-issuing banks, provided they are supervised by a governor appointed bj^ the Government, the limit of circulating notes being fixed at three times the amount of the paid-up capital. Our national banks could not meet the urgent demand of the agriculturists for long- time loans on mortgages on real estate, but they would be of incal- culable benefit to the merchants and business men. They could issue notes and thus increase the circulating medium; they could lend on collaterals for short terms; they would bring banking facilities into every considerable community, and business transactions would be largely by check instead of by shipments of silver. The conditions of the agriculturists are peculiar, and they unite in saying that loans for periods of from twentj^ to thirty or forty years are absolutely nec- essary. The Agricultural Bank met their needs in so far as it had ability; but its scale of business was far too limited, and but few could get accommodations from it. They suggest the establishment of similar banks in other cities, or, failing in that, a large increase in the capital of the existing bank, the guarantee of its securities by the Government, and their recognition in the stock markets of the United States. CHANGES UNDER THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT. The government of the island, its various civil institutions, its codes and its courts, the systems of taxation, etc., have been modified in very important particulars since the American occupation began, October 18, 1898. It will be useful; perhaps, to indicate the more important changes. Under Gen. John R. Brooke orders were issued declaring — (1) That the political relations of Porto Rico with Spain were at an end; that provincial and municipal laws were in force in so far as not incompatible with the changed conditions, and that they would be enforced substantially as they were before. (2) Abolishing the use of all stamped paper and stamps of every kind for documents, public and private. (3) Exempting all conveyances and contracts from the payment of royal dues. (4) Discontinuing the diputacion provincial, and distributing its duties among the secretaries or ministers. (5) Directing that appeals should not be sent to the supreme court in Madrid, but should be heard by the superior court at San Juan. 54 (6) Abolishing the subdelegation of pharmacy which gave degrees to pharmacists. (7) Making the fisheries free to all. Appropriations for the support of the church ceased with American occupation, and the Government lottery was discontinued. Under the military government of Gen. Guy V. Henry, orders were issued — (1) Appointing military commissions to try cases of arson and mur- der which had accumulated in the civil courts. (2) Closing public offices on Sunday, as far as possible. (3) Suspending the municipal tax on fresh beef for use of the Army. (4) Making Christmas and New Years holidays. (5) Forbidding grants or concessions of public or corporate rights or franchises without the approval of the commanding general and the Secretary of War. (6) Abolishing the municipal consumo tax on articles of food, fuel, and drink, and providing for additional assessments on the sale of liquors and tobacco. (7) Separating the collection of customs duties from that of direct taxes. (8) Establishing a new system of land taxation, by which agricul- tural lands should be taxed according to the several classes instituted, from 1 peso down to 25 centavos per cuerda, and levying 50 per cent additional on lands whose owners reside abroad. (9) Providing for the free vaccination of the people of the island. (10) Prohibiting the exhumation of bodies in the cemeteries, recog- nizing the right of priests to control burials in consecrated grounds, and requiring municipalities to keep cemeteries in repair. (11) Reducing notarial fees from $1.88 to $1, from 14.50 to $1, from $11 to $1, and from $1 to 50 cents, according to class of document and canceling others. (12) Reorganizing the cabinet, so as to make all the secretaries di- rectly responsible to the governor-general. (13) Suspending the foreclosure of mortgages on agricultural prop- erty and machinery for one year. -■■>. (14) Appointing February 22 a holiday. (15) Prohibiting the sale of liquor to children under 14 years of age. (16) Modifying the civil marriage law. — (17) Declaring that eight hours shall constitute a day's work. -t- (18) Creating an insular police. Under the military government of Gen. George W. Davis orders were issued — (1) Modifying the order of General Henry concerning hours of labor, so as to allow agreements between employer and employee for longer or shorter .hours. (2) Naming May 30 as a holiday. ' (3) Allowing the writ of habeas corpus to be issued. (4) Constituting a board of prison control and pardon. (5) Continuing the observance as a holiday of June 24. (6) Creating a provisional court on the basis of circuit and district courts of the United States for the hearing of cases not falling within the jurisdiction of local insular courts. (7) Creating a superior board of health for the island. (8) Reorganizing the bureau of public instruction and the system of education. 55 (9) Relieving the judiciary from all control by the department of justice, discontinuing the office of secretary of justice, and appointing a solicitor-general. (10) Abolishing the sale at auction of the privilege of slaughter of cattle, .and making it free. (11) Reorganizing the judicial system of the island, with a supreme court in San Juan and district courts in San Juan, Ponce, Mayaguez, Arecibo, and Humacao, and with modifications of civil and criminal procedure. (12) Discontinuing the departments of state, treasury, and interior, and creating bureaus of state and municipal affairs, of internal reve- nue, and of agriculture, to be placed under the direction of a civil secretary, responsible to the governor-general, and continuing the bureaus of education and public works, with an insular board of nine members to advise the governor-general on matters of public interest referred to them. • The reductions in the budget of expenditures have been extensive. That of 1898-99, adopted in June, 1898, amounted to $1,781,920, native money. The appropriations for "general obligations," which went to Madrid, $498,502; for the clergy, $197,945; for the army, $1,252,378; for the navy, $222,668, making a total of $2,171,493, ceased to be obligations, leaving $2,610,428 for the fiscal year. A new budget was adopted for the calendar year 1899, which still fur- ther reduces expenditures, calling only for $1,462,276. This budget, if carried out, would have involved a reduction from the proposed budget of 1898-99 of $3,319,644; but a new budget was formed, as already stated, for 1899-1900, which appears to call for an increase over this very moderate sum. The revenues were reduced by the abolition of stamped paper, personal passports, export duties, royal dues on conveyances, the lot- tery system, and other sources of income, amounting, all told, to less probably than a million of pesos. WHAT PORTO RICO EXPECTS FROM THE UNITED STATES. All classes of natives of the island welcomed the American Army, American occupation, and American methods, and accepted without hesitation the Stars and Stripes in place of the red and yellow bars. They had not been disloyal to the old flag; but it had come to repre- sent to them, particularly during the present century, in which a class feeling developed between the insular and the peninsular Spaniard, partiality and oppression. In the short war, some of the natives occu- pying official positions made demonstrations of loyalty to the Crown of Spain, as was perfectly natural, but they were among the first to submit to American rule when the protocol promised cession of the island to the United States. On the other hand, as the commissioner is informed, a Porto Rican who had hoped and prayed for American intervention for fifty years enrolled himself as a Spanish citizen some months after the war was concluded, and his hopes had been realized. Porto Ricans generally complained that the former Government dis- criminated in favor of the Spaniard, who, in the distribution of the offices, was preferred to the native, and who, aided by the powerful influence of the authorities, prospered in business as banker, mer- chant, manufacturer, or agriculturist. They also insist that the inter- nal improvement of the island was neglected; that agriculture bore 56 more than its share of the burden of taxation; that the assessments were very inequitable and unequal ; that education was not fostered, and that in general the welfare of the people was not the first concern of their rulers. They expect under American sovereignty that the wrongs of cen- turies will be righted; that they will have an honest and efficient government; the largest measure of liberty as citizens of the great j Republic under the Constitution; home rule as provided by the Terri- torial system; free access to the markets of the United States and no customs duties on goods coming from our ports; a school system modeled after that of the United States ; the adoption of the English language in due time and the general adaptation to the island of all those institutions which have contributed to the prosperity, progress, and happiness of the American people. The largest and most representative gathering, since American occupation, was held in San 5uan, October 30, 1898, without distinc- tion of party or class with the object of consultation and formulation of a programme for the future, In brief, the propositions of the congress as submitted to the commissioner for presentation to the President of the United States were these : Immediate termination of military and inauguration of civil government; establishment of the Territorial sj^stem, with laws common to other Territories of the Union; a legisla- ture in two branches; suffrage for all male citizens of 21 j^ears of age or over, the right to be surrendered at the end of the first two years by those who do not then know how to read and write; judicial reform; introduction of the jury system; autonomy for municipal govern- ments; taxation on the basis of valuation; free and reciprocal com- merce with the ports of the United States; aid for agriculture; obligatory and universal education; trade schools; savings banks. This programme of reforms seems to have very general support, although there is a difference of opinion on certain points. Many Porto Ricans urged the commissioner to represent them as desiring that the military regime be made as short as possible, not because the military governors were in any way objectionable or their rule op- pressive, but because the civil status of the island should be fixed with no unnecessary delay. There was no other opinion except among foreign subjects, many of whom thought that the people were not yet ready for self-government, and that the firm hand of military power would be needed for probably two years. CAPACITY FOR SELF-GOVERNMENT. The question of capacity for self-government lies at the threshold of the whole subject. It may be said, without fear of contradiction, that Porto Ricans have had little opportunity to show their capacity, / and such experience as they may have gained in the government of cities and in minor official positions was under a system not the most l suitable for developing efficient, independent, impartial, and honest public servants. They, themselves, see this clearty and admit it. They condemn unsparingly the old methods, and say that they want to begin the era of iheir new relations with better institutions, under sounder and juster principles, and. with improved methods. Their anxiety to learn fully equals their willingness to accept the American plan of government. This is not so new to them as manj 7 have sup- posed. Some of them have been educated in American institutions, not a few of them know our language, and while they might not be 57 able to pass a thorough examination in American civil government their aspirations for the past half century have been toward the United States as a deliverer, and when their allegiance to the Penin- sula was broken they knew pretty well what the rights and privileges of American citizenship were. They are quick in intellectual appre- hension, and have little trouble, either the old or the young, in learn- ing to read when there is an object to be gained in doing so. If the desire to assume the burdens of local self-government may be taken as indicating some degree of capacity for self-government, the people of Porto Rico certainly have the desire. They may be poor, but they are proud and sensitive, and would be bitterly disap- pointed if they found that they had been delivered from an oppress- ive yoke to be put under a tutelage which proclaimed their infe- riority. Apart from such qualifications as general education and experience constitute, the commissioner has no hesitation in affirming that the people have good claims to be considered capable of self- government. . Education and experience, although too high a value ean hardly be set upon them, do not necessarily make good citizens. Men may be well educated and yet be bad morally. Moral conduct is the first and most indispensable qualification for good citizenship. The ignorant and the vicious are often spoken of as though always in one class. In some measure they are; but so are the intelligent and the vicious. Education is not the invariable line which separates good citizens from bad, but active moral sense. m The unswerving loyalty of Porto Rico to the Crown of Spain, as demonstrated by the truth of history, is no small claim to the confi- dence and trust of the United States. The people were obedient under circumstances which provoked revolt after revolt in other Spanish colonies. The habit of obedience is strong among them. Their respect for law is another notable characteristic. They are not turbulent or' violent. Riots are almost unknown in the island; so is organized resistance to law; brigandage flourished only for a brief period after the war and its object was revenge rather than rapine. They are not a criminal people. The more violent crimes are by no means common. Burglary is almost unknown. There are many cases of homicide, but the number in proportion to population is not as large as in the United States. Thievery is the most common crime, and petty cases make up a large part of this list of offenses. The people as a whole are a moral, law-abiding class, mild in disposition, easy to govern, and -possess the possibilities of developing a high type of citizenship. The fact that so many of them enter into marital rela- tions without the sanction of state or church is, of course, a serious reflection upon their social morality. Half or more of their children are illegitimate. From this stigma they can not escape. But too much to their discredit may be easily inferred from this scandalous state of affairs. Their apparent defiance.of social, civil, and ecclesiastical law is not due to immoral purpose, but to conditions of long standing, against which they have deemed it useless to struggle. It is the gen- eral testimony that persons living together without the obligations of marriage are as a rule faithful to each other, and care for their off- spring with true parental love and devotion. They are industrious, and are not disposed to shirk the burdens which fall, often with crushing force, upon the laboring class. Their idleness is usually an enforced idleness. No doubt the ambition of many needs to be stimulated, for their lot has been so hopeless of an improvement that the desire for more conveniences and comforts may 58 have been well-nigh lost. They seem to have few customs or preju- dices which would prevent them from becoming good American citizens. The question remains whether, in view of the high rate of illiteracy which exists among them, and of their lack of training in the responsi- bilities of citizenship, it would be safe to intrust them with the power of self-government. The commissioner has no hesitation in answer- ing this question in the affirmative. Who shall declare what is the requisite measure of capacity for self-governmentV It may be put so high as to rule out all the Central and South American nations and some of the nations of Europe which have demonstrated practical!}* their capacity for self-government. Tribes living in a very primitive state of civilization show capacity to maintain order, to protect their com- mon interests, and defend themselves against enemies, and to hold individuals accountable to a more or less crude and imperfect system of law. Some measure of such capacity is common to the human race, better developed among some peoples than among others, but characteristic of all. Porto Ricans are surely better prepared than were the people of Mexico, or of the colonies in Central and South America, which have one after another emancipated themselves from foreign domination and entered upon the duties and privileges of self- government. Revolutions marked their earlier history with violence and bloodshed, because they were a warlike people; but out of it has come increased capacity and steady advance toward settled peace, with prosperity. The Porto Ricans will make mistakes, but they will not foment revolutions or insurrections. They will learn the art of governing the only possible way — by having its responsibilities laid upon them — and they will fit themselves for the discharge of their obli- gations by establishing at once a system of free schools that will give every boy and girl a chance to remove the reproach of illiteracy. The father who wishes his son to learn to swim does not row him all day upon the lake, but puts him into the water and the child's fear of drowning will stimulate to those exercises which lead to the art of swimming. Let Porto Rico have local self-government after the pat- tern of our Territories and she will gain by her blunders, just as cities' and States in our own glorious Republic are constantly learning. It should be remembered that Porto Rico is not asking for inde- pendent self-government. The people are far from desiring separa- tion from the United States. This simplifies the problem and reduces the risk; for what they might not be able to do if left entirely to their own resources, they may easily accomplish under the strong protecting hand of the Government of the United States. The system will be given them by Congress, their chief executive and a few other officials will be Americans, and with a strong central insular government, to which they are accustomed and against which they will not protest, they may be started on their new career under favorable auspices. AS TO CHANGE OF LANGUAGE AND CUSTOMS. The commissioner is convinced by what he saw, heard, and learned in Porto Rico by contact with all classes, that Avhile many changes and modifications are desired and are absolutely essential to the future welfare of the island, the existing institutions and laws, usages, and customs should not be revolutionized or severely reformed. The customs and usages and language of a people are not like old vest- ments, which maybe laid aside at command, but become a part of their 59 life, and are very dear to them. They will learn our customs and usages, in so far as they are better than their own, as they learn our language. A native lady, a grandmother, said to the commissioner: "Sir, I am glad the Americans have come. We must learn the Eng- lish language. I shall not learn it; my son will not learn it; we are too old; but my grandchildren will learn it, the children of the island will learn it in the free schools which our new metropolis will cause to be established." The attachment to the language has long and strong- roots. It will not do and it is not necessary to take any harsh meas- ures to sever it. Said one of the leading native scholars and lawyers, an ardent American and a very progressive man : "I love the Spanish language. I lisped it in my mother's arms; I whispered its soft words to her who became my wife; I think in it, and in it are all the beautiful prose and poetry known to me." Both Spanish and English may be used side by side for years to come. The codes, civil, commercial, and penal, need to be amended, but not abrogated or superseded ; the courts to be reorganized, not revolu- tionized; judicial procedure and administration to be reformed, not created anew; the system of property registration has some x~>oints of advantage over our own, and it does not need to be recast, provided the abuses are remedied ; municipal government requires development, and the civil divisions of the island should be arranged upon another plan. The commissioner is convinced that an adaptation of the village, town, and county system of the United States is necessary to efficient internal government in Porto Rico. Some of the municipal districts are as large as counties. The population of the municipal seat is often but a small fraction of that of the whole district, yet its streets, plazas, lights, police, fire department, public charity, etc., are maintained at the expense of the majority in the rural portions who do not enjoy these conveniences. Township and village organizations would relieve rural taxpayers, and, what is of even greater importance, encourage concentration of population, which is now so scattered that it is ex- tremely difficult, if not impossible, to provide school and other neces- sary facilities for thousands of people. The county system would secure equality of assessment as between different towns and villages, make effective school and road superintendence possible, and provide natural divisions for courts, registration of property, etc. Attention is called to Dr. Tomas Vasquey's plea for concentration of peones in villages as the only method of improving their condition, socially, morally, and intellectually. Even this reform, however, should not be forced upon the people. They should be allowed to introduce it in their own time. FREE COMMERCE BETWEEN PORTO RICO AND THE UNITED STATES. In recommending that Porto Rico be given a form of government modeled after that of our Territories, the commissioner does not for- get that the fixing of the status of the island, as that of our older Span- ish Territories of Arizona and New Mexico, involves the abolition of customs duties between our ports and those of our new possession. Indeed, that is one of the reasons why Territorial government should be given. The question of statehood is not now in issue. The power that grants Territorial rights can grant or refuse statehood, and may be trusted not to make undue haste, seeing that Territories organized from thirty-six to fifty years ago have not yet had their pleas for admission to the Union favorably acted upon. Free access to our 60 markets is a matter of far more moment to Porto Rico than the possi- bility of statehood. Without asking the consent or advice of the people of the island, we separated it from its relations to the Peninsula, and took it under our own control. By that action we caused the markets of Spain to be closed to its products, except upon terms to which the commerce of all foreign nations must submit in Spanish ports. It sold in Spain; it bought in Spain. Since American occupation, it finds itself without a single free market either of sale or purchase. Customs duties bar it from Spanish ports and from the ports of the United States with equal rigor. It pays the same rates at its ports for what it buys in the United States as for what it buys in Spain and other foreign countries. The embarrassment of unusually low prices for its prod- ucts is increased by the rates it has to pay to, find either its old or new customers. The sister island of Cuba, which used to buy coffee and cattle of it, and manufactured its tobacco, is now foreign territory. Under these circumstances she turns to the United States and begs that reciprocal relations of mother and daughter may be established and that iii our markets she may buy and sell as freely as Arizona or New Mexico or Alaska. It is difficult to see how this prayer can be denied or disregarded. There is but one reason for doing either, and that is, Porto Rican sugar and tobacco will come into competition with the sugar and tobacco of the United States. We must, it is said, protect our farmers. True; but is not Porto Rico ours as really as Arizona, and are not Porto Rican farmers our farmers? And if they have advantage in the markets of the United States, shall not the merchants and manufacturers of the United States have compen- sating advantage in a new market for their wares and manufactures in Porto Rico? The Porto Rican sugar crop is small compared with that of the United States. According to the statistics of the Treasury Department, our sugar production^ including cane, sorghum, and beet, amounted in 1896 to more than 383,000 tons; while the island's total export the same year was a little over 61,000 tons. The com- parative production of the two countries is as 6 to 1 in favor of the Union. This does not prove that the free admission of Porto Rican sugar would not affect our sugar market, but it does not indicate that it would unsettle it. Of Porto Rico's export of sugar in 1896, 35,512 tons, or somewhat less than three-fifths, came to the United States, paying dutj^, of course. The exports of tobacco from Porto Rico in 1896 amounted to 2,215,245 pounds, which was the bulk of the crop, as a comparatively small proportion was manufactured in the island. The tobacco pro- duction of the United States, as estimated by the Department of Agriculture, was, in 1896, 403,000,000 pounds, in round numbers. The amount of the Porto Rican export is hardly an appreciable quantity compared with the crop of the United States. It is as 1 to 182. The value of the former was less than 423,000 pesos, or, valuing the peso at $1.66f toll American, less than $255,000 American. Our imports of tobacco leaf in 1895 amounted to 114,745,720. Practically, so far as the sugar and tobacco producers of the United States are concerned, leaving the revenues to the Government out of sight, the admission of these Porto Rican products free would mean adding about 61,000 to our 690,666 acres devoted to cane and sorghum, according to the census of 1890, and 4,222 to our 695,301 acres of tobacco. In the first case the increase would be less than one-tenth; 61 in the second, less than one one hundred sixty-fifth, or hardly a healthy annual development. No doubt the opening of the Government reservations now consti- tuting the Territory of Oklahoma resulted in a considerable increase of the agricultural productions of the United States, but no one thought of raising objection to the settlement of the new lands, because it was recognized as a natural and satisfactory development of the national domain. The difference between Oklahoma and Porto Rico is chiefly geographical. The former provided for an overflow of pop- ulation from "surrounding States, the latter will furnish a field for American capital and American enterprise, if not for overflow of population. It is American and must and will be Americanized. THE RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE. The United States may surely venture to show a trust in Porto Rico equal to that of Spain. It has been seriously proposed that no pro- vision be made for giving the franchise to the people of that island. Is the new sovereignty to be less liberal than the old ? Are rights long- enjoyed to be taken away? Is less to be granted than under the autonomist decree; less than under the electoral law of 1890? The question of giving the right of suffrage to a horde of ignorant men may be a serious one under certain conditions. Educational and property qualifications may be considered requisite by those who are distrustful of the masses, but republics are founded on trust of the body of the people, learned and unlearned. Moreover, it is possible to be intelligent and at the same time illiterate, as princes and kings of bygone centuries, and many excellent citizens of the United States, have demonstrated. The Spanish electoral law of 1890 gave the right of suffrage to all Spaniards over 25 years of age — "universal suffrage," as it was termed. The provision was as follows: All male Spaniards over 25 years of age who are in the full enjoyment of their civil rights and are residents of a municipality in which they have resided at least two years, are electors in the islands of Cuba and Porto Rico. This paragraph occurs both in the electoral law of 1890 and in the adaptation of that law for the autonomist system, for which it was not changed, except that the restriction of the right to taxpayers in Porto Rico was removed. Those who were specially excepted by the law were noncommissioned officers and privates in the army and navy, those serving sentence for crime, bankrupts and insolvents who have not paid their debts, taxpayers in arrears for taxes, and persons liv- ing on charity — who were not allowed to vote. The voting privilege extended to municipal coun oilmen, to members of the provincial dep- utation, and to deputies to the Cortes. Senators were elected by cor- porations and the larger taxpayers. If it should be thought wise to modify the Spanish electoral law so as to restrict the suffrage, the exclusion of all the illiterate would leave the right to vote as a monopoly of the few. If the illiterate who have a certain amount of property were included, the number of voters would be increased somewhat, but would still be a minority. What Spain thought it wise and safe to concede the United States ought not to deny, except, possibly, as a stimulus to education. With this in view, it might be deemed wise to grant suffrage to all males of 21 years or over (instead of 25 as in the Spanish law), with the proviso that those who do not learn to read in the next ten years shall be deprived of the right. The term suggested by the native 62 congress is two years; but it is manifest that this does not give suf- ficient opportunity to meet the condition. With no schools and no teachers, how is the peasant to learn to read'? If he is to be denied the right of a freeman on the ground of inability to read, it would be fairer to provide him first with the facilities and opportunity to learn to read, and then if he fails, after a reasonable time, to improve them, impose the penalty of deprivation of the franchise. Any propositions for restrictions, however, will be in the nature of a curtailment of popular rights conceded by the Spanish law. No such restrictions were proposed in any of the acts granting Territorial gov- ernment to New Mexico, Arizona, and other Territories. Neither educational nor property qualifications were required. As to illiter- acy, New Mexico has been a Territory nearly fifty years, and yet of its population above the age of 10 years more than 44 per cent, accord- ing to the census of 1890, are illiterate. The illiterates of Porto Rico, estimated on this basis, would constitute between 75 and 80 per cent. What the effect of manhood suffrage will be under our Territorial system it is, of course, impossible to predict. Intelligent Porto Ricans are by no means unanimous in favor of it. They recognize dangers in the free exercise by ignorant men of the right of participation in government. But the Territorial system, while granting self-govern- ment, retains for the legislative and executive branches of the Fed- eral Government large powers of control. By a provision in the act creating the Territory of New Mexico ' ' all laws passed by the legis- lative assembly and governor shall be submitted to the Congress of the United States, and if disapproved shall be null and of no effect." This reservation might be made with respect to Porto Rico. It is also desirable that a measure of control over municipal administra- tion should be secured to the provincial government. It would not be wise, in granting municipal autonomy, to leave the cities without provincial supervision. In an excess of zeal for municipal improve- ment the mayor and council might contract ruinous debts, mortgage the revenues beyond the safety line, and lay enormous burdens on the shoulders of the people. The Spanish system of administration, whatever faults ruay be charged against it, kept the cities out of debt very generally. Its motto seems to have been, "Pay as you go, and contract no obligations beyond the possibilities of the revenues." Bonded debts were few, and were in every instance authorized by the provincial government. As the secretary of state, under the Spanish system, had superintendence of municipal administration, it would be wise to place a reasonable measure of control in his hands under the Territorial plan. DEPARTMENTS AND SALARIES. As the executive power of the Governor- General of Porto Rico was exercised through four regular departments, as the people are familiar with that division of duties, and as the volume of business to be trans- acted is large, the commissioner suggests that similar departments be provided for in the legislation by Congress, as follows : State, treasury, and interior departments, with an attorney-general as legal adviser of the government, and also to have supervision over the fiscals or dis- trict attorneys. The treasury would be charged with receiving and paying out provincial funds, and also with disbursing, perhaps, so much of the receipts from customs and internal revenue as may be required to pay the salaries which may be made a charge upon the 63 United States Treasury. The interior department should be charged with control over public works, public instruction, agriculture, com- merce, and industry, etc. In fixing the salaries of governor-general, heads of departments, and justices, some regard must be had to what custom requires of these officials, in the maintenance of dignity of position and in liberal social entertainment. The Governor-General received a salary of $20,000, under Spanish domination, with liberal appropriations for expenses at the palace, visitation of the cities of the island, etc. The secretaries received $6,000 each, the judges of the supreme court from $3,500 to $4,500, the judges of the criminal courts $3,500 and $3,750, and the district judges, $1,700 to $2,250. This was in Porto Rican x money. With the exception of the pay of the Governor-General, the salaries were not excessive. The extravagance in the salary accounts of former budgets was not in the amounts of individual salaries, but in the multiplication of official positions. The government clerks were in general very poorly paid, receiving from $300, in the fifth class, to $700 in the first class. There were a great many useless positions, as the ex-secretary of justice, Seiior Herminio Diaz, has pointed out elsewhere. In American money the salaries of the secretaries would be about $3,600, and those of the judges of the supreme court from $2,100 to $2,700. Rents and living are high in San Juan, compared with other parts of the island. A salary of $3,600 American, is not too much for the secretaries, nor $2,500 to $3,000 too much for judges of the supreme court. That of the Governor-General might be reduced from $12,000, American, to $8,000, with reasonable allowances for clerical help and' maintenance of the palace. The commissioner calls attention to the testimony taken in Porto Rico at public hearings in alcaldias or city halls, to the statements, memorials, and resolutions presented to him, to the statistics of the census of 1897, of the finances, commerce, crops, births, deaths, and marriages, and much other information given in the appendix to this report, and begs to conclude with the following recommendations : RECOMMENDATIONS. (1) That the Constitution and laws of the United States be extended to Porto Rico; that all citizens of that province who do not, under the terms of the treaty of Paris, announce their intention to maintain their allegiance to Spain be declared citizens of the United States, and that all male citizens above the age of 21 years residents of said province at the time of American occupation shall be entitled to vote at the first election. (2) That a Territorial form of government, similar to that estab- lished in Oklahoma, be provided for Porto Rico, with an executive department consisting of a governor-general, an assistant governor- general who shall serve as seeretarj^ of state, a secretary of treasury, a secretary of interior, and an attorney-general, all to be nominated by the President and to hold office for a term of four years ; a legislative branch, consisting of the governor-general, and a senate and assembly to be elected by the people — the senate to consist of 14 members, 2 to be chosen in each of the seven departments of administration, known as San Juan, Arecibo, Aguadilla, Mayaguez, Ponce, Guayama, and Humacao ; the assembly to consist of members apportioned to the popu- lation on the basis of 1 member to every 25,000 inhabitants; a judicial department, embracing a supreme court, district courts, and municipal 64 courts, or justices of the peace, the supreme court to consist of a chief justice and 4 associate justices, and the district courts, of which there shall be eleven, as provided under the former government, of 3 judges each. (3) That the legislative power shall extend to all rightful subjects of legislation consistent with the Constitution of the United States, including regulations for the exercise of the elective franchise and the division of the province into municipal, administrative, judicial, and legislative districts. (4) That no bill passed by the legislative branch shall become a law if the governor-general refuse to sign it, except by a two-thirds vote of each house. (5) That the legal voters of the island be permitted to elect a Dele- gate to Congress. (6) That the penal, civil, and commercial codes be continued in force, in so far as they are consistent with the Constitution of the United States, until a commission, to be appointed by the President, shall consider, revise, and amend them, and Congress shall have approved such revision. (7) That a commission of five persons, three of whom shall be na- tives of thie island and two of the United States, shall be appointed by the President to revise and, if necessary, recast the codes. (8) That provision be made for trial of criminal cases before juries; also, of certain classes of civil suits. (9) That the Federal banking laws and the laws relating to patents for inventions and designs and the registration of trade-marks, prints, and copyrights be extended to Porto Rico. (10) That provision be made for the appointment of a commission of three persons who shall constitute a court of claims to sit in Porto Rico and hear and adjudicate all claims to property, ecclesiastical and secular, arising under the terms of the treaty of Paris. (11) That the mortgage law be so amended as to permit edifices constructed and used for public worship to be inscribed by registra- dores (registrars), the same as any other property, on presentation of proofs of title. (12) That congregations using church edifices for public worship shall not be disturbed in the use thereof until the question of legal title thereto is settled. (13) That for the period of five years after the installation of the new civil government the receipts of the custom-houses and internal- revenue office in the island, after the expenses of collection and the salaries of the governor-general and other Territorial officers and other expenses made payable from it have been met, shall be appro- priated as a school fund for said Territory- to be used in providing suitable buildings and apparatus for the schools of the island. (14) That the establishment of counties, upon the American plan, with cities, towns, villages, and townships as subordinate divisions, be referred to the governor-general and legislature of Porto Rico, to be provided for at such time and in such manner as they may deem best. (15) That the people of the several municipal districts be allowed to continue to elect their councilmen ; that the right to elect the alcalde, or mayor, be conceded to them, and that the revision of the system of municipal government be intrusted to the governor-general and legislature of Porto Rico. 65 (16) That municipalities which own and maintain public ceme- teries be required to provide burial places for all persons, with no dis- crimination for or against any in respect to suitability or eligibility of burial places or in the care of the grounds, and that the general prac- tice of exhumation of bodies be forbidden, so that perpetual graves shall be provided for all. (17) That the amendments respecting civil marriage adopted by the military government be continued in force until the civil code is revised. (18) That in view of the disastrous hurricane of August 8, 1899, which brought ruin upon the agricultural interests of the island, the law of foreclosure of mortgages on agricultural property and machinery be further suspended until January 1, 1901. (19) That the codes, the laws of the Territorial legislature, and official acts of the governor-general shall be published both in Spanish and in English ; that the courts shall be provided with interpreters of the English language, and that all papers in cases of appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States shall be in English. (20) That provision be made for the retirement of the silver coins of Porto Rico, known as the peso, the 40, 20, 10, and 5 centavo pieces, and the copper centavo and 2-centavo coins, and their recoinage in the mints of the United States as United States coins. (21) That the governor-general and legislature of Porto Rico be required to make provision for universal and obligatory education in a system of free public schools, in which the English language shall be taught. (22) That the lottery be prohibited ; also the issuing of licenses by municipalities permitting begging and prostitution. (23) That a survey be made of the coast of Porto Rico; also of the harbors and roadsteads, with a view to their improvement. (24) That an agricultural experiment station be established in Porto Rico, and the publications of the Department of Agriculture be made available to the planters in their own language; also, that the Territory share in the Department's distribution of seeds. Respectfully submitted. Henry K. Carroll, Commissioner. 1125 5 APPENDIX. TESTIMONY, STATEMENTS, AND STATISTICS, INCLUDING STENOGRAPHIC REPORTS OF HEARINGS HELD IN PORTO RICO BY THE COMMISSIONER, STATEMENTS AND PETI- TIONS PRESENTED TO HIM, AND STATISTICAL TABLES GATHERED FROM OFFICIAL SOURCES. By Henry K. Carroll, Commissioner. AGRICULTURE— SOILS, CROPS, METHODS, RESOURCES. CANE AND SUGAR. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., October 31, 1898. Ricaedo Nadal, of Mayaguez, interpreter to General Henry : Mr. Nadal. I was first a civil engineer and then later started a firm in New York under the name of Nadal & Cuebas, which was known at Mayaguez as Nadal & Co. I later came to Porto Rico, and event- ually went into the sugar business, and that is the business our firm has now, our plantation being near Mayaguez and known as the Alta Gracia. , Dr. Carroll. Do you manufacture your own sugar? Mr. Nadal. Yes; everything. We also buy cane from the neighbor- ing country, which we grind in our mill. The cane is brought there, and we pay 6 per cent on the weight of the cane, according to the market prices of muscovado sugar. In reference to the matter of sugar refinery, the only one in Porto Rico was owned by my family in Mayaguez, where they have now a tannery building on the same property. We kept the refinery going from 1858 to 1867, when work was stopped because we found that it did not pay to refine sugar here, and we could not export it to the United States owing to the duty on refined sugar there. The machinery was, therefore, sold out, and the buildings also. We don't own it now — not even the land. Dr. Carroll. Do you produce refined sugar at all? Mr. Nadal. We produce what is called centrifugal sugar. We send to the United States what are known as first, second, and third centrifugals, and the residuum, after passing through the last opera- tion, goes into the still to be manufactured into rum. In order to make refined sugar these centrifugals are afterwards converted into a kind of molasses, called "molasse." This process takes place in the United States and they use the centrifugal sugar of this island. 68 Dr. Carroll. Is the brown sugar used here at the hotel produced here iu that state? Mr. Nadal. Yes. What you have at the hotel is a centrifugal sugar of the kind probably called first, and it is manufactured generally in the central factories, as they are called, by the Jamaica method ; that is, by the open kettle method. Most of this sugar is sent to Spain and not to the United States on account of the difference in the duties. Dr. Carroll. If that grade of sugar were sent to the United States what duty would you have to pay on it? Mr. Nadal. We pay duty according to its polarization. It' is rated from 75 degrees up to 88 degrees, and we pay a certain proportion a pound. The sugar used in the hotel is about 96 degrees; beyond 88 degrees the rate of duty increases in a rapid ratio. Dr. Carroll. How large is your plantation? Mr. Nadal. We have about 700 acres of land. We now produce about 5,000 bags. Our plantation, however, is mostly ruined. We have a plantation only in name, and if we were to pay what we owe on it we would have nothing — indeed, we would be even in debt, x Dr. Carroll. How niany months are required for a crop? Mr. Nadal. The sugar cane requires from twelve to fourteen months before it can be cut. We have a petty culture and a larger culture. In petty culture the land is sowed in February or March and cut in February of the following year, and in the larger culture we sow in October, and within about fifteen months later we cut the cane. That gives a better product. After the first crop we get what is called the rattoon, which may give a second crop the following year, according to the fertility of the soil, and we have had crops repeated for as many as twenty years. The difficulty here has been that we have been extracting from the soil all the time and not giving to it; that is, we do not utilize manure to any great extent. The soil is very rich. You can find land here where the humus is 16 inches in depth. On our plantation the production never went below 65 hundredweight of sugar. Dr. Carroll. Do you have modern machinery here for sugar manufacturing? Mr. Nadal. There are only about two factories in the island. Dr. Carroll. What does a modern plant cost? Mr. Nadal. A modern plant with all the latest appliances would produce something like 35,000 bags, and would cost about $400,000 of our currency. Dr. Carroll. How manj^ pounds to the bag? Mr. Nadal. Generally they weigh 100 kilograms. I am not posi- tive, however, about that. Dr. Carroll. About how many sugar plantations are there in the island? Mr. Nadal. I do not know. Some of our people engaged in the I sugar business here use oxen, just as they did three hundred years ■ ago. Of late the plantations have been getting into the hands of a few planters. The large planters have gradually been absorbing the smaller ones. Dr. Carroll. With modern apparatus much more sugar could be produced? Mr. Nadal. If we had here in the island the diffusion battery system we could produce five times as much sugar as we produce to-day. Dr. Carroll. Is the land generalty all in use? 69 Mr. Nadal. Much of our land is going to waste ; that is, they are using it for grazing purposes. We call that abandoning the land, although it is a paying business in some districts. In Mayaguez, how- ever, the cattle business does not pay, because it is too wet there. In other parts of the island, however, it is a paying business, and the ranch owners are better off than the sugar planters. They had smaller taxes because the government did not seem to understand the money they were making in the business. Dr. Carroll. Where do the cattle come from? Mr. Nadal. I think from Africa. We lost a good deal of money on cattle. I had some Jersey heifers brought here, but we did not succeed with the business and gave it up. Dr. Carroll. Do the cows give much milk? Mr. Nadal. Well, a good cow would give 10 quarts of milk a day, whereas a good cow in the United States will give as high as 16 quarts. In the country they give more than they do elsewhere because the matter of having to milk the cow early in the morning in order to have the milk in the city at an early hour causes the amount to drop off. Dr. Carroll. Is there a consumption tax on milk taken into the city? Mr. Nadal. No. Referring again to the sugar industry here — this has been the determining point in favor of annexation to the United States. That is the certainty in the minds of Porto Ricans that their sugar would not have to pay any duty on going into the United States, knowing that such a duty would amount to a bounty on their product, and this view of the matter has done much to arouse interest in Porto Rico in favor of annexation. The same thing may be said of all other _ articles of production which are imported into the United States. / 7' If the gold basis is introduced and the duty is not removed Porto Rico will be ruined. I think there should be a cutting down in the duty of at least 75 per cent, if it can not be taken off altogether. It costs, in native money, something like $2.40 a hundredweight to make sugar, and there is a constant outgo of money during the time it is being produced and up to the time it is sold. Another difficulty here now is the tendency of the peons to demand better wages. I think it would be a sufficient concession to them if they were paid in gold what they are now paid in silver. A Planter. Whatever we pay in silver we would have to pay in gold after the exchange of the currency. We had gold currency here in 1868, and we had to pay our laborers then 50 cents gold just as we now pay them 50 cents silver. Mr. Figaros. In addition to sugar, I wish to make some remarks on other crops. Coffee, I know, is admitted free into the United States, but I consider it important for the coffee industry that the United States, which to-day has an influence over the Cuban govern- ment, should see if it can not procure for Porto Rican coffee a prefer- ence in the Cuban market, or rather an advantageous tariff. Porto Rico has lost two important markets — the Spanish and the Cuban. Dr. Carroll. Why do you say that it has lost the Spanish market? Mr. Figaros. We had an advantage in the Spanish tariff. Dr. Carroll. But you had to pay a duty on your coffee as well as on your sugar. Has the duty been increased? Mr. Figaros. It has been increased considerably. Since the Ameri- can occupation, the products of Porto Rico have been and will be considered as foreign when imported into Spain. Dr. Carroll. Do you know what the rate is? Mr. Figaros. One hundred and seventy pesetas for every 100 kilo- grams of coffee is the present rate; that is to say, $2 more than is charged on coffee from nations which have favorable treaties. Dr. Carroll. Perhaps we shall be able after the treaty of peace is ratified to arrange a reciprocity treaty. What did you pay formerly in Spain? Mr. Figaros. Sixty-six pesetas. We have only one market now, the European market, for our best grade. We have no market for our lower grades. The best grades comprise about 80 per cent of the production, because coffee is well prepared here. We make three kinds, and they all go to Europe and are readity sold. Dr. Carroll. Do you get good prices? Mr. Figaros. There is no market in the United States. They do not know Porto Rican coffee there. Drinkers of coffee in the United States do not see the natural coffee. Grocers and dealers make them drink whatever they like. 73 Dr. Carroll. No; the majority of people buy the coffee in the bean and grind it themselves. Mr. Figaros. But not most coffee drinkers. Dr. Carroll. Of course very much coffee is ground and put up in packages by the dealers, but only the poorer people buy that. Mr. Figaros. I understand the best drinkers use Mocha and Java mixed. Dr. Carroll. I drink a coffee called Java and Mocha mixed in the proportion of two and one, and I pay from 32 to 34 cents a pound for it in the bean, roasted. Mr. Figaros. But it has lost already a large amount of weight. Mr. Alfred Solomon (interpreter). They "do not drink Porto Rican coffee in the United States because it is too strong. Dr. Carroll. They grind coffee coarser in the United States than they do here. Mr. Solomon. The dealers in the United States would have made a market for Porto Rican coffee if the Porto Ricans had not insisted on coloring it. I had that from the lips of a coffee dealer. Mr. Figaros. We have here one of the largest plants in Porto Rico. We polish 300 quintals per day, and it is a beautiful operation. We make a thorough classification of it, and the coffee is not tinted. It is polished. Mr. Solomon. The people of the United States want their coffee without any foreign substance whatever, and in polishing it, do you not use some coloring matter? Mr. Figaros. Yes, but it is only a gram of this indigo for every quintal. Mr. Solomon. The amount does not matter. The people there do not want coffee with any foreign matter in it. I went to a coffee broker in New York and asked why he could not sell Porto Rican coffee there. He said because the Porto Ricans will not send it here as we want it; that it would be possible to sell it to the French and Austrians if the indigo were left out. Mr. Figaros. The outer shell is polished and all the bad beans taken out and classified. Dr. Carroll. How do you prepare your best grade which you send to Russia and France? Mr. Figaros. We polish it. The price of the best coffee now in Porto Rico is about 15 pesos; the last year it was 25 pesos for raw coffee. The coffee planters are a little behind in their debts and are pretty badly off. Dr. Carroll. Is there anything else you wish to speak of? Mr. Figaros. About the exchange of money. I would recommend a rate of 50 per cent premium on gold, the same as a bank at Ponce and the merchants of Mayaguez. That should be the meeting point between agriculture and commerce on the money question. If they make the rate lower than that, it will be very hard. For some time we have not seen such a rate, but taking a five years' basis you will find that the average premium is about 50 per cent. ■-"^Mr. Adolf Bahr. I wish to say something about our need here of ! agricultural experts. We have not any here, and it is very important that Porto Rico should have them. J Dr. Carroll. For what purpose? Mr. Bahr. To advise the agriculturists in their cultivation of the various soils here; to tell them the nature of the soils and what crops they are best adapted for. Those are things we do not know here; 74 we go ahead blindly, without any scientific knowledge, in agricultural matters. Dr. Carroll. That is not a government matter, is it? Mr. Bahr. No; but I think such engineers or experts would find work here. CONDITIONS IN THE VALLEY OF SAN GERMAN. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner. J San German, P. R. , January 26, 1899. Don Joaquin Cervbra and Mr. Santiago Marl Dr. Carroll. What is the present state of the sugar industry? Mr. Cervera. Deplorable. Dr. Carroll. What has brought it to that condition? Mr. Cervera. Many reasons. It is a very complex question, which embraces many, aspects. In the first place, poverty on the part of the owners — Want of ready money; in the second place, the impoverish- ment of the soil, which does not produce as it used to, this impover- ishment being due to the want of irrigation and a lack of fertilizers. Dr. Carroll. This is not true, I believe, of all portions of the island in which cane is produced. Mr. Cervera. Nearly all the island is the same in this respect. Dr. Carroll. Is it not possible to use fertilizers more extensively? Mr. Cervera. It would be if we had money with which to buy them. Dr. Carroll. Hava not the sugar men been making money in the last ten years? Mr. Cervera. They have not even covered their expenditures, for which reason the agricultural industry is in a state of complete ruin. Formerly planters were opulent ; to-day they are poor. Dr. Carroll. Is that due to the decrease in price or to the gradual decrease of the crop? Mr. Cervera. Owing to several causes — the land does not produce so much, prices are lower uniformly, and the planters have to pay for the labor, whereas formerly they had. slave labor. Dr. Carroll. Has there been any increase of expense owing to high interest on borrowed money ? Mr. Cervera. Yes; that is another cause. That is the chief reason of the ruin of the agriculturist. Dr. Carroll. I understand that the interest on money is from 9 to 18 and even 24 per cent. What was it formerly? Mr. Cervera. There was hardly any need of borrowing money in the old days, as the estates paid well and gave sufficient returns for their cultivation without the planters having to borrow money. Formerly, not having to pay for labor, the soil being virgin and the prices being high, the business used to be lucrative. We used to obtain $5 or $6 a quintal, but to-daj^ we hardlv obtain $3. Dr. Carroll. What rate of wages do you have to pay ? Mr. Cervera. One-half a dollar, provincial money, for the ordinary laborers; the skilled laborers obtain higher wages. Dr. Carroll. What methods are pursued in the culture of cane? Is it the same throughout the island ? 75 Mr. Cervera. With very slight differences the method is uniform all throughout the island. Dr. Carroll. Do they give the land a rest after raising cane on it? Mr. Cervera. Those owning large properties are able to do so; those owning small properties have to reap the crop every year. Dr. Carroll. In that case can they not give the land rest by alter- nating crops? Mr. Cervera. They do that. They have to do so. Dr. Carroll. Would it not be a good thing to have fewer mills and adopt the central system of Cuba? Mr. Cervera. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Have the sugar planters ever formed an association or society for the promotion of their mutual interests? Mr. Cervera. There was an attempt at it, but it has never suc- ceeded. >^ Dr. Carroll. It would seem to me to be very necessary, if sugar industry is in a bad condition at present, that such a society should be formed with a view to investigating and ascertaining, for example, whether another kind of cane could not be introduced — another kind that has not the disease that I understand attacks most of the cane — and whether new processes of culture could not be adopted with advantage; as to whether central establishments might be put up, how many there should be, and the introduction of new and improved machinery; with the object also of determining whether the acreage given to cane should be increased or diminished in any given year, based on the condition of the sugar crop in other countries; with the object also of helping one another in getting loans at a lower rate of interest, and perhaps in finding better and more remunerative markets. Mr. Cervera. Although we feel the spirit of cooperation it has never given any result in this country. Dr. Carroll. Can it not, in your judgment, under present condi- tions be made a success? Mr. Cervera. If we had money it could. That is what we need. We can not undertake anything because we have not any money. Dr. Carroll. But when many come together, some having no money, some having little money, and some having more, it is possi- ble to do a great many things in concert which could not be under- taken individually. Mr. Cervera. It is not possible. Fifty or one hundred people would get together, and they could not get enough money together to form their society. Dr. Carroll. They might begin such a society without very much money and gradually go from one thing to another until they had formed a society which should take under its superintendence the entire production of cane in the island. Mr. Cervera. That could be done in a country where the spirit of association is more general. Out of one hundred planters here per- haps only six or eight would come in. Dr. Carroll. In the United States the competition is so sharp that association is literally compelled by the condition of things. The self-interest of individual producers compels association. It may be the sugar industry of Porto Rico has not arrived at a sufficiently desperate situation to force it to act. Mr. Cervera. In former attempts at cooperation, whether due to bad management or not, these organizations have always failed, and 76 to-day persons are not willing to enter into such arrangements, fear ing, perhaps, that the results would be the same. Perhaps, inasmuch as the want of success in former attempts at cooperation has been due to bad administration, a man of intelligence taking hold of the thing and administering it to-day might meet with different results. Dr. Carroll. There is one important point in which it seems to me that such an organization might be of advantage to all sugar owners, and that is in the influence that might be brought to bear in behalf of the sugar owners to mitigate circumstances which they feel bear with undue weight upon them; in other words, to make representa- tions with more force to the municipal and insular governments than could be made by one man. Mr. Cervera. I think with you in that matter. I wish you to understand that the country is in an agonizing condition and we want immediate assistance. Dr. Carroll. I understood, when I made a visit to Utuado, that unless something were done to prevent the foreclosure of mortgages the country would be ruined. Therefore I changed the course of my visit and went back to San Juan and besought General Henry to sus- pend foreclosure of mortgages for a year, and he did me the honor to request me to draw the order. I only state this to show that the interest of the agricultural industry, which is the paramount indus- try of the island, is on the heart of those who are in power. Mr. Santiago Marl That has helped us to a certain extent, but it has caused the suspension of credit. The coffee crop has been only half what it ought to be. The price has fallen to a very low figure, and we have no possible way of getting advances to attend to next year's crop. Dr. Carroll. There are certain things the Government can do and certain things the Government can not do. The recent action was taken on the understanding that the debtors required a little longer time in which to seek for money in other channels, and espe- cially to seek for money at lower rates of interest, and to prevent the sale of their property at a time when it was realized that it would not bring more than 25 per cent of its value. Now, the Government can do this : It can protect the large class of its people who, in the stress of the results of war, are likely to lose their property; but the Gov- ernment can not supply the capital; the Government itself can not lend the money; it can only mitigate the conditions, and possibly bring about conditions under which the debtor can borrow money at lower rates of interest, but it can not give him money. Mr. Marl As none of the bankers at present will lend money, and there is no assui*ance of any new banks coming here, credit will be stopped altogether. Dr. Carroll. One difficulty about your borrowing money is the impending change of money system. As soon as the change comes the monej^ that has been put in chests will come out, so that those who have good credit can borrow money, because there will be money to lend. One of the largest capitalists in the island told me yester- day that there was money in the island, but that it was in the chests of the island waiting for the exchange rate to be fixed. Now that the rate has been fixed, and now that the Goveimment has taken this action in favor of the debtor, the debtor ought, as far as he can, pay his debts. Mr. Marl The debtor with bad faith can sell his estate to-day and cheat his creditor. 77 Dr. Carroll. It is still subject to the mortgage. Mr. Marl We have three classes of persons here : Those who pay their debts from pride, those who pay their debts from honest motives, and those who pay their debts from fear of the law. Most of them pay from fear of the law. Dr. Carroll. That is a bad name to give the debtors of the island. A gentleman present. Mr. Mari is a Frenchman. He is not a Porto Rican. Dr. Carroll (to Mr. Mari). Plow do you expect to get your money, if that is the case? Mr. Marl Only those will get credit who have something to offer as a guaranty. As long as this order is not what I understand it to be, I have nothing further to say about it. Coffee is, next to sugar, the most important crop of the island, especially because so many poor raise it. We have to wait five years to get a crop, and if it is worth nothing, then there is a great loss. Dr. Carroll. It seems to me that an organization such as I sug- gested for the sugar planters would be good. Such an association could find out the needs of the market in the United States and seek to introduce that kind of coffee. Mr. Cervera. At least coffee can go in free, and we poor sugar planters are out in the cold. Mr. Marl What will save the country is plenty of money on long terms and cheap rates of interest. Dr. Carroll. In order to be able to borrow money on a low rate of interest, the people must cause confidence to be established by show- ing their willingness to pay. It is not true that borrowing money depends absolutely upon the security, because any security may fail, but the person is always a factor. Mr. Marl If we have good laws, good faith makes no difference. Dr. Carroll. That may be, but if a large number do not pay, cap- ital will not come. That is the first thing to establish. You must have the people of the United States believe that the majority of the people here who want to borrow money pay what they borrow, and pay it if it be their whole fortune. Mr. Marl As soon as money comes in, a man who has an estate worth $10,000 and borrows 15,000 on it naturally becomes a good payer; but if he finds anybody foolish enough to lend him $10,000, the lender makes him a dishonest man. Dr. Carroll. The principle of honesty is something from within and not something from without, and such a man would be dishonest anyway. Mr. Marl Countries in which there are poverty and misery are never honest. Dr. Carroll. That is an entirely cynical view. That takes the view that people are not honest unless force makes them such. I have seen much of the world, and that is not my observation of it. But this is not matter bearing on my investigation. I don't want to take away from Porto Rico the idea that the people here are only honest from force of circumstances. 78 THE SUGAR CROP IN AGUAD1LLA. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Aguadilla, P. R., January 26, 1899. Fkancisco Estebes, sugar planter : Mr. Estebes. In the months of November and December, when the north winds blow, the seas beat up very heavily. The land around this part of the island is used land, and does not produce good crops. The average crop is 3 hogsheads of 15 quintals to each cuerda. Some of the planters use fertilizers, generally phosphates and fish manure brought in from Boston. Dr. Carroll. Is there not a great deal of the phosphate in the mountains that could be gotten out and made available? Mr. Estebes. There are many phosphate deposits here, but not one of them is being worked. PLANTERS AND THE MONEY QUESTION. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Fajardo, P. R., January 31, 1899. Mr. George Bird, ex-consul of the United States at Fajardo : Mr. Bird. The planters are almost ruined in this locality. I can speak for them, because they have been urging their needs upon me. Their situation is very critical on account of the low price of sugar. These planters who own great properties, some valued at 1200,000, can not get together $200. 'The doors of the banking institutions are practically closed, and some of the planters have been refused small amounts of money on properties of large value, with first-class mortgage receipts, at 8 per cent interest. Those are actual cases. Dr. Carroll. One difficulty has been that, pending the settlement of the money question, people have hoarded money; but with the monetary question settled I think money will be easier to obtain, so that the situation will be relieved somewhat in that respect. Mr. Bird. Has the money question been solved ? Dr. Carroll. It has been so announced. The rate of exchange has been fixed. The details of the system have not come from the United States yet. Mr. Bird. The planters regard the situation as so difficult that if it is prolonged for a year they don't think they will be able to get out of it. Some of them are just beginning to plant their crops, and are having difficulty in paying their taxes and their laborers. Dr. Carroll. I think in a short time money will be easier and more plentiful, because people don't want to keep it in their chests when they can get 9 or 10 per cent for it. Mr. Bird. I understood you to tell me that the President can do nothing for the sugar interests, and that the present Congress will not be able to take the matter up. Dr. Carroll. Yes. Mr. Bird. We had a kind of a bounty which was given us directly by the exchange. Now, if our money is turned into gold, I don't think we can even grind our cane. We can not sell sugar at less than $3, and that is all we sret now. 79 Dr. Veve. Our present need is money. Dr. Carroll. The Government can not deal out money to the planters. It is willing to do all it can to relieve the situation. Dr. Veve. We will have to pay our laborers the same as before. The reduced rates will not benefit the people. The merchant will get it all. Dr. Carroll. You can not make me believe that. He may get more than his share, but he is bound to reduce prices. THE PRODUCTS OF VIEQUES. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Island of Vieques, P. R., January 31, 1899. Mr. Leopoldo Venegas Jacome. The principal source of wealth of this island is sugar, and the sugar interests are anxious to obtain a free market in the United States. If that can not be granted, they want at least a bonus, which, so far as they are concerned, would accom- plish the same end. The present money system is an indirect bonus on sugar, but once the change is decreed the complete ruin of this island will follow, unless we get some sort of relief. Dr. Carroll. Don't you think the laboring men would accept an amount in gold corresponding to what they now receive in silver? Mr. Jacome. I don't think we would have much difficulty with the people. I believe it would be possible to harmonize the interests of the employer with those of the peon. Dr. Carroll. Would not that solve your difficulty, then? Mr. Jacome. The price of sugar to-day in the United States, added to the duty which it pays there, does not allow sugar planters even to cover their expenses. Dr. Carroll. Do you raise anything here besides sugar? Mr. Jacome. Cattle. Dr. Carroll. No tobacco? Mr. Jacome. No, and no coffee. We might raise coffee on a small scale, but sugar and cattle are the only industries. Mr. L. F. Wolfe. We had an offer here from the house of Bartron Brothers, who are now established in Santa Cruz. The3 7 came here and stated that they were perfectly willing to put up a central factory, but that all depended upon the free entry of sugar; they could not do so otherwise. Our sister colony of the Danish Government had also large amount of duty to pay on sugar in home ports, but they have taken it off, and the island is going to prosper. Dr. Carroll. How much sugar do you produce here? Mr. Wolfe. We produce now from 30,000 to 40,000 bags, and the island can easily yield 100,000 more. We have three centrifugal machines here. This proposition that was made by Bartron was based on the fact that many here would be able to raise sugar if there was a central factory who are unable to do so to-day, because they can not afford to put up the necessary machinery. Dr. Carroll. There are too many poor mills also on the main island. A Planter. We have four central mills now, but one is not running. Dr. Carlos Gaspar. One of the most urgent needs of the island for the benefit of agriculture, which is the basis of its wealth, is the creation of agricultural experiment stations and experimental culture 80 fields. A wide diffusion of agricultural knowledge is necessary for the country, because without it the country can not flourish under any circumstances. Under the law of the United States I understand that each State and Territory is entitled to $15,000 for this object from the Federal Treasury. This place is neither a State nor a Territory at present, but the sum being so small, I don't see why it could not be donated immediately for so worthy an object. Dr. Carroll. Has any attempt been made to have an association of planters here? Dr. Gaspar. One did exist, but it went to pieces little by little, as everything else did under Spanish domination. Dr. Carroll. Perhaps publications of the Agricultural Depart- ment, if translated into Spanish and circulated here, would be of great value. Dr. Gaspar. Such books would supply the theoretical part and the professors of agricultural schools would illustrate the practical part, showing the people how to make use of what they learn from the books. It will be necessary to give the people ocular demonstration. Mr. Mouraille. There is a tax now of $20 per man brought here for laboring purposes, and I think that could be taken off. I import one hundred or more. If I had not done so I could not have har- vested my crops. Dr. Carroll. Where do such laborers come from?. Mr. Mouraille.. From the Windward Islands and about there. Dr. Carroll. I understand much complaint has been made in Porto Rico about the importation of laborers. Mr. Mouraille. Yes; I have heard of it. Dr. Carroll. How much do you pay per day? Mr. Mouraille. From 60 to 75 cents. Mr. Wolfe. Living here is very high. The Mayor. We could have brought in Porto Rican laborers, but this gentleman (Mr. Mouraille) has always fought against Porto Rican laborers and would never employ them. Dr. Gaspar. Will sugar be granted free entry this year? Dr. Carroll. No. Mr. Gaspar. With the gold standard and without free trade it will be very hard. Dr. Carroll. That is what all the sugar planters say, but it is a situation that can not be helped. Dr. Gaspar. The rate of exchange is what has held the planters. Dr. Carroll. But on the other hand there were many who said that if the money question were not settled business would stop. It has injured the sugar planters — I understand that — but it is not possi- ble to admit sugar free into the United States until Congress can take the matter up. SOILS AND CROPS IN HUMACAO. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Humacao, P. R., February 1, 1899. Mr. Miguel Argues©, a planter; Mr. Antonio Roig, merchant and owner of a sugar mill; Mr. Joaquin Masferrer, mayor of Humacao, and others :. Dr. Carroll. Will you state the general character of the soil in this district? 81 Mr. Roig. It is a sandy soil, generally speaking, though we have some meadows. Dr. Carroll. Is there much humus in the soil? Mr. Roig. Not a great deal. Dr. Carroll. Then it is a poor soil generally? Mr. Roig. Yes; I think so. Dr. Carroll. Is it sandy on the plains and on the mountains, or is there a difference between the soil of the plains and that of the mountains? There must be a great deal of humus in the valleys. Mr. Roig. There is more humus in the valleys, and there is a kind of clay in the mountains. Dr. Carroll. This soil of the mountains is specially adapted to what crops? Mr. Roig. The lower parts are good for cane — say, halfway up — and above that, good for grass. They don't plant any coffee here. Dr. Carroll. What crops do they raise here in a small way, in addition to the sugar? Mr. Roig. They raise some corn, some beans, yucca, very few pota- toes, some cabbage, and other vegetables. We have a few oranges; also a few lemons, but only enough for our own use. Oranges are produced here easily. Dr. Carroll. Why don't you raise larger quantities of oranges? Mr. Roig. Because no one has thought of doing so. I think there is more money in planting cane. Dr. Carroll. Do you raise rice here? Mr. RoiG. Very little; it flourishes, but it comes cheaper from outside. Dr. Carroll. Is it any trouble to raise it? Mr. Roig. No. Dr. Carroll. Why, then, do you import it? You have to paj^ cash for what you imj)ort. Mr. Roig. All the rice here is raised by the poor people. Dr. Carroll. Do they raise all they need? Mr. Roig. No; we have to import it. Dr. Carroll. Do you raise many bananas? Mr. Roig. Only for home consumption. Dr. Carroll. Why don't you raise them for export? Mr. Roig. I am unable to say. Dr. Carroll. I think I can tell why. Your roads are so bad you can not get them into market. San Juan has few good oranges. If you could get your oranges into San Juan you would get a good mar- ket there. What other crops are raised? Mr. RoiG. Cocoanuts. Dr. Carroll. They cost nothing to raise ? Mr. Roig. Yes; they do cost something. We have to pay, in the first place, 25 cents for the plant. Then care must be taken of the plant or the cattle will come and eat it. Dr. Carroll. But after it is a tree it take cares of itself, does it not ? Mr. Roig. No; the leaves have to be washed and the dead leaves cut away. Dr. Carroll. Do you raise many cocoanuts for export? Mr. Roig. Yes. Dr. Carroll. You have plenty of land on which you could grow more for export, have you not ? 7 Mr. Roig. Yes; we come to what we said before. 1125 6 82 Dr. Carroll. Is there anything else you raise here? Mr. RoiG. We raise annatto. That is a dye stuff. Dr. Carroll. Do you ever put fertilizers on land for the raising of cane? Mr. RoiG. Yes; sometimes a Porto Rican fertilizer, and sometimes one that comes from Boston. The native fertilizer comes from Cabo Rojo. Dr. Carroll. Do you raise pineapples ? Mr. RoiG. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Is there much labor required in the raising of a crop ? Mr. RoiG. No. Dr. Carroll. You don't export any? Mr. RoiG. No ; or at least very few. Mr. Argueso. Mayaguez exports more. Dr. Carroll. Do you raise many cattle? Mr. RoiG. Yes, and it is a paying business; there is money in it. There is always a demand for oxen. Dr. Carroll. Why is that? Mr. RoiG. Because in other West Indian islands they come to buy their cattle here. Dr. Carroll. Don't you sell a great many here in the island? Mr. RoiG. Yes; we even supply Ponce and Mayaguez. Dr. Carroll. If your roads were in good condition you would not need so many oxen, would you? Mr. RoiG. No; and a yoke of oxen would last longer on good roads. Dr. Carroll. Are there any industries here in the way of hat making, for instance, or tobacco manufacturing, or anything of that kind? Mr. RoiG. A few cigars are made here, but very few. We raise very little tobacco. Dr. Carroll. Don't you think it would be better to have a larger variety of crops, so that when sugar is low you would have something to fall back on? It is considered bad policy in the United States to put all your money into one crop. Mr. RoiG. We have an insect here that eats plants, such as beans and tobacco. Dr. Carroll. You can exterminate that. We have an insect in the United States that preys upon potatoes and tomatoes, and they have experimented and have found the best means of destroying it. Mr. RoiG. The insects here even eat the new canes, so that some- times they have to plant the cane twice. Dr. Carroll. Do you use the manure that your oxen and cattle make? Mr. RoiG. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Do you use the ashes from your furnace? Mr. RoiG. Yes. Dr. Carroll. In one large mill on the other side of the island they had a large pile of ashes, and I asked what they did with it. I was told they threw it on the dump. The proprietor did not know that it was good for manure. Mr. Masferrer. I want to rectify an assertion of Mr. Roig con- cerning the character of the soils in this district. Mr. Roig considers them to be sandy; I consider them to be silicate-clay soils. Sandy soil is found chiefly on the coast ; as soon as you get inland the silicate- clay prevails. 83 Dr. Carroll. A sandy soil will allow rain water to pass off; silicate- clay soils will hold the water. Is the soil inland damp? Mr. Masferrer. The soils are not completely siliceous. They only hold enough water for the purpose of growing vegetation, but they don't hold the water altogether. The soil is not spongy. There are marshy lands to-day which, if they were drained, would be cultivable lands of excellent quality. Dr. Carroll. Would it be difficult to drain them? Mr. Masferrer. No; it would be a simple matter. We could drain bhem into the river. That is where all should be drained, as we are below the level of the sea. Dr. Carroll. Are they used, now as pasture lands? Mr. Masferrer. They can only be used in a prolonged dry season. Dr. Carroll. Don't they produce grass in the wet season? Mr. Masferrer. They produce grass, but there are many leeches in it, and they attack and damage the cattle. Dr. Carroll. What are the mountain soils? Mr. Masferrer. Siliceous clay soils. Dr. Carroll. Are they adapted to crops? Mr. Masferrer. Yes; to small crops. There are some also that will produce cane. Dr. Carroll. Do planters here observe rotation of crops — that is, put the land into other crops, or let it lie fallow? Mr. Masferrer. They use an infamous system of agriculture here. They sow the cane, cut the cane, plow the land, sow the cane, cut the cane, year after year, and give the land no rest whatever. The planter calculates the product of his crop by the cuerda — so many barrels of sugar to the cuerda — without taking into consideration that a less number of cuerdas, well attended to, give better results than a larger number, badly attended to. Dr. Carroll. Are there any exceptions to that rule in this* district? Mr. Masferrer. The plan I speak of is general. Planters know nothing of agriculture. For instance, when they use manure, they don't know what they are using it for, and sometimes do the land, more harm than good. Dr. Carroll. Would it not be well for the Agricultural Depart- ment to send down books in Spanish, explaining the best methods of raising cane and how to conserve the soil? Mr. Masferrer. They would be very useful, as scientific knowl- edge with regard to lands here is absolutely wanting. Dr. Carroll. Do they use the same seed year after year without trying to get plants from other countries to improve the character of the cane? Mr. Masferrer. They don't try to improve the cane. They use the same seed year after year, and it is usually bad seed. Dr. Carroll. I should think it would be necessary, in order to avoid certain diseases which are apt to come to cane which is used from one stock year after year, that the stock should be changed. Mr. Masferrer. There is one thing you 'must take into considera- tion : The planter, for want of money, can not plant what and how he likes; he must plant what and how he can. Dr. Carroll. The alcalde of Mayaguez showed me a number of canes in which there was evidence of a certain disease, which appeared almost as though a worm had gone through the length of the cane. I asked him to what cause he attribiited it, and he could not tell. I sug- 84 gested to him that it might be clue to the fact that one stock of cane had been used many years and had deteriorated, and that it might be well to get another stock of cane. He thought such a change might be well. Mr. Masferrer. It appears to me to be the only possible remedy, whenever they have a diseased plant, to remove it and to use fresh stock; but it is not the custom here to do such things. Dr. Carroll. General Henry told me that he had cabled to the De- partment of Agriculture to furnish him with a quantity of seeds for use among the people of the island; not of cane, but of vegetables. What class of seeds, in your judgment, would be most useful to the planters in this district? Mr. Masferrer. There is a certain difficulty to be taken into ac- count. Nobody cares to give attention to these small crops, because they don't give the same commensurate profit as tobacco, coffee, or sugar, owing to the bad state of the roads. Dr. Carroll. But they could get enough for home consumption by dedicating a very small amount of land to the cultivation of these crops. Mr. Masferrer. Those persons who give their attention to small crops do it only as a secondary matter, and leave the growth of these crops entirely to the favor of nature — that is, if the wind is favorable and the rain comes at the right time, well and good ; but they don't give them any attention. Dr. Carroll. My visits to the various market places of the island confirm me in that opinion. Tomatoes, such as are offered here, would not be accepted in the United States at any price. They raise very large and luscious tomatoes there, and it is the same with all other vegetables. It seems to me that with the soil here you could take the place of the Bermudas, and supply the New York market, which is the best market in the world, with these vegetables. It is well known that these small crops are very remunerative. If you have a variety in your crops, you will have larger returns and more certain returns. Bermuda potatoes sometimes bring $2 a bushel in New York, when there is an insufficient supply there, and, at times, even more. Mr. Masferrer. Potatoes can not be grown here well because of that insect which has been referred to. It attacks the potato at all of its stages. I once sowed 30 quintals and was able to harvest only 4. Dr. Carroll. In the United States we have a potato beetle which is a dangerous insect and multiplies with great rapidity, but they found finally something to kill it — something that it liked — and they fed that to it. We have in connection with our Department of Agri- culture, in Washington, an experiment division in which questions of insectology are studied, and the Department publishes from time to time the best specifics for killing certain insects and getting rid of these pests. Mr. Masferrer. They established a similar station here once. It cost the province immense sums of money, but gave no results. Dr. Carroll. If you will send specimens of these insects to the Department of Agriculture, with a statement of the damage they do here, I am sure you will receive directions how to exterminate them. Mr. Masferrer. That would be a very good idea. Dr. Carroll. If you choose to do that, I will be glad to forward them to the Secretary of Agriculture with such representations as you may wish to make. Tell me when it appears, what crops it attacks 85 and how it attacks them, and give me some specimens of it, and I will ask the Secretary of Agriculture to take the matter up. Mr. Masferrer. This insect was brought in from Peru in some guano. Dr. Carroll. Have you any laws for the inspection of imports, to prevent the bringing in of such insects? Mr. Masferrer. "No. ENEMIES OF THE SUGAR CANE. Yabucoa, P. R., February 2, 1899. Dr. Carroll. I have come here chiefly to get information and not to impart information ; therefore I would like to ask a few questions about agriculture here. I understand that your chief crop is sugar; that you also raise some tobacco. . A Planter. Yes. Cattle raising is also a profitable industry. ^ Dr. Carroll. Is the sugar cane you raise affected with any disease? A Planter. The cane suffers most from the ravages of an insect which attacks it; so much so that sometimes we have to sow three and four times. The result is that the cane first sowed comes to maturity before that which is sowed later, and, as we have to cut it all together, some of the cane is lacking in saccharine matter. Dr. Carroll. Have you endeavored to introduce new varieties of cane? A Planter. We have written and spoken about it, but it ended there. However, this would not affect the insect. Dr. Carroll. But cane that is continued year after year deterio- rates, and it would, perhaps, be well if you could get a fresh stock of seed occasionally. A Planter. We want agricultural experts here. The fertilizers they sell us are worthless, because, for want of scientific knowledge, \ we are unable to judge of them. Dr. Carroll. I promised the people of Humacao, with reference to this insect that is making great ravages in the cane there and else- where, that if they would furnish me with specimens of it, I would send it to Washington and ask the Department of Agriculture to pre- scribe some specific by which they could kill it off and get rid of the pest. Note. — Dr. Carroll then referred to the publications of the Agri- cultural Department, and stated that, if it was the wish of planters in the island, he would ask the Department to furnish them copies, in Spanish, of some of its publications. Dr. Carroll. It seems to me very important that the planters of Porto Rico, in the various localities, should associate themselves together for the study of their industry, for the mutual protection of their interests, and for the advancement of the cause which they have at heart. A Planter. There was a society formed for that purpose some time ago, with its headquarters in San Juan, and with agents in every town, but, under the old government, apathy and indifference seemed to hold sway, so that nothing came of the movement. Perhaps with the change of nationality, the people may change in this respect. Everybody understands the necessity of association, without having it demonstrated. 86 FARMING IN ARROYO. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Arroyo, P. R., February 3, 1899. Dr. Carroll. What crops do you raise? Mr. Gautier, planter. Only cane. I have a plantation in Patillo, another in Maunabo, and one here in the district of Arroyo. Dr. Carroll. What is the character of the soil in this valley? Mr. Gautier. I don't know much about that; I should say between a siliceous and a sandy soil. Dr. Carroll. Is it a naturally rich soil? Mr. Gautier. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Do you have to apply fertilizers? Mr. Gautier. The cultivation of cane was abandoned for some years, and we are just taking it up again. We have never used fer- tilizers up to the present, but we think we will have to do so. Dr. Carroll. Is the crop now a smaller and less important one than it used to be? Mr. Gautier. About the same ; but there is far less cane sown to-day than formerly. Dr. Carroll. If it produces the same quantity as before, why do you propose to use fertilizers? Mr. Gautier. Because the land tires with each successive crop. Dr. Carroll. Do the planters practice rotation of crops? Mr. Gautier. No, they plant cane only. Dr. Carroll. Is it not understood that the raising of one crop con- tinually on the same land, year after year, will impoverish the land of elements that that crop requires, while leaving other elements in large quantity? Mr. Gautier. Thej^ let the ground rest, and then sow it after the lapse of a year. No farmer has under cultivation at one time the whole of his estate. Dr. Carroll. It is an axiom among the farmers in the United States that by rotation of crops — the sowing of different kinds of crops — the soil is rested. A Planter. That can not be done here ; we have too much money invested in machinery for sugar making. You must also consider that sugar not only gives one crop, but several successive crops. Dr. Carroll. I do not mean that you should abandon sugar, but have other crops growing simultaneously with it. When we let land lie fallow, it runs to grass, and that rests it. .We put cattle on it, and that fertilizes. What is the average production of sugar per cuerda? Mr. Gautier. About 28 quintals, on an average. In some years, when there is a drought, there is hardly any production. Dr. Carroll. What other crops is the soil specially suited for? Mr. Gautier. Platanos,corn, pineapples, yucca, annatto, achiote — all small crops. Almost anything will grow on the lowlands of Arroyo. Dr. Carroll. Will rice grow here? Mr. Gautier. That is not raised here. Dr. Carroll. Do you raise tobacco? Mr. Gautier. Yes; but it is not a profitable crop, on account of the drought. Dr. Carroll. I understand you are considering the "question of irrigation for this portion of the island. •.. 87 Mr. Gautier. Yes, we are. Dr. Carroll. Have you sufficient supply of water for irrigation? Mr. Gautier. That is the question now occupying the attention of the engineers; they propose to bring the water from Patillo. Dr. Carroll. Is that higher ground? Mr. Gautier. The town of Patillo is not, but the place from which they expect to bring the water is. Dr. Carroll. Does Maunabo get all the rain it needs, as Yabucoa does? Mr. Gautier. Maunabo used to have plenty of water, but it is also beginning to suffer from drought. A drought was never known there in former years. Dr. Carroll. Would the publications of the Agricultural Depart- ment in Spanish with reference to the raising of various crops that you have here be of any great value to planters? The Department is constantly issuing publications giving results of experiments for the purpose of disseminating agricultural information. Would treatises on the culture of cane and tobacco be of value? Mr. Verges. They should be; I hardly hope that they will be. Dr. Carroll. Of course I would not ask them to send their publica- tions here unless the planters desired them and would make use of them. There are many things that the Department does in our coun- try. It studies, for example, insectology and prescribes remedies both as regards insects and diseases which attack crops. It has scientific men who make a study of those things. These results will be valuable to the Porto Rican farmers, if they desire them. Mr. Verges. I think it would be ve^ desirable to have them. There are many diseases in the cane to-day that we know nothing about. There is not a man here who can classify lands. I once sent samples of soil to Mayaguez to be classified, and they said they were all the same, although I knew that they were entirely different. So I don't think there are people here who know how to analyze lands, and naturally an agricultural station here would be a very good thing for the island. A matter of great interest to Porto Rico is the study- ing of the different kinds of cane and their diseases. Dr. Carroll. That has all been studied in the United States, be- cause we have extensive cane plantations there. Mr. Mayor, are there any industries here, in either a large way or small way — any manu- factures? Mr. Virella, vice-alcalde. We have a cooper shop, but we import our staves from Portland, Me. We make bay rum for export in small quantities. We get the malagueta leaves here in the mountains. Dr. Carroll. Is cacao raised here? Mr. Virella. Yes, but in very small quantities. It is an industry which could be developed. Dr. Carroll. It grows in the mountains, does it not? Mr. Virella. Yes. A Planter. But it requires moist land. Dr. Carroll. Does it pay to raise it? Mr. Virella. The people here have never devoted themselves to it. Dr. Carroll. Your chocolate makers have been in the habit of importing from Venezuela? Mr. Virella. Yes; the three great industries here are those of cane, coffee, and cattle. Dr. Carroll. Are there any centrals here? Mr. Virella. No. Dr. Carroll. How many mills are there? Mr. Virella. Only one. Dr. Carroll. Are there any centrals in other districts in this part of the island ? Mr. Virella. No; from here to Ponce you will not find any. In Ponce you will find one or two. Dr. Carroll. Would not the planters save a good deal of money if, instead of having mills of inferior quality, they were to join together and have a good one ? Mr. Virella. Yes ; it would be a great saving of time and expense. Dr. Carroll. I have found all over the island old-fashioned machin- ery — wooden cylinders, for example — and they lose one-third of the value of the cane. Mr. Virella. There is very little spirit of union here. Dr. Carroll. It seems to me if you formed an association of plant- ers you could create such a spirit, and it would be much better. You would be able, then, to use a united influence to accomplish things necessary to your industry. SUGAR CANE AND IRRIGATION. [Hearing before the "United States Commissioner.] Guayama, P. R. , February 3, 1899. City Hall, evening session: Dr. Carroll. I would like to ask some planter a few questions. What crops are raised in the municipal district of Guayama? Mr. Bird. Coffee, cane, tobacco, and small crops, such as bananas and beans. Dr. Carroll. What is the most important crop here? Mr. Bird. Sugar; after that, coffee; after that, tobacco. Cattle raising is also an important industry here. I am speaking also for Salinas. Dr. Carroll. What are the principal small crops ? Mr. Bird. Plantains, sweet potatoes, corn, a small quantity of rice, beans, and malanga (a species of farinaceous root). The last two are the most important of the small crops. Dr. Carroll. What is the character of the soils here ? Mr. Bird. They are very good. We can raise more sugar to the acre here than can be raised in any other part of the island; but, owing to the want of rain, crops are sometimes lost. Dr. Carroll. What quantity of sugar can you raise here per acre ? Mr. Bird. With all the drawbacks caused by the want of rain, we can not count on more than 2 hogsheads; whereas, if we could count on steady rains, we could produce 6 hogsheads. Dr. Carroll. Has anything been done for the project of securing irrigation for these lands ? Mr. Bird. Yes; General Stone was here and got property owners to vest in him the right to represent them to secure irrigation, but we have heard nothing further about it. Dr. Carroll. This matter of irrigation has been studied for many years in the United States, because we have a large arid portion in the western part of the United States; and we have much literature on the subject, which I think I could obtain for you in the Spanish language. 89 Mr. Bird. Anything- that improves our minds in any direction must be useful; we don't lose anything by reading. Dr. Carroll. Is there any special disease to which your cane is subject? Is it subject to the ravages of any particular insect? Mr. Bird. Whatever they may say in other parts of the island, what we suffer from most here is the lack of water. As soon as we have a period of drought, cane on my estate begins to suffer. Dr. Carroll. They showed me, in the western portion of the island, cane that was suffering from a certain kind of disease. In Yabucoa they showed me cane that had been injured by the changa. Mr. Bird. This insect does eat the tender roots of the cane, but there is a remedy for that. If they would sow the seed on the surface of the land instead of underneath the land, the trouble would be avoided, because this insect only attacks the plant underneath. I have a friend who adopted that system of sowing, and he is never troubled by the changa. The changa also attacks tobacco when the plant is small, and to prevent this they transplant it in a wrapping of maguey so that the changa can not attack the roots. The manager of the Carmen estate told me that he had gotten rid of them almost entirely by introducing the mongoose, and I think it must be that they are being exterminated in the island in that way, because on my own estate I had many of them formerty, but now they do not bother it at all. Dr. Carroll. It is a good remedy if the mongoose itself, in turn, does not become a plague. Mr. Bird. It eats chicken and eggs, but on the other hand it kills the rats. Before I brought it here I used to pay $8 and $10 a week in killing rats, and now the mongoose does it for me. Dr. Carroll. How many sugar mills are there in this section; that is, in this district and that of Salinas? Mr. Bird. There are eleven altogether, nine in Guayama and two in Salinas. My cane is in Patillas, bnt I am competent to speak of it here, as I live in Guayama. If you go to Juana Diaz it would be well for you to look at a large estate there where in spite of arid lands you will see what fine cane it produces. Dr. Carroll. Are the mills here provided with modern machinery? Mr. Bird. None at all. There is no vacuum machinery here. THE AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES OF YAUCO. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Yauco, P. R., March 6, 1899. Dr. Carroll. I desire to take up the subject of agriculture, and I think we ought to begin with Mr. Mejia. I would like him to make a statement of the conditions and need of agriculture, endeavoring to give me statements in a concrete form. I want the, facts rather than the philosophy of the situation, having special reference to the agricul- tural condition of Yauco. Mr. Francis Mejia. The agriculture of this district is very much damaged by drought, and a thorny question arises with regard to want of work for the laborers. The estates are abandoning work, and their employees will find themselves without employment. For that reason we ask that sums of money should be spent in the construction of roads 90 to give these laborers work. The small proprietor is in a worse posi- tion than any other because he has no money to work his own farm, nor can he leave his farm and go to seek work elsewhere. With reference to the order issued by the secretary of finance, imposing a tax of $1.50 to 25 cents on the various classes of land, some proprietors will find themselves in a bad position, because their lands are not of equal value. I understand that a proper appraisement ought and will be made of their value. As you already know, agriculture is the source of wealth of the whole island, and especially of the district of Yaueo, and all these gentlemen here are agriculturists, and they can tell you how things are in the various barrios in which they live. Dr. Carroll. Why is it that so many of the peons will be out of work shortly? Is it that the planters have determined not to plant as much as they did last year? Mr. Mejia. Because credit has been suspended, and no one advances money for the working of the estates. Dr. Carroll. This is due, I suppose, to the great scarcity of money in circulation. Mr. Mejia. That is one of the reasons. Another, that so many estate owners having suffered from drought have not been able to meet their obligations, and, consequently, as merchants have not been able to collect for outstanding debts they are not in a rjosition to continue advances. Dr. Carroll. Has not this district raised as much coffee and sugar as before? Mr. Mejia. Yes, but the prices have fallen considerably and no one is buying coffee to-day. Dr. Carroll. Are you getting no returns at all for your crops of sugar and coffee? Now is the time you ought to be getting returns from them. Mr. Mejia. No; nobody is buying coffee. Mr. Dario Francheschi. I have not sold any sugar so far. Dr. Carroll. What is the difficulty? Is there no market for it? Mr. Francheschi. The prices are very low, and nobody is offering anything for sugar at all. Dr. Carroll. What prices did you get a year ago for sugar? Mr. Francheschi. An average of $4; this year $3 a quintal. This was for muscovado. Coffee has fallen $8 and $10 a quintal. Last year we got on the average 25 pesos a quintal, and this year onhy 15. Dr. Carroll. According to estimates made by coffee planters of Cayey and Caguas, there seems to be a margin on coffee at 11 and 15 pesos; not much, but some profit for the planter. Mr. Torres. That may be so in Cayey, because they do not cultivate there so much coffee as we do here. Dr. Carroll. They said in Cayey that it costs from $8 to $9 to get coffee ready -for market. What does it cost here? Mr. Torres. In this district, calculating the interest sunk on the estate in machinery, I have paid about 15 pesos per quintal. Dr. Carroll. Leaving out the interest and counting only the cost of cultivating, picking, etc., what does it cost? Mr. Torres. From 10 to 12 pesos, depending on the particular plantation. Mr. Mejia. I think the calculation that Mr. Torres makes is a cor- rect one. It must be taken into account that Yauco lands have to be manured and Cayey lands do not have to be. Mr. Antonio Rodriguez. Lands close together differ very greatly, 91 and it is absolutely impossible to make uniform calculations. Some land produces more than others, and the abundance of the crop brings the average up or down. Dr. Carroll. It seems to me that you planters ought to endeavor to have your coffee introduced into the United States, studying the kinds of coffee desired there and catering to the taste of the people. Mr. Rodriguez. We are considering that matter now. Up to the present Yauco coffee has been in great demand, but at present our warehouses are full and our creditors are trying to buy the coffee at the actual cost to us. Mr. Torres. Another circumstance which makes coffee cost a great deal of money is that the best estates are 5 miles from here, and it costs a dollar and a quarter to bring a quintal of coffee here, and very much to take provisions to the estates. Dr. Carroll. If you had a port at Guanica would you be able to ship your coffee to better advantage? Mr. Torres. Yes; we have to-day to sell our coffee to merchants in Ponce, who try to obtain it for as little as possible. If we had a port at Guanica we would be able to save the profit made by the middlemen. Mr. Rodriguez. One of the chief causes of our trouble is that the wholesale merchants are afraid to let their capital out, by reason of disorders that have taken place in the island. They have restricted credit absolutely, and do not trust even their best customers. Men like myself, who are merchants and agriculturists, who stand in an intermediary position and deal directly with the small agriculturists, have not been able to collect what is owing to them, and consequently can not go on advancing money out of their own pockets, because they can not themselves get credit from the wholesale merchants. Dr. Carroll. Then all credit has stopped? Mr. Santiago ViValdi. Even the alto comercio has no credit in Europe. Mr. Rodriguez. This year a coffee crop is earning no profit what- ever, because we have had to buy our provisions at such high prices. Dr. Carroll. Cane is raised here by irrigation chiefly, I understand? Mr. Francheschi. In some parts without irrigation it does not give results. Dr. Carroll. Do you have to pay very much for the water? Mr. Francheschi. At the present time we are not able to irrigate our lands because the viver has no water in it. Dr. Carroll. When the river has water what does it cost you per cuerda to irrigate? Mr. Francheschi. We pay the laborer who attends to the ditching 25 cents per cuerda. The water costs us nothing. Dr. Carroll. How long do you keep that up? Mr. Francheschi. Every week Ave have to let the water in. Dr. Carroll. How long does the dry season continue? Mr. Francheschi. That varies. Sometimes we have no drought, and some years we have a drought of six or eight months. Dr. Carroll. You ought to have been spared the drought this year considering the various other visitations you have had. When you have plenty of rain you raise very fine cane, do you not ? Mr. Francheschi. Yes, very fine. Dr. Carroll. Is there any margin in sugar this year, at $3? Mr. Francheschi. Last year we sold our sugar at about $5, which left us some profit. This year we will lose, as has been the case, with the exception of last year, for several years past. We count on no 92 other salvation than the free introduction of our sugar into the United States market, and while that is being obtained the only thing that can save us will be the establishment of banks here letting us have money at low rates of interest. Dr. Carroll. It will be a somewhat difficult matter to bring in capital, because capital in the United States is conservative like cap- ital in Europe and other countries, and the fact that you are in dis- tress down here would make capital hesitate to come here for invest- ment. Mr. Torres. The one thing is the cause of the other. The mere fact of not having capital is the reason of our bad position. If we had been able to get capital in time we would not be at the mercy of speculators. Dr. Carroll. But under the order of General Henry none of you who have mortgages on your lands will have to pay more than 12 per cent. Mr. Torres. The order of General Henry was made with the best of intentions, but it is one of the reasons credit has been paralyzed here, because those who have faithfully paid their interest are suffer- ing on account of those who have not. Dr. Carroll. As to those who have not paid their interest the order provides that mortgages may be foreclosed. The order is only for the benefit of those who keep the interest paid. Mr. Torres. The order would have been splendid if capital had flowed behind it. Dr. Carroll. Suppose the order 'had not been issued at all; what then? Would it have been better? Mr. Torres. If the order had not been issued a great many estate owners would have lost their estates, but credit would not have been' paralyzed and those who keep up with their obligations would have credit. Dr. Carroll. If it is bad, perhaps General Henry would be willing to recall the order. Note. — To this suggestion there was prompt dissent. Mr. RoiG. Credits were paralyzed here before the order was issued. Mr. Rodriguez. I think the reason that banks do not come and establish here is because they do not know the status of Porto Rico, and that is one reason why the territorial question should be settled as soon as possible. In regard to Porto Rico 'paying its expenses, I would mention that once we had a surplus of a million and a half, and sometimes more than that. Dr. Carroll. You have contributed to the war in Cuba? Mr. Rodriguez. Yes ; Porto Rico has always been paying, but has never received anything, owing to the burnings and lawlessness in every part of the island. Some capital has been reduced to ashes, and those who can get their money in are doing so and are not likely to let out money when they know they are liable to suffer the same result. Dr. Carroll. What other kinds of crops are raised here besides coffee and cane? Mr. Vivaldi. The tobacco crop here is important. Dr. Carroll. Does tobacco pay well ? ' Mr. Vivaldi. Yes, it does, and it is one of the most important in- dustries, because it gives employment to a great many people. Dr. Carroll. Are you raising this year more or less than last year? Mr. Vivaldi. A great deal less, because no one is advancing any money to enable the small planters to sow. 93 Dr. Carroll. Have you sold all of last year's crop? Mr. Vivaldi. No; the greater part of it is still in the island. Dr. Carroll. How are the prices now as compared with those of last year? Mr. Vivaldi. This year they are very low; in the northern part of the island they sold tobacco as low as $2 a quintal, and after sending it to Germany have had to send money behind it to pay expenses. I have tobacco, and I would not dare to send it to the United States, because I don't know what prices I would get for it. Dr. Carroll. You don't send any tobacco to Cuba now? Mr. Vivaldi. No. Mr. Torres. That is one of the chief reasons tobacco has fallen in price. Dr. Carroll. On the other hand you don't import from there ciga- rettes and cigars. That is a benefit. Mr. Vivaldi. There is not sufficient consumption for the tobacco raised in the island. Dr. Carroll. But it is a good thing to have your own market. Mr. Vivaldi. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Have you tried to see whether you could get your tobacco into the United States? Mr. Vivaldi. No ; nobody has. I have spoken to export merchants here, and they have always told me that it was impossible to send any there. We want free entry, so as to get our tobacco into the States. Dr. Carroll. The only criticism that I have heard of Porto Rican cigars is that the tobacco is too green. Mr. Vivaldi. I have cigars three years old. If they are not dry now they never will be. Dr. Carroll. What other crops are there? Mr. Mejia. Small crops, such as corn, for local use. The principal crops are coffee and tobacco. Dr. Carroll. I would like to know what the small crops consist of. Mr. Mejia. Beans, corn, rice, plantains, potatoes, but very few. Dr. Carroll. Is any attention paid to the cultivation of these small crops? Mr. Vivaldi. Very little. Mr. Mejia. We produce sufficient for local consumption. We can not produce large quantities, because of the drought. Dr. Carroll. Can you not use irrigation for these small crops the same as you do for cane? Mr. Vivaldi. Yes ; but there is not sufficient water. Dr. Carroll. What kinds of fruit are grown? Mr. Mejia. Oranges, pineapples, bitter oranges, cacao, mangoes, nisperos, small bananas, aguacates (alligator pears), mamey, and guavas. We could raise more if we had good roads. We raise, also, pepinos (cucumbers). T have a great many oranges on my estate, but the cost of freighting them down to the wharf would be more than I could get for them. Dr. Carroll. The chinas (sweet oranges) are as good as any raised in the United States, and if you could get them to New York you would have a market for all of them. Mr. Vivaldi. Many are sent from Mayaguez to New York; also pineapples are sent from there. Only those that are produced near the coast, however, are exported. The others would not stand the expense of the rough roads. The great bulk of the orange crop is in the mountains. 94 Dr. Carroll. If the oranges were known in the United States you could sell your entire crop there at good prices. Mr. Mejia. I spent $350 in bringing fruits from the United States, and trying to acclimate them here, but they all died. Dr. Carroll. Have you tried to introduce your oranges in the United States? Mr. Mejia. No ; there is no road by which I can get them down. Dr. Carroll. Does it cost very much to raise pineapples? Are they raised without much labor and expense? Mr. Mejia. No; it does not cost much, and a great quantity are produced in San German, but then here they cost a great deal, because of the expense of bringing them in. They sell here in Yauco at from 10 to 20 cents each. THE CROPS AND THE DRY SEASON. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Coamo, P. R., February 6, 1899. Mr. Francisco Fernandez, coffee planter, and others: Dr. Carroll. Are there any planters here who can give me some idea about the soil of this district and what crops are raised, and the advantages and disadvantages that are experienced by planters in raising their crops and getting them to market? Mr. Fernandez. The principal crop of this district is coffee. Dr. Carroll. What other crops are raised? Mr. Fernandez. Tobacco, a small amount of cane, and small fruits and vegetables. We also have cattle. Dr. Carroll. What are the fruits that are raised here? Mr. Fernandez. Oranges, pineapples, mangoes, guanavinos, mamey, nisperos, guavas, and others. Dr. Carroll. Are there many pineapples raised? Mr. Fernandez. None of these are raised; they all grow wild. They are a beautiful fruit, but they are left to rot in the fields. This might become the most important crop of the district. Dr. Carroll. Why are they not cultivated? Mr. Fernandez. For the want of local markets, and the difficulty of getting them to distant markets. Dr. Carroll. You have a good road here, both to Ponce and to San Juan, at all times of the year. Mr. Fernandez. The difficulty is to get them from the center to this road. Dr. Carroll. Where are they grown? Mr. Fernandez. In the mountain lands, 600 meters above the sea level. To bring them down from there would" cost more than they are worth. Dr. Carroll. Have you tried bringing them down on ponies? Mr. Fernandez. Yes. Colonel Santiago. Pineapples grow splendidly everywhere, and better with irrigation ; but here in the countiy there is no demand for them, and they don't export them owing to the difficulties they have passed through of having communication. Dr. Carroll. Is there no demand for them in San Juan and Ponce? Mr. Fernandez. They are too far away. It is too expensive to get them there. 95 Colonel Santiago. We have never sown them; that is, we have never gone into the business regularly. A Planter. The amount of the duty on coffee is more than the value of the coffee itself in the ports of the United States. Dr. Carroll. No; it has been free for many years. A Planter. We want tobacco also to be free. Dr. Carroll. That is another question. You will have to wait until Porto Rico becomes a Territory of the United States. A Planter. If at the ports of the United States you could charge a duty on coffee coining from other countries, it would be a benefit to Porto Rico. Dr. Carroll. You must remember that the merchants of the United States who export to Porto Rico pay the same duties as the merchants of Spain or any other country. While that state of things continues you must expect to pay duties on things that go into the United States. It would be hardly fair to charge a duty on seven-eighths of the coffee the people of the United States consume to benefit Porto Rico when we have no free market here. How many months of dry weather do you have? A Planter. The dry season continues six months. We have rain from August to December and in the month of May. Dr. Carroll. Is there no possibility of irrigating any of the lands? A Planter. With very little outlay we could bring the river Bar- ranquitas here and use it for irrigation purposes. Dr. Carroll. Have you ever had a competent engineer to examine into the matter? A Planter. We don't need an engineer for that; anybody can see at a glance that we can get water from the north shore down here. The greater part of the water running through Barranquitas could be brought here. Dr. Carroll. Still, you would not want to undertake any extensive irrigation works without having the opinion of a competent engineer and plans by a competent engineer? A Planter. The country is too poor to attend to irrigation works itself, but in Guayama they paid $25,000 to some English engineers to study the subject. These engineers have left and the people have nothing to show for their money. Dr. Carroll. Have they no plans to show for it? A Planter. I consider it lost until capital comes here to attend to it. They have the plans, though. Dr. Carroll. Does coffee suffer any from the dry season? A Planter. Not on the high lands, but it suffers on the low lands. Coffee sown at a lower altitude than 500 meters suffers from the dry season, but above that altitude it does not. Dr. Carroll. Why does it not suffer above that altitude? A Planter. On account of the dew above that altitude, the air is much more humid. Coffee is sown on the lowlands, but in some dry seasons it dies altogether. 96 . COFFEE RAISING. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.! Aibonito, P. R., February 6, 1899. Mr. Manuel Caballer, mayor of Aibonito, Mr. Jose E. Santiago, coffee planter; also Mr. Tomas Sifonte and Mr. Theodore Gonzales, coffee planters. Dr. Carroll. Are there any manufactures of any kind in Aibonito? Mr. Caballer. None whatever, so far as I know. Dr. Carroll. Are there any planters here who can tell me about agriculture in the district of Aibonito? Mr. Santiago. I am a coffee planter and can probably give you the information you want. Dr. Carroll. What is the chief crop of this district? Mr. Santiago. Coffee. Dr. Carroll. What other crops are raised? Mr. .Santiago. The next most important crop is tobacco, besides which there are small crops not worth taking into consideration. Dr. Carroll. What about oranges, bananas, cocoanuts, and fruits? Mr. Santiago. They don't cultivate them. Dr. Carroll. Would they grow here well, if cultivated? Mr. Santiago. Yes, they would; but I don't think to any great extent. Dr. Carroll. Is the weather too cold for them? Mr. Santiago. The climate is good for fruit. Dr. Carroll. Is there much dry weather? Mr. Santiago. Droughts have occurred, but they are not usual. The ground, however, is worn-out and is naturally poor. Dr. Carroll. Do you use fertilizers on it? Mr. Santiago. Up to the present, no. Dr. Carroll. What is the ordinary crop of coffee per cuerda? Mr. Santiago. From 2 to 3 quintals on the best lands. There are some lands which don't give more than l-J. Coffee is not a productive crop here, and there are heavy expenses connected with it. Dr. Carroll. Is the coffee you grow of the ordinary class? Mr. Santiago. No; it is very fine cofiee. In the exposition at Paris I got a prize for the coffee" I exhibited. What we are in need of is machinery to work it better. Dr. Carroll. What does it cost to have the coffee picked, per cuerda? Mr. Santiago. It costs $6 per cuerda. Dr. Carroll. What are the other expenses of getting coffee ready for market? Mr. Santiago. We have to pass it through the machinery. We have to dry it; in fact, a long process has to be gone through. Dr. Carroll. I want to get at the expense of it. Mr. Santiago. We don't prepare it for exportation. Dr. Carroll. Well, what does it cost for drying it? Mr. Santiago. It costs about 50 cents a quintal for hulling and drying. Dr. Carroll. Where do you send it? Mr. Santiago. To Ponce. Dr. Carroll. What does it cost to e-et it to Ponce from here? 97 Mr. Santiago. It costs 30 or 40 cents, according to whether the carts are plentiful or not. Dr. Carroll. What do you get for it at Ponce? Mr. Santiago. This year from 14 to 15 pesos a quintal. Mr. Sifonte appeared before the commissioner and was questioned as follows : Dr. Carroll. What is the general character of the soil in this district? Is it washed and quite thin on the top of the mountain? Mr. Sifonte. The land is not regular at all. In some parts the soil is deep, and in other parts it is thin. You will find it in veins of varying quantity. Dr. Carroll. If a man wanted to plant a coffee farm how would he proceed, having an open field to begin with? Mr. Sifonte. First he would clean the ground and then plant shade trees. Dr. Carroll. How do you clean the ground? Mr. Sifonte. By cutting off the surface with a machete. Dr. Carroll. What kind of trees do you plant for shade? Mr. Sifonte. Plantains and guava. Dr. Carroll. How long does it take to get those trees ready to furnish the proper amount of shade? Mr. Sifonte. The guava trees require five years, but the other tree gives a shade at the end of a year, and meanwhile gives fruit. Dr. Carroll. And when do they plant the coffee trees? Mr. Sifonte. In October. Dr. Carroll. At the end of the first or second year, or immediately after planting the shade trees? Mr. Sifonte. A year afterwards. Dr. Carroll. How long is it before the coffee trees begin to bear? Mr. Sifonte. Five years. Dr. Carroll. When do your trees bear their best crops? Mr. Sifonte. When they are 7 years old. Dr. Carroll. Do they then decrease in the amount they yield? Mr. Sifonte. Our climate sustains the coffee tree in full bearing for many years; even up to fifty years. Dr. Carroll. Do you pay any taxes on land that is newty planted in coffee trees? Mr. Sifonte. No. Dr. Carroll. Does the law allow you five years in which to get your plantation ready for bearing before imposing a tax? Mr. Sifonte. No; two years only have been allowed. Dr. Carroll. Do you agree with the gentleman who has just testi- fied as to the cost of picking the coffee, of hulling it, and getting it to Ponce to market? Mr. Sifonte. I am of the same opinion; and I would say that our coffee, put down in the market, costs us $10 per quintal, everything counted, including the planting, the cleaning, the picking, the condi- tioning, the sacking, and the carrying to market. Dr. Carroll. Then the margin of profit for the planter is not very much, if he only gets 14 or 15 pesos per quintal? Mr. Sifonte. This year, at present prices, our coffee costs us almost as much as we get for it. Dr. Carroll. Are there many merchants here who buy coffee from you? Mr. Sifonte. There are, on a small scale. 1125 7 98 Mr. Theodore Gonzales was then questioned by the commissioner, as follows : Dr. Carroll. What is the average size of a coffee farm, in cuerdas, in this neighborhood? Mr. Gonzales. From 80 to 100 cuerdas. Dr. Carroll. You have heard the questions asked these other gen- tlemen. Do you agree with them in their answers? Mr. Gonzales. Yes. NEED OF FERTILIZERS. [Hearing before the United States Comniissioner.] Caguas, P. R., February 27, 1899. Mr. Vicente Munoz, ex-mayor of Caguas : Dr. Carroll. You are a planter? Mr. Munoz. Yes ; but not, of cane. Dr. Carroll. What do you plant? Mr. Munoz. Tobacco, coffee, a small amount of plantains, and small fruits in general. Dr. Carroll. What is the general character of the soil in this valley; is it rich? Mr. Munoz. Within a small radius it is fairly good, but the rest of it is not of much value. Everything is grown, but everything grows very sickly. Dr. Carroll. What is the cause of that ; haven't you rain enough here? Mr. Munoz. It is owing to the want of technical knowledge of how to use the soil, to the want of money, and to the rude methods we have always employed. Dr. Carroll. What crops are best produced here by this soil — coffee and tobacco? Mr. Munoz. In one part cane, in another coffee, in another small district tobacco, and in still another forage. Dr. Carroll. Are there many cattle raised here? Mr. Munoz. Very few. Dr. Carroll. Do the planters ever use fertilizers on the soil? Mr. Munoz. No; for want of money. Dr. Carroll. Does the island not produce fertilizers? Mr. Munoz. On the island proper there is none, but the island of Mona produces fertilizer. Owing to the cost of getting it here the price is prohibitive. The agriculturist is in a worse position than the laborer here, because at the end of the day or week the laborer gets his pay, but the agriculturist gets no pay, and if he does not get some one to help him out he is in a bad way. Dr. Carroll. You are in a better j)osition than the agriculturists of some other districts, because you have good roads and communi- cation with Ponce and San Juan. Mr. Munoz. It is of small account to have good veins if you have no blood to course through them. We need cash and credit very much here. Owing to the late happenings in the island, men who sustained the agriculturists by credit have retired their credits altogether. Dr. Carroll. Isn't it a fact that agriculturists have to j3ay too high a rate of interest to allow of much profit on their crops? 99 « Mr. Munoz. Agriculturists here, unless they have a most extraor- dinary- crop, can never pay what they owe, and each year they get deeper and deeper into debt, and after eight or ten years they have to give up their estates and become workmen themselves. Dr. Carroll. Did the order of General Henry, suspending execu- tions on agricultural property, afford any relief here? Mr. Munoz. Those who were hopelessly in debt were benefited, but those who had not got to that condition were not greatly benefited. The order preventing the collection of the consumption tax appeared at first a very beneficent one, but it was really quite the other thing. We are buying bread and meat at the same prices we were before, and instead of the people of the city, who consume the bread and meat, paying the tax the extra taxation has been put on us. Dr. Carroll. It has been put on the liquor dealers? Mr. Munoz. The agriculturists pay it indirectlv. Dr. Carroll. The tariff has relieved the agriculturist somewhat? Mr. Munoz. The price of food stuffs has not come down here. Dr. Carroll. What do you pay for bread? Mr. Munoz. Six cents in town; I pay 7 cents in the country. Dr. Carroll. How much was it before? Mr. Munoz. It was 8 cents for a pound, light; now they sell a full pound for 6 cents. Dr. Carroll. It was 8 cents in San Juan, and now it is 4 cents. Mr. Munoz. But the agricultural laborers do not eat either bread or meat. COFFEE AND TOBACCO. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Cayey, P. R., February 28, 1899. Dr. Carroll. What are the chief crops raised here? Mayor Munoz. Coffee and tobacco. Dr. Carroll. Some corn? Mayor Munoz. A small quantity, only, for local consumption. Dr. Carroll. Is any cane raised here? Mayor Munoz. There was only one sugar grower here and he gave it up. Dr. Carroll. Does not cane grow well here? Mayor Munoz. Yes; it is very fine land for cane. Dr. Carroll. • Then is it more profitable to raise coffee and tobacco? •Mayor Munoz. Naturally; cane requires a great deal more capital' than coffee and tobacco. Dr. Carroll. What kind of soil is found here? Mr. M. Planellas, president of agricultural society. The northern and eastern parts of the district are clayey. There is also humus soil, and under that there is a layer of pyrites. In another part of the district there is volcanic soil; that is found especially in the southern part. We harvest 30,000 quintals of coffee here and 5,000 quintals of tobacco. Less has been sown this year than last. Dr. Carroll. What is the number of workmen, approximately, on coffee and tobacco estates? Mr. Planellas. I estimate that about 4,000 people are given work in the country districts of this municipality. The minimum salaiy is 37 cents and the maximum 50 cents a day. Most of the agriculturists 100 pay in cash, and any peon of good character can live on the estate and have a house bnilt for him by the owner. Dr. Carroll. There is an agricultural society here. What is its object? Mr. Planellas. The society was formed last year, with a view of trying to obtain annexation and get into a position to take advantage of the benefits of it. This is the first society that has ever been formed ; this is absolutely the first step that has been taken. One of the points which our programme includes is the betterment of the peon class. One object of the society has been to prepare the ground for the intro- duction of our coffee into the United States. We are thinking of sending an agent there to work the field and get a market, but we have been laboring under the idea that coffee paid a duty there. The danger of the situation is that if the agriculturist does not soon find a market for his produce he will have to shut down, and that will throw many out of work. Dr. Carroll. What is your port for the shipment of coffee? Mr. Planellas. San Juan, principally. Dr. Carroll. What does it cost to get your coffee there? Mr. Planellas. Forty cents a quintal. Dr. Carroll. Is it nearer to San Juan than to Ponce? Mr. Planellas. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Do the planters sell the coffee here or in San Juan? Mr. Planellas. They sell it here. Dr. Carroll. How much do you get for it here? Mr. Planellas. Ten pesos per quintal for current classes. Dr. Carroll. Is that with the shell on it? Mr. Planellas. No; all prepared. Dr. Carroll. How much for the fine? Mr. Planellas. Fourteen pesos. Dr. Carroll. Is there much margin for the producer? Mr. Planellas. Very little ; at 10 pesos it hardly covers the expense, of production. Last year coffee brought as high as 35 pesos a quintal. Dr. Carroll. Is 14 pesos now the highest? Mr. Planellas. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Why should there be such a shrinkage for the best coffee? As I understand they never send the best coffee to the United States or to Cuba or Spain, but to Germany and France. Mr. Planellas. We send the best coffee to Spain and France. France consumes only a little, however; the chief part was consumed in Spain. The reason we sent most of it to Spain was that the exchange on Spain gave us a larger return. Dr. Carroll. They raise coffee in Cuba, do they not? Mr. Planellas. Very little. Dr. Carroll. Then, if they raise only a little, they must import coffee. Mayor Munoz. The Brazilian coffee, which is much cheaper, will be brought in, as the poor people use it. Our inferior coffees are better than the Brazilian first-class coffee. Dr. Carroll. Can you not produce them as cheaply as they produce them in Brazil? Mr. Planellas. No; in Brazil they don't have to use shade trees; they can plant them out in the open, and here the expense of raising- coffee is in the protection of the coffee. Dr. Carroll. The freights are cheaper from here to Cuba than from Brazil to Cuba, are they not? 101 Mr. Planellas. Somewhat cheaper, but that would not make up for it. Fifty years ago, when coffee paid no taxes, when munici- palities hardly existed, and we had slave labor, we could compete with Brazil, but to-day we can not compete with Brazil, which has cheaper labor. Dr. Carroll. What does it cost to get coffee ready for market. A Planter present. From 8 to 9 pesos per' quintal. Another Planter. The most important point to the agriculturist has not been mentioned ; that is, that the agriculturists have no money and no bank. They have to obtain their money through merchants who exact payment in crops; these crops are subject to fluctuation, according to the demand from outside, which causes fluctuations in San Juan. So that really the agriculturist is Bt the mercy of the mer- chants, and until he gets better facilities for getting money it will always be so. Dr. Carroll. Under the present laws the agriculturist may be an exporter. A Planter. We can not do it because we havn't commercial rela- tions with Europe and the United States. We wouldn't know how to proceed, and have to deal with the merchants anyway. The very richest of the agriculturists have seen themselves on the brink of ruin. They have had no outlet for their crops, and could get no money to attend to the working of their estates. Without exception, they are in a very difficult position. Dr. Carroll. If you think the merchants are charging you too much, you should form an association and have an agent and find your own markets. What one man can not do a great many men can do. A Gentleman present. As the agriculturist nearly always owes the merchant he has to meet the debts with coffee. The fault is with the merchants of the capital. The merchants here can not offer a higher price than they are authorized to offer by the merchants there. Mayor Munoz. I think the real reason for the condition of affairs which exists at present is the transitory state through which we are passing. It is not a question of merchants or prices, but of an upset con- dition of affairs. When we find our neAv markets we will settle down upon a satisfactory basis. We want your assistance and that of the' United States to the end that Porto Rican coffee shall be protected as a national product against Brazilian and others. Dr. Carroll. That is, you want the United States to impose a duty on coffee from other countries'? A § Planter. In any form. Dr. Carroll. By bounty? That ought to come out of your own treasury. Mayor Munoz. I think a duty ought to be imposed on othercoffee. * Dr. Carroll. Would that be fair to the 70, 0000, 000 consumers in the United States'? It seems to me that one trouble with the planters here is that you go too much on the credit basis and not enough on the cash basis; in other words, you pay out what would be your prof- its in interest, which, I understand, runs as high as 18 per cent, and it would seem to me better to pass through a starvation period, if necessary, for a year or two in order to get on the cash basis. A Planter. I think that as soon as American capitalists come in to take the place of Spanish capital that has been withdrawn the country will get on a better footing. Dr. Carroll. The more money you borrow the worse you are off. 102 A Planter. No, it will give the agriculturists breathing time in which to wait for better prices. Dr. Carroll. Suppose the better prices vou wait for do not come? What then? A Planter. We would have money at lower interest than we now pay, and, at least, would have the benefit of the time for waiting. Dr. Carroll. What inducement have you to offer to capitalists to lend money at a less rate of interest than you have been paying? You say that the prices are so low that you can not make expenses. A Planter. We would give our property as a guaranty. IRRIGATION. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Ponce, P. R., March 3, 1899. Mr. Robert Graham: Mr. Graham. I have been here thirty-eight 3 T ears. My business is engineering, and I know the island pretty well. There are very con- siderable openings here for capital from outside. There are large claims lying uncultivated which could be made very valuable by bringing water to them. There is no difficulty in bringing the water to them, except the difficulty of the money necessary to do it. Gen- eral Stone went into this question of irrigation very closely. He traveled all over the district and we traveled a great deal together. He was delighted with the whole thing, and he was quite certain he was going to do big things; that firms in the United States would go in for it right off, and I have been surprised to find that he has been disappointed altogether. His disappointment, however, is no reason why we should not try to secure irrigation here. Dr. Carroll. I had a talk at Guayama at the alcaldia. There were a number of planters there, also at Arroyo. Thej^ have plans at Arroyo, but no plans at Guayama with respect to irrigation. It seems to me important in order to bring this question properly before capi- talists in the United States that there should be plans, with estimates, so that the people can judge somewhat with regard to it. Mr. Graham. That is so, and the plans have been all worked out in first-class style and copies of them remain in the office of the depart- ment of public works in San Juan. Estimates also have been made and copies have been supplied to different people. It is not easy to sn PPty copies, except of superficial plans, but the matter has *been brought so plainly before a number of people that it seems surprising that it has not been taken up. A little more than a year ago the scheme was nearly taken up by a London syndicate of capitalists.* The American war came on and they said, "We will wait and see what will happen." After the war they were ready to come. I told them they were too late. I had been speaking with General Stone, and naturally considered that Americans would go into it and give us Englishmen no chance, and I wrote to that effect. An enterprise of this sort requires capitalists to send out capable men to look into it and finally get the concession good for the whole ground, make their own plans, and make such calculations as modern ideas and experi- ence may suggest. Dr. Carroll. You have a system of irrigation in this district? 103 Mr. Graham. Yes; we have irrigation in the Ponce district and it is a pretty complete system. We take the water from various rivers. Dr. Carroll. Does that water ever fail in rivers? Mr. Graham. Yes; when we have long spells of dry weather it gets scarce; but the districts of Guayama, Arroyo, and Salinas have no irri- gation at all to speak of. The matter has been worked out and looked into by different engineers and all have found it perfectly feasible, and there could be no doubt about the success of it, because landed pro- prietors are willing to bind themselves in advance, to pay so much per acre for the use of the water. Dr. Carroll. What is the sj^stem that you have here? Mr. Graham. It is just gravitation. They take the water high up in the river, dam it slightly, build brick conduits, and bring the water to the estates. Dr. Carroll. How is it distributed on the estates? Mr. Graham. By a main ditch which runs along the high part of the field and smaller ditches or furrows so arranged that the water runs along the furrows. The furrows are from 3 to 4 feet from each other. The cane is planted in a hill and the water runs over the roots of the cane. Dr. Carroll. Is that system costly? Mr. Graham. The first cost is considerable, but after it is once established the system is not a costly one. Dr. Carroll. For a field of 100 cuerdas, say, what would it cost the owner per annum? Mr. Graham. You would have to keep two men constantly employed and that would cost about 60 cents a day, gold. Dr. Carroll. Is the water pumped from the river? Mr. Graham. No. They take the water up higher than their own property. For Guayama and Salinas the water would be taken up in the hills and a reservoir made. The original scheme would cost $700,000, but the water that has to be brought down would give 1,600 horsepower for electric lighting. That would light all the lights around the coast here. Dr. Carroll. Would it turn all the sugar mills? Mr. Graham. No, but it would haul all the cane. The mills require heavy power; but they will have plenty of power for their purposes. The electric-light scheme was not included in the original irrigation scheme. It is only lately that this scheme has been thought of at all. Connected with this scheme is the central factory. Dr. Carroll. That would be a matter of economy also for the planters, because their present system is-a costly one. Mr. Graham. They are losing when they are grinding just one- third of the whole crop. It is equivalent to one-half of what they make. Dr. Carroll. Yes; that is evident to a passer-by. Mr. Graham. The bankers have gone into a little speculation in this district. They bought a thousand acres the other day and are going to put up a factory. Dr. Carroll. Where is that? Mr. Graham. Between Guayama and Salinas. Dr. Carroll. Do they expect to irrigate it? Mr. Graham. Yes, and I think they are expecting that one day the general irrigation scheme will be introduced. Dr. Carroll. Has it always been as dry in these southern districts as it is now? 104 Mr. Graham. Not quite. Twenty-five or thirty years ago we did not suffer so much from dry weather. Dr. Carroll. The mountains have been denuded, I suppose? Mr. Graham. Yes, and the cutting down of the timber has done a great deal of harm. Dr. Carroll. Can not that be remedied by planting forests? Mr. Graham. Very slowly, because the land is the property of pri- vate owners and they would not plant lands from which they would derive no benefit. Dr. Carroll. That would be of benefit to the whole district, and possibly you would have a natural supply of moisture. Mr. Graham. We may have rains in April, but we may not get them in that month. Dr. Carroll. Have you plenty of rain in the summer? Mr. Graham. No, not plenty. We may get showers from now on to July, sometimes later, but we can not count on the weather from January to September. Sometimes we get rain in that period and sometimes we don't. The estates that don't have irrigation can not make anything in this sort of weather. AVERAGE CROPS OF SUGAR AND COFFEE. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Plainfield, N. J., May 26, 1899. Senor Lucas Amadeo, a coffee planter of Utuado, P. R. : Dr. Carroll. I should like to ask a few questions as to coffee and sugar.- I have been unable to get the average production per acre or cuerda of coffee and sugar. Senor Amadeo. The production of sugar there varies according to the location of the plantation and according to the method of cultiva- tion. Along the coast there are some places where the ground bein<>- well watered, will produce from 3% to 4 hogsheads per cuerda Dr. Carroll. From 1,400 to 1,800 pounds per hogshead? Seiior Amadeo. Yes. The average production will fall as low as 2 hogsheads m other localities, where the ground, perhaps, is not as good and the methods of culture are not adequate. Dr. Carroll. Much depends, 1 suppose, also on the character of the mills. Senor Amadeo. I believe that with modern mills and modern methods the production on good lands would be from 5 to 6 hogs- heads per cuerda. On the plantation of my father I have, even with the crude method of oxen, obtained sometimes 5 hogsheads per cuerda. Dr. Carroll. Do you think the average for the land under culti- vation is 2 hogsheads per cuerda? Senor Amadeo. That is about the most they will give, taking into consideration the manner in which it is cultivated now; it must be borne in mmd that present methods of culture in the island are inad- equate to produce what the same farms might yield if riahtlv culti- vated. ft J _ Dr. Carroll. What would probably be the value of the residue or juice or molasses to the hogshead left over after the sugar has been 105 made? I want to get at the value of a cuerda in cane, made up into sugar, molasses, and rum. Senor Amadeo. Calculating that the cuerda will give 2 hogsheads of sugar, it will then give 30 per cent molasses and 10 per cent rum ; the sugar represents 60 per cent. Dr. Carroll. Do the 2 hogsheads include the molasses and rum? Senor Amadeo. No. Dr. Carroll. I ask these questions because Judge Curtis, of the colonial commission, made a statement to the effect that the sugar growers of Porto Rico were not' so nearly had off as they made out. He said they could easily make $120 gold per acre. Senor Amadeo. I don't see where Mr. Curtis gets his authority from upon which to base that statement, because you must take into account the cost of production. Dr. Carroll. Would a cuerda produce $120 worth without regard to the cost ? Senor Amadeo. No. Dr. Carroll. I don't see how it is possible. Senor Amadeo. As long as the production per cuerda is 2% hogs- heads or less there is no profit. The profit really commences when the production is from 3 hogsheads up. The plantations spend a great deal of money. I know of plantations near Ponce which pro- duce 800 hogsheads and spend from $35,000 to $40,000 a year in the production of the crop. Dr. Carroll. Now, with regard to the ordinary production of coffee per acre, I think you have stated to me that the most liberal estimate is from 35 to 40 quintals an acre. Senor Amadeo. The amount you mention was produced under exceptional conditions on one of my pieces of land, and I have other pieces which sometimes produce about the same; but taking a gen- eral average, and taking into consideration that the cultivation is so poorly undertaken there in that respect, we get about 4 quintals per cuerda. There have been years in which the production has exceeded 6 quintals on an average. Last year the production was poor. Dr. Carroll. That includes all classes? Senor Amadeo. In years like the present you might calculate, per- haps, 4 quintals upon all the grounds, but in past years it has been lower than that. Dr. Carroll. What are the classes or grades produced? What are they called? Senor Amadeo. It is divided into about three grades. The first and the best is produced on the large plantations, where they have their own mills and where they undertake the whole operation. Dr. Carroll. What is that called — caracolillo? Senor Amadeo. It is called haciendo coffee. Caracolillo coffee is picked out from that. They are the round beans. Dr. Carroll. Yes, and I understand they grow on the higher branches. Senor Amadeo. No; it grows indiscriminately. Dr. Carroll. It consists of one berry in the cascara? Senor Amadeo. Yes. The second grade is that produced by the different commission merchants that buy up the different crops and take them into the city and sort them ; and the third grade is that pro- duced on small properties, where the}'" dry their coffee crudely, and where the whole process, in fact, is crude. Dr. Carroll. What classes are polished for the European markets? 106 Senor Amadeo. The first two grades. Dr. Carroll. What will you do now with your third-class coffee? You used to send much of it to Cuba. Senor Amadeo. We don't know where to send it; it is at its lowest price there. Dr. Carroll. It really makes good coffee,, does it not? The beans are irregular and broken, but I understand it makes good coffee. Senor Amadeo. It is only a question of looks. Very often the cof- fee that is dried in its own bean, as is done in the case of the third- class coffee, tastes even better than the other grades. Dr. Carroll. Is it better than the cheap grade produced in Brazil, called Rio? Senor Amadeo. Yes, much better. THE NEEDS OF AGRICULTURE. [Memorial of Mayaguez planters submitted to the Commissioner.] We, the undersigned property holders and agriculturists in the de- partment of Mayaguez, being desirous of cooperating as far as our scanty forces allow for the welfare of this island, beg to state: That the coffee growers of Mayaguez, Las Marias, and Maricao some years ago began their work anew, arising out of the prostration to which the industiy had been for some time subjected. At this date the planta- tions are in very good condition, owing to the fertility of the soil and the careful work which has been bestowed on them; but as the mer- chants of Mayaguez have absolutely cut off credits, the only source on which we count for the development of agriculture, the day may arrive (and it is not far off) when the coffee industry may die for lack of funds with which to attend to its needs. As the poor classes live on the work given by the agriculturist, if that work be suspended they will be reduced to the utmost misery. For a year this condition has been threatening, and cases of starvation have already occurred, and will occur frequently, for want of work. To save the situation, a sad one for both owner and workman, to combat the tyranny of the specu- lator and usurer, to place the coffee industry on a footing of progress, to free the laborer from his condition of anaemia, and enable him to earn enough to buy food with the wages of his honest labor, and to lift the agriculturist from the penury which overwhelms him, and enable him to meet his obligations and his social duties, there is urgent need — First. That the money question be settled, giving the peso a value of 50 cents. Second. That agricultural banks be established by American corpo- rations to loan money at low rates and for long terms on mortgages. Third. That full freedom be given for Americans, our fellow-country- men, to establish themselves so as to introduce competition and put an end to Spanish and German monopoly, which, owing to lack of com- petition, sells its merchandise dear, and scourges agriculture by the low prices paid for produce. The merchants are interested only in sending their capital to their respective countries, leaving our country bare, greatly to our prejudice. Fourth. That lawyers, notaries, and court clerks' fees be limited to rates made generally known by a published tariff. 107 Sixth. That every citizen be allowed to conduct his own litigation without obligatory reeom'se to procurators, as these, together with " shysters," whose only idea is to draw the agriculturists into litiga- tion with or without reason, cause great prejudice to agriculturists. Sixth. That agricultural tools and machinery be exempted from all duties. Seventh. That the so-called " cuota imponible"be annulled for a number of years, owing to the onerous state of present conditions. Eighth. That the ayuntamiento of this city, together with General Henry, work for the annexation to the district of the neighboring ones of Maricao and Las Marias, as those districts impose heavy taxation to meet the salaries of their unnecessary employees, ,to the exclusion of important work, such as roads and education; and that preference be given to these branches so completely neglected. Knowing your good wishes and the good wishes of the President of the great Republic, we await with faith and enthusiasm the speedy change of the situation to one of prosperity for Pofto Rico, which, once the traces of the fatal Spanish domination are wiped out, will be, like Kentucky, the American paradise and the garden of America. Julio P. Beauchamp, Marcelino Beauehamp, Alades Beau- champ, Adolfo Fenellas, Francisco Linares, M. Rodri- guez Perez, Manuel Frabal, Juan N. Aran, Tomas Per,ez, Antonio Rivera, Juan Rivera, Sandalio Rivera, Julio Vincenty, Pr. Victor M. Rivera, Adolfo Gonzales, Jose G. Rivera, Jose Ignacio Rivera, Juan de Mata Rivera, Maximino Lacour, G. Torrella, Pablo Beau- champ, Ernesto Surra, Pedro Paoli, Jose G. Rivera, Gregorio Castillo, Francisco Cepaller, Jose Luis Ortiz Rentes, Joaquim Vincenty, Amego de P. Tandredo Hernandez, A. Ortiz, Alcedes Beauchamp, Artuco To- rrella, Carlos M. Beauchamp, Domingo Rivera, Jose A. Rivera, Cipriani Rivera, A. Luego de Julio Tratar, Juan Torrella, Amego de D. Teodoso, Agapito Journet, Venancio Gonzalez, Francisco Aran, Zine Lapetegin, V. Forestier, Ricardo Rivera, Julio C. Rivera, Luis Esteva. DEPREDATIONS OF THE CHANG A. Eustaquio Milland, resident of Yabucoa, property owner and town councillor, respectfully states that no study is more worthy of consid- eration than that of the method of extirpating the pest called changa, the cause of ruin to our crops and decay of agriculture in this district. Agriculturists are interested in (taking advantage of) your visit, placing under the scalpel of a scientific commission of the savior Republic the insect known as Grillo talpa (mole cricket) and finding a means of extirpating it, all steps taken by the experts named by the Spanish Government having failed. It is quite impossible for the agriculturist to sustain the struggle caused by this enemy of labor, who to evade persecution burrows under the ground down to one-half meter depth and makes its nest, producing its young by thousands and feeding on the first shoots until the plantation succumbs to its attacks. The mamey leaf used because of its toughness and bitter flavor to 108 wrap around the young tobacco shoot, to protect it from the ravages of the pest, prevents the full growth of the plant and affects its qual- ity, thus defeating its object. It also attacks cane, rice, garden stuff, and everything green. Note.— The field laborers of this district earn 50 cents Porto Rican daily, and are paid in provisions from the store of the estate, at prices much above those charged at retail in the towns. Can noth- ing be done for these unfortunates? THREE NEEDS. STATEMENT OF SENOK J. COLON. We are in need of roads. The want of them makes it difficult at times for even carts to move. Our port, which does not allow the entrance of ships of large draft, could easily be deepened, as its bot- tom is chalky. Our countrymen, who are peasants, should be grouped m villages, so that. efforts for their education shall not be without result. The cultivation of our fields is made difficult by the lack of modern implements and an insect called "changa," which destroys the greater part of the sowing. Up to the present time we have not been able to find any method of destroying this troublesome animal. ENLARGEMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Patillas, P. R., March, 1899. Senor Jose Amadeo, M. D. : The economic future of our fertile island will depend on a greater extension being given to the cultivation of cane, coffee, and cacao in the mountain zone, where there is still a great quantity of land fit for these crops. Tobacco will also play a part as one of the most valuable products, as already in both London and other places in Europe cigars made at Comerio, Cayey, Juana Diaz, Patillas, and other districts of the island have been well received. In the whole of the granite region, from the famous district of Mamey toward the east until arriving at Manaubo and Yabucoa, magnificent meadows, uplands, and crests are found which produce this plant in fine quality. It constitutes a branch of no despicable value, as time will show. It is also important to increase the cultivation of minor crops, such as rice, corn, beans, plantains, sweet potatoes, and other tubers, which will serve our growing poorer classes as cheap and abundant food, and will free us from the ruinous importation of cereals and other articles from foreign lands, thus saving money for the increase of our own wealth. To arrive at this result it is necessary to stimulate the small producer in every possible way, among these by equitable taxation. Legislation will help powerfully toward agricul- tural progress. The extinction of feudal laws favorable to concen- tration gave rise to the spread of agriculture in Europe. In China, where property is well divided and intense cultivation is practiced as m no other part, nobody can neglect his piece of land, but has to pro- duce something. Above all, the rights of proprietors are the rights of society in general. 109 The arbitrary destruction of forests has converted much of our land into waste, and fuel and building wood are already scarce. It is indis- pensable that forests should be planted with indigenous trees and suitable ones brought from other climates. This would increase wealth and modify the temperature of hot zones to the benefit of public health in general. The cocoanut alone, which grows so easily on our coasts, offers a hope. By the lands of the maritime zone and the small islands lying around, Porto Rico should be covered by this beautiful and generous tree. Jamaica and Cuba export yearly mil- lions of dollars' worth of cocoanuts, bananas, pines, oranges, lemons, tomatoes, and other fruits, which we can also produce in abundance. The cultivation of flowers, particularly of the orchid family, of which there are many indigenous and exotic examples, attended to with care, would be a remunerative industry. By increasing yearly the area of our coffee plantations, the fruit of which has acquired fame as one of the finest in the world, by the production on our mountain sides of cacao, equal in quality to any of the South American, as can be seen by visiting any of the magnificent plantations existing in this district, there would be no reason why this country should perish if a friendly hand were held out to help it. Few regions of the globe in this latitude and of the same area pro- duce so many kinds of valuable fruits, without counting the numerous alimentary substances, as does Porto Rico. THE VARIOUS CROPS. , Guayama, P. R., January — , 1899. STATEMENT OF MAYOR CELESTINO DOMINGUEZ. The agriculture of this country consists of the planting of sugar, which is still done in the manner observed by our grandfathers, science not yet having taken a hand in the work. Unscientific and irrational systems are still in vogue, and the work is intrusted to over- seers, who have no further knowledge than that acquired by many years of practice. Coffee, to-day the principal crop of the island, worth perhaps about 10,000,000 pesos per annum, also suffers from the lack of scientific cultivation. Our coffee is reputed to be the best in the world. The principal coffee districts are Yauco, Mayaguez, Las Marias, Maricao, Lares, and Utuado. The ports of export are San Juan, Ponce, and Mayaguez. Most of it goes to Cuba, Germany, and France. Free coasting trade will create a great demand for it in the States, as the Americans, who are used to Brazilian coffee, do not know ours, and consequently can not appreciate its fine qualities. Cacao. — There are a few plantations of this tree in the island. The quality is excellent, of second class, like Guayaquil cacao. It can be grown anywhere in Porto Rico, and its extension would be beneficial. Tobacco — Is produced in large quantities and of excellent quality, being equal to Cuban leaf. The principal producing districts are Comerio, Cayey, San Lorenzo, Caguas, and Patillas. About 3,000,000 pesos is the annual value of the crop. Minor crops. — Plantains of several kinds, names, corn, yauticas, rice, beans, gandules, etc., are grown all over, and form the princi- pal foods of our peasants (jibaros). 110 Other products. — Building and cabinet woods, in great variety and of excellent qualities, form a source of wealth. Roads. — There is a central road, starting from Ponce and passing through Aibonito, Coamo, Cayey, Caguas, and Rio Piedras, leading to the capital. It is 134 kilometers long. Another, from Guayania, 88 kilometers long, joins the central road at Cayey. Both are well built and are not inferior to roads in any country. There a/re also several roads around the coast, which, for want of attention, become impassa- ble in the rainy season. As to roads in the interior, they are few and bad. For cane the lands are prepared by plowing with the primitive system of oxen; then the land is banked up, leaving furrows between. When the planting season arrives, usually March and April, the seeds are placed in the furrows and covered by the earth removed before- hand. This operation is called minor cultivation, and there is another, called major cultivation, practiced in the months of September and October, the cane not being ready for grinding until about twelve to eighteen months after planting. The irregularity of the rains in this district do not allow of a fixed time for harvesting, we haying had droughts lasting as long as twenty months. The farmers live with their eyes turned skyward, to find out if they are to be favored by rains. Their position, always one of uncertainty, is at times a des- perate one. A plan of irrigation was made in 1865 by an English engineer, Mr. Whebben, the cost of which was to be about 1,000,000 pesos, and which was never fostered by the Spanish Government. If the American Government would protect the project and push it to completion it would be the salvation of this part of the island, which would become prosperous and flourishing, giving far larger returns of sugar and benefiting the inhabitants. Coffee is a mountain plant, sown on high lands. It requires mois- ture and shade for its proper growth. The old routine and primitive methods are still in vogue. The land is cleared of weeds, and in holes of about the depth of a hand the seeds are sown. As this plan requires some months for the coffee to appear, it is rarely used, being substi- tuted by that of transplantation from nurseries, in which the plant has grown to about one-half yard in height. The plants are placed in the ground at distances of three yards from each other. I have seen large trees bearing fruit thus transplanted. The first crop is given at the fourth year. It is always weakly and scarce. The rdanting of tobacco is a delicate operation and is usually per- formed on the lands skirting the rivers. It can, however, be grown anywhere. The land needs little preparation — a turning over and weed- ing superficially — and then transplantation from the seed nurseries. The seed is usually sown in August, the transplanting being done in November, December, and January. Technical sugar schools. — Porto Rico, during the year 1897, has exported 57,648,851 kilograms of sugar, including muscovado and cen- trifugal. Calculating the consumption in the island itself to be the tenth part of that exported, we have a total production of 65,413j736 kilograms during the year. For the manufacture of such an impor- tant quantity of sugar there is not in the whole island an individual who can claim the title of a chemical expert. Owing to the want of a technical school in Porto Rico, those who devote themselves to the preparation of this product have no further knowledge of the matter than that acquired by routine, and for this reason, and owing also to the fact that they have not the slightest scientific knowledge, they do Ill not obtain all the results which the sugar industry should give, as they allow a large portion of the saccharine matter to go to waste. According to the memorandum issued by the assessors at the begin- ning of last year in the island, 25,090 hectares of cane (a hectare being- equal to 2.471 acres) are under cultivation. The districts which pro- duce the most are the following, in the order given : Hectares, i Hectares. Ponce 2.618 | Yabucoa 922 Juana Diaz 1, 718 j Maunabo 762 Vieques _. 1,398 Yauco ... 681 Arecibo 1, 391 I Humacao 658 San German ■ 1,093 j Pati lias 648 Fajardo 973 j Cabo Rojo 621 This gives a total of 13,483 hectares (33,316 acres'), which represent more than 53 per cent of the total cultivation of sugar cane in the island. In 1888, according to statistics of well-known veracity, there were at work in the island: Estates with steam vacuum sugar machinery ". . 20 Estates with ordinary machines worked by steam 140 Estates with ordinary machines worked by oxen 286 In 1898 the proportion was altered in the following manner: Estates with steam vacuum sugar machinery 50 Estates with ordinary machines worked by steam 100 Estates with ordinary machines worked by oxen . _ 100 It is an absolute necessity that there should be established here such a school as already mentioned on the same principles as those conducted in the United States. AGRICULTURAL DECADENCE. STATEMENT OF SENOR P. SANTISTEBAN Y CHARIVARI, SPANISH MERCHANT. San Juan, P. R. , October 28, 1898. Agriculture. — Calls for special study on the part of the Government in order to better its condition. In spite of the fact that the country has paid 17,000,000 pesos for the liberation of the slaves, who were almost exclusively the property of the agriculturists, and the fact that the island — and principally com- merce — has been kept down since 1879 by the circulation first of Mex- ican silver and later of colonial silver — in spite of this unfortunate condition of affairs generally, agricultural products have usually obtained high prices in the world's markets. But agriculture to-day is perhaps poorer than in the year 1879, and commerce is obliged to advance money to it to carry it on and to prevent its disappearance altogether. It is difficult to explain the different causes which could have pro- duced this agricultural decadence, but I think it can be attributed to a great extent to the lack of an economic system among the agricul- turists themselves. They have become accustomed to routine. They lack necessary implements for good and cheap cultivation ; they do not make use of the necessary fertilizers for worn-out lands; they have no system of irrigation to replace the want of rainfall, and they 112 do not employ measures for reclaiming productive lands which are under water. In general, our agriculturists are not possessed even of the rudiments of horticulture and have not even the good sense to choose the best seeds for planting. THE NEEDS OF AGRICULTURE. STATEMENT BY SENOR LUIS CENAL. Fajardo, P. R., November 6, 1898. ,We lack entirely the mechanical improvements necessary to enable the industrial branch of sugar producing to prepare the sugar in the form required by the market consuming it. Our machinery can only produce raw and muscovado sugar, and it is well known that the article in this state does not enjoy a staple value sufficient to encourage its production. This district is rich and extensive, lending "itself favor- ably to the establishment of central mills with a margin of profit, and thus dividing the industry into its two natural parts — the agricultural and manufacturing — and giving hope to the agriculturists and mutual benefit to state, province, and locality. In this district there are twenty-six sugar-cane estates, of which fourteen are idle owing to the financial crisis we are passing through. Besides these, there are a large number of properties fit for this class of crop, which could be converted into an important and profitable nucleus of the industry. The abandoned cane estates are run to pasture, but as this is not making proper use of the lands, it can be calculated that 75 per cent of the district is, properly speaking, unproductive. We have to sell our crude sugars to local commission agents, whose expenses and commissions greatly reduce the value of the article. I think that the district could support two central mills of the first order, which would divide the production among them. There is also a lack of capital in the district, which fact should receive due attention, as well as the cultivation of minor crops, for which excellent land exists and which have not been taken into account in speaking of the special fitness of the district for sugar cultivation. The installation of the two mills would make the district a flourish- ing one both agriculturally and commercially, as we possess one of the best ports of the island. Owing to the connection between commerce and agriculture, the former can be said to be decaying also. Speaking of the general needs of the island, that of treaties is of great importance, taking into consideration that one day the opening of the Panama Canal will make this port of great maritime importance commercially. As regards manufacturing there is great opportunity for the estab- lishment of fibrous textile, paper, beer, and chemical factories, and of the working of the numerous minerals that the country produces. As regards roads, without in any way deprecating the construction of a belt line of railroad, there is great need of cart roads over which our produce could pass from the interior to the principal markets of the island without the expense of transport being greater than the profits, as at present is the case. 113 THE SMALL FARMER. STATEMENT OF MAYOR ETTSTAQUIO TORRES. Guayanilla, P. R., November 7, 1898. Agriculture, which has been languishing and is impoverished, is overwhelmed by enormous tributes, wanting facilities afforded by an agricultural bank, and fighting an unequal fight with the merchants, owing to the fact that the difficulties of the money system closes to it foreign and national markets. From this cause originates the general depression of the country, especially of the laboring class. This class do not earn enough to buy food, and their ranks are being swelled enormously by small pro- prietors who, wanting in means to till their small farms, are obliged to sell them. This is the reason why public wealth is concentrating in the hands of a few capitalists in each town ; and also why so many uncultivated lands are seen, their owners, owing to their great extent, not being able to give them attention. Solve as soon as possible the money question; protect, instead of limiting, the free establishment of banks; open free markets for the export of our agricultural products, and it will soon be seen how our agriculturists will prosper and flourish. AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES. [Extract from report of Jose C. Barbosa, M. D. , as commissioner for the Philadelphia exposition. ] My principal efforts have been directed toward obtaining the great- est possible variety of samples of coffee and tobacco, and we shall therefore be able to present 300 of the first and 200 of the latter, not- withstanding that the period is but little favorable for the obtaining of samples of coffee, owing to the time of harvesting of the last crop being passed and the new crop not being ready until about the same date that the exposition will be inaugurated. In spite of this, my efforts being seconded by the good will of the agriculturists, we shall be able to present a large variety of samples of coffee of superior quality. The same holds good with regard to tobacco, of which, a greater part being in store, owing to the complete paralyzation of its sale, we have been able to obtain the very best and finest selected samples. The sugar industry has been suffering for a long time in Porto Rico owing to low sale prices. The want of capital has been the cause of the generally imperfect development which the good quality of the soil should have led us to expect. This has brought with it the dis- couragement of those persons making a business of this industry and has caused a great number of sugar plantations to be abandoned and the land Used for other classes of products. Nevertheless, the ninety samples which will be presented are suffi- cient to show the immense advantages which could be obtained by the introduction of machinery, the investment of capital in this direction, and of the necessary protection for the complete development of this industry, thus opening a future for sugar growers in Porto Rico. We shall have sixty samples of different classes of textile materials. These form a branch of wealth which to-day is not exploited, owing to 1125 8 114 want of capital. Textile materials are found here in great quantities and varieties, but abandoned and uncultivated and without use for this reason. It is advisable to show them in the exposition in order to allow manufacturers in the United States to appreciate the advantages which they could obtain by a cultivation of these rare materials, and their use in factories, which would give labor to many, would cheapen the cost of living, and would bring us foreign capital by the establish- ment of manufacturing centers which contribute so largely to the wealth and prosperity of a country. The superior quality of our achiote, which grows wild, can be greatly improved. I have, thought it convenient to call the attention of farmers to the importance of this product, which obtains the price of 12 pesos a hundredweight, and can be collected almost without any expense. A number of samples will be presented in the exposition, so that its quality shall be known and a good market for it be opened up. . Our rice, as will be seen by the samples shown, is of fine qualit} 7 , and competes advantageously with the imported article. This product, of which there is an enormous consumption in the country (the importa- tion of which extended in the years 1897-98 to 8,662,682 kilograms — value, 606, 387 pesos) , can be here grown in sufficient quantities for home consumption, with immense advantage to the country and to those who wish to undertake the cultivation of the article. The samples of our corn are of better quality than the imported. This article gives three crops a year and requires only a small amount of capital for its cultivation. The precarious condition of our farmers has caused its cultivation to be almost abandoned. I have taken care to collect samples of beans, chick peas, Mexican beans, gandules, etc. — articles which, without special cultivation, can compete with those of the better class which are imported into our markets, and which have the advantage of being easy to raise in the poorest class of land and of giving two or three crops a year. I have asked for several samples of cotton, which once constituted one of the principal sources of wealth of our country. My object was to allow its fine qualities to become known, so that its cultivation and exploitation could again be undertaken. I have obtained forty-two samples of the different classes of starch produced in the island by the crude and primitive processes yet employed. Such is the richness of the plants that even with these" methods a large quantity of starch is obtained, and it can compete in every way with similar classes manufactured in foreign countries. The tabonuco is a resinous gum which, if worked properly, will give a large quantity of trementine and camphor. Of the hedionda seed (substitute for chicory), 1,117 kilograms were exported to Cuba in the year of 1897. We show a number of samples of this in order to open up a market for them. I have insisted on the advantage to be obtained from the cultiva- tion of the malagueta (used for bay rum), which is already well known outside of the country, and the essence of which is quoted at a high price in the New York market. We have obtained a large number of the samples of the article. Several collections of the woods of the country, both for cabinet and building purposes, have been obtained, and they compare favor- ably in quality, beauty, and variety with those of many other coun- tries, and are abundant in our forests. Up to the present their usefulness has been simply meager, owing to the want of commu- 115 nication between the larger towns and the excessive expense of trans- portation which bad roads necessitate. Once known, they will become appreciated immediately, and their working will be made easy by the opening of proper roads. The mineral wealth of Porto Rico is duly represented by the ten collections which will be shown in the exposition. The several classes of mineral which they contain and the constant demand for mining rights are the best proof that a rich subsoil exists and that granite, coal, iron, copper, silver, gold, etc., form a source of immense wealth unknown until to-day, and which at no very distant day will exercise considerable influence in the future of our island. A great many samples of articles which can be used in new indus- tries have been forthcoming. These have not been used up to the present time, not owing to want of knowledge of their utility and advantage of cultivating them, but purely for want of capital. In a country like ours, where up to a short time ago the rate of interest was from 18 per cent per annum upward, and through whose custom- houses a half of the circulating medium passes in a year, it was impossible to set on foot any industry even when the prime material was on hand in abundance. We should, therefore, make known the few manufacturing indus- tries which we possess, such as that of matches, distilleries, hat weaving, dyeing, soap making, etc. , in order to show that willingness has been there and industry has not been wanting, and at the same time to stimulate the introduction of capital in the form of banks, societies, companies, etc. , which, when they see the material which we have on hand and the thriftiness of our people, will find a stimulus and guaranty for the undertaking of new enterprises, bringing the one factor which is necessary for our prosperity, namely, capital. We have nothing to desire in the direction of a fertile country and an honest and laborious population. Returns for farms and cattle in forty-five municipal districts. [Prepared for Henry K. Carroll, commissioner, by bureau of agriculture of Porto Rico, July, 1899.] Sugar-cane estates. Coffee estates with or without ma- chinery. Tobacco planta- tions (hec- tares 1 ). Small- crop farms (hec- tares 1 ). Cattle farms. Number Municipal districts. In culti- vation. Not in cultiva- tion. of head of cattle. 11 2 9 4 8 7 2 3 2 8 1 6 1 5 3 4 9 6 11 9 1 1 1 5 446 620 756 231 600 200 1,606 3,340 3 46 14 20 7 20 1,200 500 35 13 6 1 14 39 4 192 90 189 150 41 145 846 78 99 17 100 10 176 95 70 5,300 3,109 17,000 6,000 1,257 4,183 1 5 1 6 1 1 23 3,000 1,050 Yauco 104 5 81 32 3 35 378 117 3 43 148 30 2,043 300 2,000 200 650 710 1,500 54 2,190 500 1,600 1,389 5 5 26 15 35 7 3 Arroyo 800 Gruayanilla 4,500 1,910 Juncos . 3,180 Gurabo . 2,354 Utuado 4 1 1 3 3,000 Aguada 1,745 Yabucoa 200 20 5,413 A fiasco Aibonito - 600 1,000 Loiza 1 7 7 3.200 116 Returns for farms and cattle in forty-five municipal districts — Continued. Municipal districts. Sugar-cane estates. In culti- vation. Not in cultiva- tion. Coffee estates with or without ma- chinery. Tobacco planta- tions (hec- tares 1 ). Small- crop farms (hec- tares 1 ). Cattle farms. N umber of head of cattle. Patillas Cayey Lares San German Rio Grande Piedras Maunabo Sabana Grande . dales Penuelas.. Rincon Arecibo Las Marias Fajardo Coamo .... Caguas Manati Barceloneta Toa Alta: Naguabo Bayamon Camuy Aguas Buenas . . Ponce Total. 37 60 545 75 27 105 300 1,934 2,000 2,247 110 42 79 68 491 50 185 59d 7 233 6 56 16 2 10 31 70 112 560 18 137 80 232 365 813 128 82 89 192 77 220 577 786 1,202 4,779 380 3,380 2,000 1,370 628 1,215 460 352 586 243 600 393 1,034 418 740 5,815 209 80 3,177 54,074 11 12 18 128 4 4 14 1 9 40 600 3,300 2,500 5,833 12,180 1,140 1,200 6,468 700 8,930 800 7,495 15,000 12,128 3,930 5,400 2,700 14,000 14,600 8,287 681 4,000 199,973 1 Hectare = 2.471 acres. Note by the Director of Agriculture. — The data given in these tables con- cerning the principal crops and cattle breeding in the forty-five towns noted, if not thorough and accurate, notwithstanding the efforts of the agricultural bureau to make them so, are as near the truth as possible. Until now this class of statistical data has been asked for only for the purpose of burdening the public wealth with new imposts. For this reason it has been almost a traditional custom to conceal the truth from fear of imposts. The data from the twenty-seven towns which are not embraced in this table are excluded because they are not well authenticated. As to the number of sugar lands, not under cultivation, it must be borne in mind that the bureau has not given attention to the multitude of Jamacia trains and small estates which exist only in good times, but only to sugar mills of large and superior character, and to extensive and fertile lands. In relation to farms which are being worked, excepting those which produce centrifugal sugar, the rest which produce muscavados, the price of which in the markets is very low, only have under cultivation a very small area in comparison with the number of hectares which they possess, a circumstance which aroused the enthusiasm for the cultivation of coffee, triplicating the production in less than ten years. 117 ■H © S3 cS CD 2 S cS to +3 CD > 2 c3 jn ra P„ . CO a r< fe im OlOOiOlO 03C0005i> COIOOOOSOOCO'^OOOOCOHO OSflJOJH-SHOHlOeSOfflCKO O»rtiai-ON!BX-*»Oa0{l5(»HOHlB a op co o co -h co u; : i :> ct t~ co co m as m 5^Nint-OOHinHlOt-OHXOSl>WOSQOO: O-iONNHMOH^OO-llHt-COtO ' r- I CO in St -* ■* St ■* 30 co st co si c HNinOOONXMWiSCOOOiONlOO St St NOOHHOS®lOi>tO-*10»ONHCOO CO -* 00 CO CO r- It— IQS>-inin r 3 COOSOCOmStr-linC-OSCOOSrHl.--OaOint-in 5 OS CO -* CO t- r- lO-JHOSCO-^OSOt-OSOSOCOt- < t- -rH IM IM CO St CO t-H CO -* CO £- St St St r-l St H»Hoioo!eji80-*t«ooociBiffl«oi» .rH03COmiS-t-.CO-*03"*OOCOOCOStmStCOt- >rHc6aJo6^co^-*t^t^iristo6st-*iristcoco 5-*. _ s CO CO CO -K St 00 (M m >C0OH10U5 ' " ~ st oo st -- — . -.HH-*lDO(-[ OONOOIOCOCOC )SO)»Mt-N»C410-*NU50HON«tOOO 3 COSlHHCONHHHi- ICOStCOSlr-ICOr-li— I _ aooNOOMeaino^ieoHisioioioo H .0»C01000COt-.HHi-COra«)l>l-l>NH Sr-iffiCB-rf-^StrH^l^Ot-^StodcOOSt^StrH IScor-icoascscosiin^osaocooscooostcoas^n HtOb-int-CCHlON-* St t- O T— I CO 1^ i^S t- O in CO -* Q 00 -H CD OS in CO in in O rH CO rt . ^-3 IHNr H IM 1— I tH t— I rH C jlflCOt-Ot-l>i-iNCHiOClWi>N^HOiOO ,coco coco OS — I CO OS r-< O CO C n ClOOlQQu5l0 5iNl»Cl5tOOlOlOO!-rtO djlOHOMOb-t-COCi-^COl-OlONOiCO^OlO rS^^SS^^ini^-tHos^oooosco'rHos-^ost ^TO^stcq^josost-coinosoorHOfr-ininstiQ £. CDlOHOOO-^NCOr- I CO fc~ CO CO £- 00 OO CO i>- mo stco minOOOOOl Mt-OOfflOlOl St-JincOt-COStOSSt CO '"OCOOS i— I-* St£-inmoO-H4in«>--'^OSCOaOCOOinoOCDin t~OOt-t-OOr-lfc-t>i>.QO-*HCOinOOOCO- ^cdcdcdococ»^^cn'Moo6o6oco-*rH X03COQi>0[Xl>HrtC'-l-+K^«l>CO co i— tooco-^i— ) cococoasstcc o joioifloiooooawc ^Soascoooi— i -*< -* os in as co j>- S- OCOCO >D ininSt i^oicohhcoo > in in st at o l«t-HBO OS CO CO OS 00 CO m -th m st r- iinstcooincocostcoococoooo costcost^m-^ocostcot-^t-wosomco minco-rHinascooostincot-QOco-^aocOrH CX -HCOt'HCOQDIOCOHOSCOOOOlO 0JOm£M-^-*-*03C0lMC0C0-*CD^H-*l05-*C0 llliNlflltip«p'l pi !>ijH £< -3-" 66t«=8S &E?„>"g J-i-g PI H 3 =« 05 5,5 O'^'-i o o t, os McsS 2,5 2 ° 3 co st o m in in )i>U5lOlONC OSlCOOCOSt MIHOM'OOOffiCiHCOHt-N ■i oo co »n as i— i co co co o co os en OOOCSCOt-.COOOS^t~asi>-o6cO sT'-H'inin'st'incrrH'co''co"crcot^ WCOCONOffiinOlCOilCDIM^ iooNOOxinQ'ffloo**o coin-sHGinaot-o-^asmasas -*c6r^o6stcOrHt-^COlriod-*t^ £~CDmcOCDr-fCOCOCD-+ascccD cosjt-coosstot-t-ot-co-* inaOOStCOCOast~COr- I'COincO »•*! - ~ ■ -- - ■ i-i co- nnco^ccoiOiocoaji>o )-*i— losmcooococ ^OHooeo-*-*u!OHSie oinb-oomt-ascostor-iooos -* CO CO t-^ St ^4 O CB i^ J— ' oo «^ co' om^iocioiooim^coioc incoor-it~coincD-^stasasm ^ccTr^'co'r-rcocs'as' COW-*CO~CO~ coomccstasr-istinmsiooos in o m m st oo co co st st r-i co t- OM-ilNC HOHOCOffiira -,COC_ . _ t : - - ' - i " — c r r. ' o-*cos!co-*co-*ccstin-MO ^O"00"rHC0C0'"o"i>-"cQ00'"t--'"o'sf -* r-l r-l St St Mfl^Hifljmo5iiot-^ooo oo st r-i co st t- o in st i— ii>ho si os -* in st si -* os t-^ t-^ i>^ st st t-st^Hinr-^cocococomooinoo inrHCOOCOOi-HOt-COCOrHSt ffiMeooo^t0toNeo-*ioei' St r-l — I rH CO comcoststinoooinoi— 'coin CDi>HC0-^t-00i0WOOl>i> — iSr- iminrHint-t-t-ststos c-t c. -. > ~f CO CO st ^* in r-l -* OS t- St CO StrHCDr-lrH r-l rH oooomeso-nmocomcoo osoinstt-stmstocostoot- oorHcocoincoinooco'si'rHoo 1-H«at i<-*CBOSt-r-IOOl- ostcoocooi>-cooso-*C-^ico StrH in r-TcOrn'rH' OlOOOfflOiOOCOOOC wt-MONcieiioooiooo ^coo6coo-*t^coit^co-HSt 5!-*tD incoocoinb^cs'stcoo'oococo moo>n^t,0 g5-^3 ° „ '■ d39-PcBpia^r 3 s^r ! bii&o u § cs =1-5* S.g SSo a, © t> 118 gs CS CD a >-i r* 9^3 S.g pi in te !H 338! 01 0"! CO 01 Oi CO <^ o co o wo o wo cocot-cooii: WO 05 CD O WO 05 _ co g oJ t- to oi go5 0i°oioio5 5? wo -* of co~ co' co ■S 3 -J) OS CQ CO OS CO Hi 05 ■* CO OI i— ,jrtOOOtOCO S oi rH CO CO CO CO ^ GO CO H< > CO CS ? t- rH -rft CO O O 3 rH r- CO ^ CO ^ • co 04 05 co 05 co S oo co oi os co wcj ~* Oi CO -* -H X rH rCCHi>OOCO wo J- CO O 05 CO ^j 05 04 CO CO CO CO Sooooeoo ih »— m oi co -* -* i; 05 1— i o co m oi S — T-* cb"o co't-" 3 rH rH rH CO rH CO .OCC 000005 2ioo-*io5o r« CO oi OS. 05 CO O .-■ : ! -!■ CO • ! » -r ~ 05 05 05 04 rH r* » O t- Oi •* 05 CO r5 co co co co wo o P Oi OS rH CO CO b- SrH— IMrHrHrH glOONlOiOO 'P O O'i CO i>^ lO rH ■ ONiOOON w "CO 01 CO Oi 05 CO i« 05 © H CO O CO PcOrHCOOiCDO ?■ COCOOCOrH Co WO *~ WO WO©© a t^ >* t- 1- io io f3 t-C r-i 05 O i^ rH <- rH X O! CO O iC- 1HOM CO rH cot— t- x oi ice ICH CO X OiC~ "O lO :0 irr CD rH Oi 01 b- CO -r •- lOOWCC!- ce cS a) « c3-0 3 pirQ £cih Mimes 35 § <3rJOO«C:iUOH rHW2COW0CCir-^t-©ai WCJ©£-©W0O5W0t^W0CO rH O r+ LO O -« r- V. C CO WO rH rH WO rH t- 05 CO CO i— CO"rH*rH CO' CO' 1C Oi CCC ccf 01 CO CO -# t— OS Ci X E ~ CO rHrHCOOl-HCOrH-HCOrH © IfO OI OI -* 04 -H WO © ^H -HOl0005rHrH050CO i^ -H WO © CO oi OI CO wo co' © CO hH O Oi CO CCS -+ ICO t— !>t01010LOCCiC-*0 C? -H CO CO t- H 05 CO 01 CO COOICO C0CO05 05CO 05Olc0C00i0iOOC0rH C4woo4wococowo©co-r}< C-5COCOrH05>cioa6rHCO OS rH ICC LO CO O O 05 OS rH "* rH O CO lO Oi t- fc-05 O0W0rH~ i^OOtM 05O5" NoooaiMfflHOOt- ©CswO©Gi-HC00005 COCOrHlOCOCCCO-HioD-* t- CO 05 Oi rH rH CO CO 'O rH ©WO"*rHt-lc-W0W0O-t- rH-rHCO-r^-HTHCOCOlCCO -H *r}< CO CO WO C (OIIMOQHOOM-* — I W0Cil>.Ci--iCOCCt-rncD ^HOiWOCOCOWCiCOCOCOCO Oi O O CO CO Oi wo WO CO -H 05 W5 WO CO rH CO 05 05 rH WO CO CM is- WO JO CO -H WO WO CO CO 00 CO © 04 rH rH rH ~# rH Oi — -cc )C — 01 CO OrHrH T-iooo rH05Q^HOOW5OO—i t-lOOIDCOHIt-OOHl C^COCOWOrHOirH-rjHCOWO ^COOiOrH^JOl-HCCC X OCO rH oiob-Nieiaoooi- rH 01 CO rH 01 05 O WO WO CO rHOirHW5HHCC05 0C(t-^CO t^ CO 05 WO X 01 O OI t^ COOiCOrHW0COO50505W0 CO =i CO CO -)< — < -f CO ;-. — X — O CO -H t- CO W3 Oi OO X ~ C~l X -. - X ~H O O O I'O X 05 H 01 Oi' Oi -* rH !— wo cot- CO~. ICKCXH bigtf- ^ 03 fl 59 cS (D jooopa -OO' it-oi g^Sc -f I!-l-O00i- ■-'•/.iCO.COl- CO CO rH — " oi td co'oi oof x' : co x o» w: do x o X H. i- co O. ^S; COOlCOrHCOCii^i-rC CO O. I- CO i-O 0! 01 Oi C -HHCDrHrHOlW0W0-H4* -£-^C0''01-i<''C0''c0O"'c CO CO' CO CO O CO CO Ci c -+ HC WO O WO CO t- 1- ■ 01 X X rH 01 01 WO WO -H X i- WC 05 -t- O rH Oi oi ~t< CO 05 Q 05 p CO CO CO CO CO t-^ -*OOC!HHl-:!OH OCOOOOOicOCOWOOCO 0-H01TO^''COrHrH'wi"'o'' co oi oi w: co -f oi co -* co ■*ot-c«i9isai-a C0 1-C0W00i05 05O0000 CO Oi CO CO rH 05 05 oi o" o" X i -". K0 ~ X OC WO CO rH rH 05 0iCOOW0r*lOCO0irH co^co wesTo't^'t^'cos? CO WO 05 O WO O O CO WO CO CCOOOipCOWOWOCOt-rH COOCOO"-HOirH05e05^ WC CO O -H O Oi O 01 OC CO 05t-COCOic--rflrHOW5rH cocc"o"h^cc^"cococowo 05 T-HOl^OlrHrHrHrH 0505t-W0-*Ol^05C005 cdwOcirHrHi^rHi^OCp' Hl-LONCCUOHOCOCO CO 05O5O5-H rtlON O05t-W0W0t-W0t-i>-© rH-H!! 30 0'WO 'OOWOO t-iOWOWOt- 'OO05O CO rH -* CO' rH I O rH ' r-i CO WO CM ■ 05 -^ rH -CO Oi-OOOOOH 05 OiCOCOrH0000005CO COt^COOrHrH^-icOOit^ i.O -■ — X WC CO Oi O X 1 05CO05W0W005_ OCOt- OOS-HrHCo" 05"oo'rH' 05 OOKOOlSt-O H ICOIOOONCOIO 1>I -OCD05cOaOOit^05 ^ i CO WC rH o 05 t- CO Oi LCOCCOONHOCCO 10 — — X CO 01 -* -rr: Oi -H* lOHONHNHOOlO CC0Ci050iC0C0O-d :h^h3noxho rlWOCDCDrHrHfc-CirH 5& ••cr ' cSr-J » m J* H KHS iorH o^ ce o s cs ca5^3 ® PH<^PQOHo02 720^(li 119 — -H S CO CO S -* © s t-H of 00 SC- co 00 © — c CO © t- OS «o OS ©~ 1—i o QO" 1-1 © 91 O ecf lO 01 © OS -H US e$ co CO CO iC~ in »T cm 91 in 91 in 9J in •Hi o g 00 SO lO >n OS 91 00 OS SB* Of CO rs s« 91 00 OS b- co 01 OS 91 i© OS in CO o o OS CO to 95 CO 1 co" o o S4 CM O o CO CO Os" c o cS "3 o © ©t-CO CO 9icoi^o6 I in H< -•* © oo ! 91 OOOlOO HNKlffl in'rHcdi^ OOHHl- etT-^fTcTcxr 91rH-«CO ©91 91-* ©©9191 cot- com CO CO OS i~^ m in in Cn! t-oooco cceosot^' ©cot-i-H -* © oi in ■*»HBO OSNtDH tOtQCOCO no giijuy Or IOSCO in in in co (Ni-ioi"-! -* OS 00 CO l- OS cat- o t— i in os I m ococmco in in©t-H9i in co coos co COOH-* cd-HncorH 00~tHi>.CO 0-1 91 O OOCO-*< rHCOic^© CO CO CO OS 91 com 95 OS -rH OS H* rH l£S 91 coco-#o a^J r-i -* oo os os o m OS 91 OS -H CO t- ic- h in os -rH os 91 in j>- i— i in co --h os co 91 © t- 00 9} co in ©inWoTt-Tin'oi' CO rH in 9"! rH 91 CO c co co © m b- t— i -* i- o in t- 9J © in CO i>^ t-H 95 CO Jc^ m -h co co ••* t- © in in t~ i— < co t- co »>Tin~co~©~corHVr © © OS OS CO t- 91 -HH i— I © CO 91 CO CO 1— < © © T-H 1— t OS © CO 91 •* -* t- os in in © os os in © t-h l-H I— I © © ~* ~* -* -*Oin©©lCrH ©"o"^p©"-*in 91 91 CO 91 t-H 91 91 in H b- CD © © 91 i-Ht-COO©©© ©91 t- in'r^nn© inco©oo©9i© 91 co os in © i— 1 1- 9i9i-*co"edco© 91 in 91 in i^ t ;• ©©in^H©co© i— i in in ^ ^ © co OS © CO CO t-h i— I © t- OS © l-H ■* i— I t—l T -Tco"co' , -HrosriHCo' 91l— It— i^H t— I rH OHO1OO00O ©t-©9it-©in ©©©©i-Hin'b^ 00 i-l "iH © t- © OS oco9io-*mco ©©t->nt-©co t-C -H^ t-I ^ CO OS -^ © © © 91 91 CO -HH co m lOlcico o iHi>Hi>CiC>C t-OS© t-iHiH iH©© CO ©CO CO © oo in ©©t- co © iS^ t-^ OS 91 OS © 91 © © t-© in oo T-H i-i 91 in t-H ©>ncoco©>no © 91 © co © t- m ^ os © in © t>^ 91* HHtC -T- iCi-O ©OS910S©©^ i-H 9191 CO © t-H t- i?- 91 O CO i^ 91 © © CO CO , - oo©©inco©in co ~v co in t-h © -h © t-H t~ -* CO -H © CO co co co -# os in -* g r g I o.Ei\£a'ci WrH>HfeOj|Zi co in t-h © © -^h © in i hh ©T-Hinco©©min in odoscoin-HincM'co t-^ a^cciccccocu-b- CO t-©T— i©©in©in t- ©""i-H"in'©''co"in9ri-r I ©' ©C0-H~-H-H©in >^ ©©CO©-H9191 © tHOH^HH-©©in ©OCOOSCptHlKf t-HHH©91©©h+1© cot-int-t-^inro co9icoc6os»-^9i9i t-©©9iin©os© ©C091©©C0©© in N j>rco'"t-ror9fi>r© 9i©ooinin©©os CO 91 !>. i* -i# b- © CO t- 91 © t-h hh in inT-H9iT-H9i)^coos OOCO©t-T-H©©© T-HT-lT-H91©©-*rH t-H9lT-HOs'93ini-HT-r 91910S0Sin-rti-H^t-H Ht>inOJOi- "-^H91 COt-©COCO*S-9lT— t -HHcoinosrHOsin-* CO©©©ir-9!CO© os©©9iin©©© i-T©'coi>ri>r-Hr©"in' i>00Nie«C0HH C09H>-rH91©©in OS©rH©in©©fc- coin'c6T-H-*©odeo int-9lOSi--COT— I© ©-*m©09i©T-H 9lOSi-H'91HJ'i-r 0SHHO3-H©rH95in t-©t-©9lT-H©t- 91* 91 91 iri CO CO rH CO 1— IOO—lfc-©rH-HH© -H4©in©t-t— 1-*91 91o"©"<>rco"'95'co'" t-H 91 (N Sin in in tr- in oo 91 i— 1 1- 91 co in co © -^ co 91 in os in t-^ co©t-© t^ost- ©©OS-*00i-H i- 91 H< CO 91 -k H< t- 91 CO 91 in © rH © 91 t-H i>I -H © J>^ in © © t-H © -tr © © rH t- © in © ■* ©"©"CI rn"91 91 9l" HCOrHCOCO in©9i©i>-i>-©© cocoi>-in9it-©in COinrHCOCO©CO© © rH CO CO 91 lO © 9! intr9ico©i^©^ ©©9i©©incoco in©©Hi9iHH©© -*inCO-*t~-*COt-H i-T91t-'"©"t-H91HH' rH © © CO © -* O © oo © i^ © © os co in CO-*£-00OS©91r-l © © in © ©r .ii -P T 1 -U -rH .Si ID =Tji-e s s rHCCE-lrHrHinCCp- 120 Live stock in 1896 — Returns to the provincial board of assessment. Departments. Horses. Mules. Asses. Cattle. Sheep. Goats. Swine. Total head. 11,861 13, 202 5,216 8,624 16,468 3,780 5,441 1,159 254 694 551 748 2,143 73 4 66 108 102 175 211 29 25 1 86,535 49, 595 19,578 39,531 46,879 12, 779 40,777 7,938 324 72 12 934 346 97 217 53 775 423 191 1,667 1,585 448 473 217 3,531 2,620 733 2,121 2,201 793 1,287 125 103,346 66,714 26,383 53,800 Arecibo Aguadilla .. 69,833 17,999 Humacao 48,224 9,493 Total 65,751 4,467 717 303, 612 2,055 5,779 13,411 395, 792 Intended uses of the live stock. Agricultu- ral .work. Reproduc- tion. Consump- tion. In harness and trans- portation. Motive power for machinery. 19,626 2,107 255 65,281 28,739 793 352 170,979 1,407 4,051 7,455 17,253 1,533 110 13,941 133 Mules 34 Cattle. 52,077 648 1,728 5,956 1,334 Total 87,269 213,776 60,409 32,837 1,501 Acreage of various products in 1862. Acres. Minor crops.. 88,678 Coffee 33,626 Tobacco 4,761 Sugar. 55,382 Cotton 1,344 PRODUCTS IN THE PERIOD 1828-1864. The production of sugar had risen to 18,782,675 pounds in 1828 and there was a steady increase for the next twenty years. In 1848 101,298,754 pounds were produced, the highest point down to 1864 being reached in 1861, when 131,035,471 pounds were reported. The coffee crop of 1828 was 11,160,950 pounds, rising in 1830 to 16,911,925 pounds, with a marked decrease between 1835 and 1840 to 5,277,250 pounds in 1836. There was a steady increase between 1850 and 1864. Of cotton 479,150 pounds were produced in 1828; in 1837 it reached 5,003,779 pounds, falling in 1859 to 47,251 pounds. The tobacco crop in 1828 was 2,406,100 pounds. In 1862 it rose to 8,950, 725 pounds; the lowest point in the period was reached in 1837, when 2,104,215 pounds were produced. Products in 1776. Estates ..' 5,815 Sugar 1 pounds.. 273,725 Cotton do.... 111,875 Coffee do.... 1,126,225 Rice _.._> do 2,009,650 Corn do 1,550.600 Tobacco do.... 702,050 Not including molasses. 121 Live stock in 1776. Cattle .- 78,884 Mules 13,614 Horses... 4,334 Sheep 952 Goats 31,758 INDUSTRIES. INDUSTRIES KILLED BY SPANISH TARIFF. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., October 29, 1899. , Dr. Carbonell, secretary of the interior. There is absolutely no industrial life here in the sense of manufacture. The only thing which my department has to do in connection with that branch is to register trade-marks, patents, and copyrights which come from other parts of the world. Dr. Carroll. There is no inventive genius, then, among this people? Dr. Carbonell. The Government has discouraged always the insti- tution of any industries here, so as to preserve to the merchants in Spain the monopoly of sending their goods here. For example, it has never been possible to put up a flour-milling establishment here because the Spanish Government placed on wheat in the grain the same rate of duty as was placed on the ground flour, for the purpose of allowing merchants in Spain to take wheat from the United States, grind it in Spain, and then send it to Porto Rico. Also the industry of making soup paste was killed in the same way. They put on such an exorbitant duty that they were unable here to compete with the Spaniards in Spain. Dr. Carroll. We understand that Spanish monopoly is now at an end. Dr. Carbonell. Unfortunately, it has not terminated yet, because the same laws are in force now as formerly. If the United States had only allowed this to become part of the Union with respect to the tariff — that is, without custom-house duties on articles coining from the United States — it would have done an immense amount of good to the country. Dr. Carroll. The duties imposed on goods from Spain are the same as those from the United States, so that Spain has no longer the advantage which she formerly had over other countries. Dr. Carbonell. I consider that goods manufactured in the United States should come in free, and goods from Porto Rico should go to the United States free. Goods that went from here to Spain paid a pro- hibitive duty, but those which came from Spain here paid 10 per cent ad valorem. Coffee in Spain paid $12 a hundredweight. Dr. Carroll. They do not seem to like Porto Rico coffee in Spain. Dr. Carbonell. That can not be so, because one of their songs says the best coffee in the world is the coffee of Porto Rico. Dr. Carroll. They seem to have preferred to roast the people of Porto Rico instead of their coffee. What is the commerce over which this department has control ? Dr. Carbonell. None, in spite of the name of the portfolio. 122 SUGAR MILLS. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., November 1, 1898. Dr. Carroll. Is the sugar industry nourishing? Mr. Antonio RoiGr. It is now^ but not as regards muscovado sugar, because each planter has $20,000 or $30,000 invested in machinery, which is unnecessary. We will have to establish central factories, and all the other plantations sell their cane to these factories. We can then afford to have better mills and all the latest improvements. Dr. Carroll. What do you consider the best points at which they should be established. Mr. RoiG. There should be two in each of the departments. Dr. Carroll. Are- there no modern sugar-making plants in the island ? Mr. RoiG. Yes; I have one; there is also the Progresso at Carolina; Mr. Finley has one; Mr. Huisi one, called La Esperanza, in Arecibo. There is one in Aguadilla, owned by Mr. Amell; one in Anasco, owned by Mr. Pagan; another in Mayaguez, owned by Bias Nadal; two in Ponce, one of them owned by Mr. Gallard, and two in Yabucoa. The capacity of these mills is from 10,000 to about 20,000 bags. I am the owner of sugar machinery, but do not raise the cane. I buy the cane from the neighboring planters. I sell the sugar here and in the United States. I think if some American people come here and go into that business either alone or with natives it would be good for the island. VARIOUS INDUSTRIES. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., November 2, 1898. Mr. Francisco T. Sabat, deputy collector of customs at San Juan : Dr. Carroll. What kind of wood is used in making charcoal? Mr. Sabat. Very fine woods in immense quantities. It is not pos- sible to name them. There are large tracts of timber on the mountain tops. This country sent to the World's Fair at Chicago a piece of work containing 240 different woods, all produced in the island. Dr. Carroll. Are there any fishing industries? Mr. Sabat. The fishing industry, as an industry, does not exist, but the poor people of the coast towns are accustomed to earning their living by fishing, usually with nets, sometimes with hooks, and bring their catch to the cities to sell. There is absolutely no organization in the industry. Each man is an independent fisherman, and brings his fish independently to market. So abundant are the fish on this coast that I have frequently seen a surplus of fish thrown into the sea for want of purchasers, the market having been glutted. Dr. Carroll. Are cattle raised in large numbers on the island? Mr. Sabat. Yes;, cattle are raised in large quantities, and this industry forms the second source of agricultural income in the island of Porto Rico. It is the second source of wealth next to sugar. What I mean is that after the agricultural products of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, the cattle-raising industry is the most important. We sell cattle to the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, and other English and French 123 islands of the West Indies, more than half a million dollars' worth every year. Dr. Carroll. Do they have any means of preserving the meat after it is killed? Mr. Sabat. .It is exported alive. There are no cold storages in the island. Sometimes families salt meat for their own consumption. Dr. Carroll. What kinds of meat are consumed here? Mr. Sabat. Beef, pork, goat meat; also sheep are raised, but not many. Dr. Carroll. Are there any canning factories on the island. Mr. Sabat. In Mayaguez and the capital the industry exists on a very small scale, pineapples being the principal fruit canned. THINGS MADE IN MAYAGUEZ. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Mayaguez, P. R., January 23, 1899. Mr. Badrena, ex-United States consul at Maj^aguez : Dr. Carroll. Are you familiar with the industries of Mayaguez? Mr. Badrena. Yes. The best and most important is that of matches made by M. Grau & Sons. It is not a large factory, but is sufficient to supply Mayaguez and other cities, even San Juan. The material from which they are made is all imported from Germany. They have not machinery to make the sticks here. In San Juan they make the whole match. I do not know how many men are employed here. Then there is the chocolate mill here. The chocolate is made from native cacao, raised in this part of the island, and it is the best on the island. We used to send the cacao from here to San Juan to the fac- tory there. There are two chocolate factories here, but both of them are small. They sell the chocolate here from 16 cents to $1 a pound. Dr. Carroll. We would consider that high in the United States. We get the best in the United States for 40 cents. But there is some cacao imported here from Venezuela, is there not? Mr. Badrena. No; unless some one wants it especially and pays for it. Dr. Carroll. Well, in San Juan when I asked why they charged so much, they said because they had to pay such heavy duties. Mr. Badrena. Yes; but it is seldom imported. Our cacao is as good as that of Caracas. Then we have distilleries for the making of rum, bay rum, and wines. Dr. Carroll. What would the distillers here think of having the United States revenue system introduced? Mr. Badrena. They will feel badly about it; and the same thing may be said of tobacco. Dr. Carroll. Would it not be better to make rum higher and wines cheaper? Mr. Badrena. I think wines should be introduced without paying any duties. Dr. Carroll. We propose to admit them at 3 cents instead of 30. Mr. Badrena. The people here all drink wine. They never get drunk on it. I have tasted California wines, and they are as good as French clarets, and they can be brought here very cheaply. I believe they can compete with Spanish wines. That depends on the quality. 124 Dr. Carroll. I have statistics as to the production of the distill- eries — as to the number of gallons they produce, and so forth. Is there much tobacco manufactured here? Mr. Badrena. There are many private shops for the making of cigars and cigarettes — not in large quantities, but very good. The cigarettes are made here by Esteva Hermanos. Before the war we used to have Cuban cigarettes, but now they are shut out and this factory was started. Confidence will be restored upon the settlement of the tariff and the money question, and American capital will come here without the intervention of the Government. THE CATTLE INDUSTRY. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San German, P. R., January 26, 1899. Mr. Lopez, a cattle dealer : Dr. Carroll. Have you anything to say about your business — that of cattle raising? Mr. Lopez. No. Dr. Carroll. Shall I consider, then, that everything is going well with you ; that all debts are being paid and business is good? Mr. Lopez. Yes. Dr. Carroll. How many cattle have you? Mr. Lopez. Six or seven hundred. Dr. Carroll. Do you keep them for laboring purposes or for beef? Mr. Lopez. For both purposes. Dr. Carroll. How much does an ordinary yoke of oxen bring, generally? Mr. Lopez. One hundred dollars. Dr. Carroll. Are they then ready for work? Mr. Lopez. Yes. Dr. Carroll. What is a pair of ponies worth? Mr. Lopez. That varies a good deal. Good saddle horses are worth up to $400. Good working horses are worth about $80. Dr. Carroll. Then a pair of oxen is worth a little more than a pair of horses? Mr. Lopez. Yes, if the horses are ordinary ones. Dr. Carroll. How much milk a day does a good cow give when the pasture is good? Mr. Lopez. The maximum quantity can be taken as from 8 to 10 liters. [A liter is a little over a quart. ] Dr. Carroll. Are the cows milked twice a day? Mr. Lopez. Only once. Dr. Carroll. In the United States they always milk good cows at least twice a day. Mr. Lopez. They give more, then. Dr. Carroll. They consider that the oftener they milk them there the more milk they get in the aggregate. Mr. Lopez. Here they have to bring up the calf on its mother's milk. They can not feed it satisfactorily as they do in the United States. Dr. Carroll. In what time do you wean one here? Mr. Lopez. A year. 125 Dr. Caeroll. They very seldom allow a calf to remain with its mother more than from three to six months, and never allow it to have all the milk at any time. Mr. Lopez. Here they give them nearly all. Dr. Carroll. The quality of the milk is not especially rich in cream here. Mr. Lopez. There is very little cream, owing to the poor quality of the pasture. Dr. Carroll. You have magnificent cattle here, larger than almost any breed I have seen in the United States; hut they don't compare with them in milk-giving capacity. Where did you get the breed from? Mr. Lopez. It is a cross between the cattle of the country and Afri- can cattle. Dr. Carroll. Why is it that you do not have better pasture? Is it on account of the drought or the poorness of the land, or for what reason? Mr. Lopez. For lack of water, especially in the southern parts of the island. Big herds are raised in these districts, and months pass some- times without rain. Dr. Carroll. In what months does the drought occur? Mr. Lopez. Generally from March to August. Dr. Carroll. Is there any water in the rivers here, which could be saved in the rainy season, so that you might have irrigation of your lands? Mr. Lopez. We have no rivers; only springs to give our cattle water. Dr. Carroll. Then there is no way in which the supply of water could be gotten here in the rainy season for the purpose of irrigation? Mr. Lopez. Some years ago there was a trial made to sink an artesian well, but it gave no result, and since' then everybody has been con- ducting experiments on his own grounds and endeavoring to get results. Dr. Carroll. What is the average rainfall per annum? Mr. Lopez. They have never made those calculations here. Dr. Carroll. But you do have an immense rainfall here during eight months of the year. Mr. Lopez. Yes; very much rain. Dr. Carroll. If you knew exactly how much, it might be possible to arrange a reservoir to save water for the period of drought. A Gentleman present. We have never had rain-measuring instru- ments here; but in the lowlands, where water comes down in torrents, pools form which last for months, sometimes preventing traffic. Dr. Carroll. Then if you had a reservoir situated in the proper place, with streams leading to it, you might store up water to serve in the dry season? Mr. Lopez. The topography of the country would prevent that. We could only catch water to irrigate the lowlands, but the better lands are situated high up. Dr. Carroll. Most of the land is low, is it not? Mr. Lopez. No. Dr. Carroll. Is not your important land the land of the valley? Mr. Lopez. We have very fine lands on the mountain, also, which would be worth a great deal if we could water them. Dr. Carroll. If you can not water all 1 of them I should think it would be well if you could water the lands of the valley. Mr. Lopez. It would be a very costly plan. It has never been tried. 126 . Dr. Carroll. The first thing necessary would be to have a com- petent engineer look over the land and see whether it would be pos- sible to have a reservoir or not. Mr. Lopez. That would require the cooperation of all the land owners. INDUSTRIES IN CABO BO JO. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Cabo Rojo, P. R., January 27, 1899. Mr. Pedro Colberg (a druggist). I desire to ask permission to cor- rect some mistakes in the statements made by Mr. Ortis. I have heard it said that we have no industries here. I wish to say that this city has more industries probably than any other city in the island. There is the straw-hat industry, which is almost exclusively confined to Cabo Rojo. The whole island is supplied from here, and we only need a little money to bring it up to a very important place. Dr. Carroll. Where do you get the material? Mr.. Pagan. We have it here. We could make sufficient, not only to supply the whole country, but even for export. Moreover, we have the salt industry here, and the richest salt deposit in the island. I am one of the owners of it. We have just asked General Henry to get the duty in the United States reduced. We have just sent 30,000 quintals of salt to Boston, but made no profit on it, owing to the duty we had to pay. We have sufficient salt to supply Porto Rico, Cuba, and perhaps a part of the United States. The present production, with the old-fashioned methods of obtaining the salt, is from 300,000 to 400,000 quintals a year. Dr. Carroll. In what form does the salt occur? Mr. Pagan. It is artificial salt. We have big flats into which we pump sea water and allow it to crystallize by action of the air. At present we produce about half a million bushels, but we can raise that production to 3,000,000 bushels a year. Dr. Carroll. I understand that your principal difficulty is that your vessels have to clear from Mayaguez; that your port is not now . open as it used to be. Mr. Pagan. In the name of the town I ask that the port be declared an open port. The port of Cabo Rojo is one of the best protected har- bors of the island. It is the best port on the western coast of the island. Dr. Carroll. Would there be any shipment from it, in addition to salt, if it were opened? Mr. Pagan. We would have big shipments of sugar, cattle, corn, and other products. This town has been completely isolated. The railroad system, instead of touching at this place, has cut off this town and left it without communication of any sort with the rest of the island. Dr. Carroll. How far is it from here to the port? Mr. Pagan. From 2 to 3 kilometers. Dr. Carroll. Are the salt marshes very close? Mr. Pagan. By sea they are very near, by land they are farther. Dr. Carroll. How many bushels of salt have you shipped this year? Mr. Pagan. Between 4,000 and 5,000 bushels, in spite of the war. 127 Dr. Carroll. Was that less than the year before? Mr. Pagan. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Do you ship salt here on coastwise vessels for vari- ous ports of the island? Mr. Pagan. We ship on these little schooners going around the island because we can get cheap rates; but to the United States we ship on large schooners. Dr. Carroll. For coastwise trade your vessels are not required to clear from Mayaguez, are they? Mr. Pagan. Yes; even in that case. Dr. Carroll. Have you asked General Henry by petition to make Cabo Rojo a port of entry? Mr. Pagan. We asked General Brooke. Dr. Carroll. What did he say? Mr. Pagan. He made no reply. Dr. Carroll. Does the city of Mayaguez oppose having Cabo Rojo made a port of entry? Mr. Pagan. Some years ago there was a big fire in Mayaguez and the people of Cabo Rojo loaned their port to Mayaguez. As soon as Mayaguez itself built up by means of this port the people there influenced the government by use of large sums of money to declare this port closed again. Dr. Carroll. If General Henry should agree to declare Cabo Rojo a port of entry, would the municipality or would private citizens agree to see that no loss was caused to the government on account of the expense. Mr. Pagan. We don't wish the port to be used as a custom-house. All we want is to have a collector here, and we will attend to that. Dr. Carroll. That is a very important point, because ports of entry sometimes do not pay expenses, and if you will assure the gov- ernment that it will pay expenses it may go a long way toward inducing General Henry to open the port. Mr. Pagan. Do I understand you correctly that if the entries into Cabo Rojo shall not be sufficient to pay the expense of the collector- ship that the people of Cabo Rojo will agree to pay the balance? Dr. Carroll. Yes. Mr. Pagan. All of us here would be pleased to undertake that responsibility. Dr. Carroll. Returning to the hat industry; can you inform me as to the number of hats made here a year? Mr. Pagan. At the very least from 50,000 to 60,000 hats annually. Dr. Carroll. Is not that number too large? Mr. Pagan. No; I don't refer to the best hats, but to all classes. Mr. Ortiz. The poor people make them in their houses. Dr. Carroll. Are they made usually by the women and children? Mr. Pagan. Yes; the poor women make them; not the men. Dr. Carroll. How much can the women make in a day at it? Mr. Pagan. One of the finest hats sells for $48 a dozen, and each hat takes a woman a month to make. They sell cheap hats in quan- tities for 6 or 7 cents apiece. There is also a cane industry and brick works here. 128 BRICKS AND EARTHENWARE. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Cayey, P. R., February 28, 1899. Dr. Carroll. What industries have you in Cayey? Mayor Munoz. Only the tobacco industry and the bakery; they are the main industries. Dr. Carroll. Have you any other industries on a smaller scale which might be developed? Mayor Munoz. Yes; earthenware pots are made here. Dr. Carroll. Have you the clay here for them? Mayor Munoz. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Is the industry an extensive one. Mayor Munoz. No; it is very small. Dr. Carroll. You only make for your own use? Mayor Munoz. Yes. Dr. Carroll. How many men are employed in that industry? Mayor Munoz. I think only about three men. Dr. Carroll. Do they make only plain earthenware? Mayor Munoz. Really, only bricks. Dr. Carroll. Where are these earthen pots made? Mayor Munoz. In Santurce. THE MANUFACTURE OF SOUP PASTES. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner. ] • Ponce, P. R., March S, 1899. Mr. Alfred Casals: Mr. Casals. I find that the new tariff does not protect manufac- turers as much as the old tariff did. There are many articles neces- sary in manufacturing that were treated much better under the old than the new schedules. As a basis I will tell you that a great many young men who are not able to go into agricultural enterprises would go into manufacturing on a small scale, and this would put an end to the plague of office seeking that exists at present. Now, as regards the tariff and its effects upon my own business, which is the making of soup pastes, I don't know whether you are aware of the fact or not, but the manufacture of soup pastes was carried on almost exclusively in Latin countries, being an article of general consump- tion among people of the Latin race. About 100,000 boxes are used every year in the island, and Spain had an enormous market here for her soup pastes, she being among the first manufacturers of it in the world. Spanish flour was good for making soup paste. American flour is much better adapted for the purpose, because it is richer in gluten. For that reason Spain imposed a tax of $4 on American flour, while her soup paste came into the island without paying any duty whatever. Consequently the manufacture of pastes here was impos- sible. The Spanish pastes, which at the beginning of the invasion were paying $2.75 per 100 kilos, under the new tariff pay a low ad valorem duty, which is preventing competition by the native manu- facturers. Dr. Carroll. What is the ad valorem equivalent to in specific duty? Mr. Casals. That is just where the disadvantage comes in. Thej^ declare to their consul the value of the invoice, but in trading with. 129 Spain you can be sure that they never declare over half or quarter of the value of the goods. The pastes have different values, according to the quality of the material used, and the American consul in Spain can not be an expert on that question and must take the values de- clared to him. The average price for the poor qualities of paste would be $5 for 100 pounds. Even if they had declared their paste at its price, they would have to pay only about 80 cents on 100 pounds, be- cause the new tariff calls for 1 5 per cent ad valorem, so that even when truly stated there is a difference between the duty under the old tariff and the duty under the new represented by the difference between $2.75 and 80 cents. The result of this will be that the industries of the country will be again under the influence of Spanish control. There are two factories in Ponce. Between the two they can make sufficient for the consumption of the whole island. These factories give employment to hundreds of families, and many of the employees are women. If these duties are not modified slightly we will have to discontinue. Dr. Carroll. But you have a great advantage in the reduction of flour from $4 to $1. Mr. Casals. The reduction of the duty gives us about $1.25 on one hundredweight of paste, whereas the difference in duty on imported pastes gives Spain $1.95 on one hundredweight of the paste, or a differ- ence of 70 cents on one hundredweight. Dr. Carroll. What other materials enter into composition of these pastes? Mr. Casals. Only flour and box shooks. Formerly we paid 2 pesos a cubic meter on the shooks, but to-clay we pay 16 cents per $100. Dr. Carroll. How do those charges compare? Mr. Casals. The present charge works out to about $2. 60 per cubic meter. It depends, however, on the quality of the wood, greener wood weighing more; but it always costs us more than it did before. Consequently our industry, which was exploited always by the Span- iards, is even now in the worst condition. Dr. Carroll. Do all the imported soup pastes come from Spain? Mr. Casals. Seven-eighths of the soup pastes come from there, the other eighth being divided between Italy and the United States. Dr. Carroll. What is the present price per box in the stores? Mr. Casals. Eight pesos and a half per 100 pounds. Dr. Carroll. What did you sell it for before? Mr. Casals. Seven pesos and a half, with competition from Spain. During the last four years our factory has lost more than $4,000. Dr. Carroll. What does the imported paste sell for? Mr. Casals. The imported pastes sell about 50 cents less, because of an inferior quality. Dr. Carroll. Does it take the market away because it is less in price, notwithstanding that it is inferior in quality? Mr. Casals. Yes. At price for price we could command the market, though some of the houses in San Juan try hard to hold the market for the Spanish pastes out of racial sympathy. Dr. Carroll. How much ought the tariff to be raised on the Spanish soup paste? Mr. Casals. To what it was before, $2.75. Take away the ad valorem duty, because they always act in bad faith. Dr. Carroll. If it were put at II, American money, would it give results? 1125 9 130 Mr. Casals. I think that at 11.50 we would be able to get along. Other foreign pastes do not affect competition. Dr. Carroll. If the tariff were raised to what it was before, or to $1.50 American, then at what price would you sell your soup paste? Mr. Casals. We would reduce it immediately a peso per 100 pounds and hold the market. It forms an important part of the food used by the poor people of the island, who buy it in small quantities. Dr. Carroll. As regards the undervaluation, it is easily met by your compelling them to prove the value at the custom-house. Mr. Casals. That is a good suggestion, but it would be much better if the ad valorem duty were changed to a specific one. It would not give any chance for fraudulent declarations. Dr. Carroll. Are there any other industries here suffering from the new tariff? Mr. Casals. I think that leather is too high and that shoemakers are suffering. Dr. Carroll. That duty was to protect the tanners. Mr. Casals. As there are none here, no protection is needed. Dr. Carroll. There is representation in regard to it in the two documents I have referred to. Mr. Casals. Only as to sole leather. The country is destined to have shoe manufacturers here, but the establishment of shoe factories depends on cheapening the price of raw materials. POSSIBLE INDUSTBIES IN YAUCO. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Yauco, P. R., March 6, 1899. Mr. Cianchini, Mr. Vivaldi, and others : Dr. Carroll. What industries, Mr. Mayor, are carried on in this district ? Mr. Cianchini. Absolutely none. Dr. Carroll. Not even on a small scale ? Mr. Cianchini. There are shoemakers and hatmakers who work by hand, but that is all. The hats come from Cabo Rojo, not here. Dr. Carroll. Do you make any brick in this district ? Mr. Cianchini. Yes, but by hand. Dr. Carroll. Any tiles ? Mr. Cianchini. No. Lime is burned here. Dr. Carroll. Do they get the limestone from the mountains ? Mr. Cianchini. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Is that lime ever used on the land in the way of fer- tilizer ? Mr. Cianchini. There is an artificial fertilizer manufactured in Ma- yaguez in which they use the lime. Dr. Carroll. Would it not be possible to develop some industry here that would be of benefit to the town and townspeople by giving employment, and thus help along the prosperity of the municipality? Note. — There was a general response in the affirmative. Mr. Cianchini. That is absolutely necessary, and one of the first things to be attended to. We have a great deal of raw material in the country which could be used for manufacturing to the benefit of every- body. 131 Dr. Carroll. What' kinds of industries could be established here? Mr. Cianchini. The manufacture of paper. Dr. Carroll. Out of what materials? Mr. Cianchini. The bark of several trees, the plantain leaf, corn- stalks, and rags, which are at present put to no use. A Gentleman. The husk of the cocoanut ? Mr. Vivaldi. No ; the husks of the cocoanut are- already exported to the United States for manufacture into fiber, which, in turn, is woven into mats. Dr. Carroll. Is there any other substance for the manufacture of paper ? Mr. Vivaldi. There are several, including those which have been referred to. Mr. Cianchini. Another industry which could be developed is that of rope. This industry would have plenty of raw materials. Dr. Carroll. What are the raw materials ? Mr. Cianchini. Maguey. Dr. Carroll. Does that make good, strong rope ? Mr. Cianchini. Yes; it is as good as hemp. Dr. Carroll. I saw some rope made of that material, but it was evidently made by hand. Mr. Cianchini. Everything is made by hand, as we have no machinery. Dr. Carroll. Is there much maguey? Mr. Cianchini. There is plenty of it, and more could be sown on the poor lands, which are serviceable for that purpose. We could make big plantations of maguey on lands which could be used for nothing else. It grows without cultivation. Dr. Carroll. What other materials have you for rope making ? Mr. Cianchini. The pine leaves, and, in fact, there are a number of trees here with fibrous materials in them, such as cadillo, guasima, malva, jagua, and many others. Dr. Carroll. Is there much demand for rope? Mr. Cianchini. More than we make. We import it from the States. Dr. Carroll. Have you clay fit for making pottery ? Mr. Cianchini. We have clay suitable both for earthenware and rough pottery. Dr. Carroll. Is there not pottery or earthenware made 'in the island? Mr. Cianchini. Yes; it is made at Ponce. Dr. Carroll. Is that a large factory? Mr. Cianchini. No. Now and then they bring a little to sell here in the market place. It is not good work. Dr. Carroll. Is there any basket making here? Mr. Cianchini. Yes; but only in private houses. They are used in picking coffee. Dr. Carroll. Would it not be well to have here a basket factory? Mr. Cianchini. I think so. Dr. Carroll. Do you import baskets? Mr. Cianchini. A few of a good class, for family use. Dr. Carroll. It seems to me that there ought to be a great demand here for baskets; you hardly seem to have anything to carry your provisions or articles in. A Gentleman. There is a species of basket which the horses carry, which is made here, and the bakers all have baskets. All of these are made in the island. 132 Dr. Carroll. I went to the market yesterday and got some oranges, and could not find a basket or anything else to carry them away in. Mr. Cianchini. They only make enough for August and September for the coffee crops, and for personal use. Dr. Carroll. You must have materials here from which you could make coarse sacking, and you use a great deal of sacking here. A Gentleman. Maguey only. Dr. Carroll. What other industries could be started here with materials which you have in abundance? Mr. Cianchini. Soap making. We have all the prime materials for that industry, except two articles — turpentine and caustic soda. Dr. Carroll. There is a soap factory in Ponce which claims to be doing a poor business. Mr. Vivaldi. That is because it makes such bad soap. Dr. Carroll. They say that you import a worse soap from Spain, but are used to it, and will not use other kinds. Mr. Vivaldi. The laundries would not use the soap made in the country, because it contains too much caustic soda and hurts the hands. Before Rocamora soap was used thej' used French soap, but gave that np because they found the Rocamora soap better. Dr. Carroll. In Ponce they said the tariff ought to be increased on foreign soaps to protect the domestic soap. Mr. Mejia. The prime material used for soap costs the manufac- turers here more than it does over there, and consequently the domestic manufacturers are at a disadvantage. I think if the old tariff were reimposed the manufacturers in this country could raise their prices to any figure they wanted. Dr. Carroll. Do you think the present tariff should be increased? (There was a unanimous response in the negative.) A Gentleman. I don't think it would be right to tax all the people for the sake of a few struggling manufacturers. I know the soap fac- tory at Ponce, and it is a very small affair. It can not manufacture enough for the supply of the island. If the tariff were increased they could raise their prices as high as they wished. Dr. Carroll. But they say they will have to stop manufacturing unless the tariff is raised a little. A Gentleman. It would be an unfortunate thing for them, but it would not affect the island generally. We prefer the foreign soaps to-day because they are sold at a less price. Mr. Torres. I think, in order to assist the establishment of new industries, that duties -on crude materials should be decreased. A Gentleman. If the duty were taken off of caustic soda, for example, other people than the soap makers would be benefited, because it is not used exclusively in soap making, and it is not pro- duced here. Dr. Carroll. The history of industries in the United States shows that if you want to establish a new industry, you have to protect it, and in order to protect it you have to levy a duty upon the same article coming from other countries, which may temporarily raise the price of that article. But it is considered so important to add new industries that the people very cheerfully bear that additional bur- den, which, as I have said, is only temporary, in order that they may have a new source of employment and a new source of wealth. And it is for the people of Porto Rico to consider whether they want indus- tries established in this island in that way. Mr. Vivaldi. That is what we want most. 133 A Native Druggist. I think if the soap industry — taking that industry as a concrete example — could be established in proportion to the requirements of the country, it would be very well; but as things are at present it would be protecting a small industry that could not supply the needs of the island, and thej T would say we will take advantage of the limited supply by raising the price. Dr. Carroll. If you have most of the materials that are needed to make soap here, and need to import only two — turpentine and caustic soda — soap could be produced cheaply here, and it would soon be found that it could be done at a profit. That would draw capital into the industry, and there would perhaps be a dozen factories in dif- ferent parts of the island, and experience would teach soap makers how to make good soap and make it cheaply. A dozen factories com- peting for the markets of the island would bring the price down even with or below the price of imported soap. (This statement of the commissioner was greeted by applause, everyone present at the hearing seeming to participate in it. ) Mr. Torres. Turning again to the soap industry, I think the proper thing to do would be to charge manufactured soap coming into the island with the amount representing the loss to the Government, by the removal of duties from the raw materials imported for use by the domestic manufacturers, so that the Government should not be the loser by the change. Dr. Carroll. Are there any other industries you could establish here? A Gentleman. Yes; candle making. Dr. Carroll. Where would you get the tallow? A Gentleman. There is plenty of tallow and plenty of wax in the country. Dr. Carroll. What becomes of the tallow? A Gentleman. Most of it is exported. Dr. Carroll. Candles are very high here; you ought to be able to start a factory in the island. Mr. Vivaldi. There is no doubt of it. We pay very high for candles. Dr. Carroll, You could start such a factory in a small way. A Gentleman. It has not been done, because nobodj 7 has thought of it because of the lack of initiative here. There is no manufacturing here because there is no spirit of cooperation. Dr. Carroll. This industry of candle making you can begin on a small scale and almost without capital. In the TJnited States every housewife used to make her own candles. All you need is the tallow and the wick. I understand you have plenty of tallow, and the wick can be imported at a very small rate. Mr. Cianohini. We have cotton here also, and could make our own wicks. Dr. Carroll. Then you can import candle molds, made of tin, that are extremely cheap. A Gentleman. I think, in order to stimulate the establishment of small industries, duty should be abolished on all raw materials. Dr. Carroll. What you call raw materials may be the product of some other laborer in the island, and ought, therefore, to have pro- tection. For example, suppose you ask that leather shall be brought in free. There are producers of hides here and tanners, and you would break up their industry. 134 Mr. Vivaldi. They haven't exported hides here in large quantities. The curing of hides is another industry that could be taken up. Dr. Carroll. Have you the bark here for tanning ? Mr. Vivaldi. Yes. Dr. Carroll. What bark do they use ? Mr. Vivaldi. Mangle. We export a great deal of it to Venezuela and Santo Domingo. Dr. Carroll. Why don't you start tanneries of your own ? Mr. Vivaldi. There is one in Ponce, but they only make sole leather. There is, however, more mangle than we could possibly use. Dr. Carroll. Would it not be well to bring in a few expert tanners to show you how to produce fine grades of leather, so you could pro- duce your own leather ? That would be better than to have leather introduced free. The Druggist. We export a great deal of leather from here. We export a far greater quantity than we use in the island. Dr. Carroll. I have opened this question, gentlemen, because it seems to me extremely important for the future of the island that you should diversify your industries. If you desire prosperity, and pros- perity in a large measure, you must establish new industries, because in establishing new industries you give employment to poor people, and as you give employment to the poor people, they get a larger income and become larger consumers; they wear more clothes, and wear more shoes, and Porto Rico will be one of your best markets. That is what we find in the United States; as the condition of the poor is improved, we have more demand for manufactured articles, and for fruits and vegetables which are produced by the farmer. A Gentleman. That has a bearing on what we were talking about before. The people are naturally moral, but with the small amount they earn, they can not be decent. An indecent state of living is produced here for want of means of living decently. The poor people have no money for marriage, for example. Mr. Torres. The shoes produced here are of better quality than the imported ones, but they can not compete with them in price, owing chiefly to the fact that shoes are made here by hand by poor people. We think we can add to the manufacture of shoes and leather also, and work the two in partnership, so to speak, so that we will not have to import any shoes at all. The principal reason why factories have not been started is that there are no capitalists of importance, and those capitalists who have money are certain to obtain from 12 to 18 per cent, and, therefore, keep to the beaten track in which they know their interest is sure, rather than venture into other enterprises. As soon as money comes in here and is loaned out at 6 and 7 per cent, new industries will be started, because capital will have to seek new fields. SOAP MAKING. STATEMENT OF SENOK MANUEL HEDILLA. Ponce, P. P., March 2, 1899. During the Spanish domination no soap factory could live, owing to the great advantages given to a large factory established in Barcelona, named Rocamora. Even American soap, although of better quality, could not be sold in this island. Rocamora's soap could be sold at a 135 very low price, as it was made from oil residues and white earth and was freighted here as ballast, paying* a minimum of freight. It was imported here in quantities of 2,500 boxes monthly, which, at $7, made $17,500. When the American Government took possession, all the local manu- facturers thought that the hour had arrived for them to be able to compete, especially as coevally with the invasion there was a great demand for our soaps, and for the lots of American soaps as they arrived; but we find ourselves in the same position as before, with no sales, and American soaps equally so. This is owing to the new tariff, which only imposes a duty of 50 cents on Rocamora's soap. It should at least charge as much as was formerly collected — $1.50 a box; and I must tell you that the new tariff, far from helping us, prejudices us greatly. You will thus see that if the Rocamora product is not obliged to pay a duty of $1.50, and caustic soda and rosin allowed free entry into Porto Rico, no soap factory can live here, and not a pound of the American article will find a sale. FACTORIES IN PORTO RICO. STATEMENT OF MAYOE CELESTINO EOMINGUEZ. Giiayama, P. R., January, 1899. The island produces about 60,000 tons of sugar, of which the larger part goes to the United States for refining. Our system of prepara- tion is still the primitive one, except in a few cases, such as Yabucoa, Ponce, Mayaguez, Anasco, Vega Baja, and Loiza, where there are central mills. The other estates use old-fashioned machinery which does not extract all the juice, which I understand should be 15 per cent. The island, with its extensive plains of Arecibo, Mayaguez, Guayama, and Yabucoa, could, with effective machinery, produce three times the quantity now given, and would doubtless thus become happy and prosperous. There are here an infinity of small industries, infirm, some for want of a field for extension, some for want of protection, some for lack of raw material, which has to be imported, and others for want of a mar- ket less limited than the island offers. They are : Soap factories, which import caustic soda and the larger part of the fatty materials. This does not allow them to compete with foreign manufacturers. Chocolate factories in Ponce, San Juan, and Mayaguez, which, in spite of suffering from foreign competition, can be built up, as all the raw material is produced in the island. Bay-rum factories in Vieques, Cabo Rojo, Patillas, and Guayama. This is an exquisite product extracted from the malagueta plant {Eugenia pimento), well known in the United States, and used for the toilet, bath, and in barber shops. This is the only country in the world producing this plant. Owing to prohibitive customs rates its importation into the United States is very limited. An open mar- ket would raise the industry to a flourishing position. The writer is the owner of the best plant in the island for this industry, but is able to run it only three months in the year, as there are no buyers for a larger quantity. 136 Castor-oil factories. — One in San Juan, one in Cayey, and one in Guayama, property of the writer; also the oldest and best in the country. The seed from which the oil is extracted is grown all over the country. The industry can grow to be an important one. Shoe factories. — There are none working on a large scale, but small establishments are located in every town in the island. Our shoe- makers have nothing to learn from those of other parts of the world. In elegance, solidity, and finish they compete with the French and Spanish goods. This industry labors under the disadvantage of high- priced raw materials, and, therefore, can not extend and grow. Tanneries. — I know of only one maker of sole leather in Mayaguez. Cheese factories, as such, do not exist, but all over the island, espe- cially in those parts where cattle are abundant, Cabo Rojo, Salinas, Arecibo, Santa Isabel, Guayama, Yauco, excellent cheeses are made, but they are not manufactured with a view to keeping, and do not keep long. They can be much improved in the manufacturing. Preserved fruits. — We know of one only, in Mayaguez, which jDre- pares the native fruits in cans. The quantity produced does not suf- fice for export. Alcohol, rum, and liquors. — As rum and aguardiente are by-prod- ucts of sugar, most of the cane estates make them. Besides this, there are stills established in several towns which turn out an excellent quality. There are also in San Juan, Ponce, Mayaguez, Guayaina, Patillas, and other towns factories of gin, aniseed, and other liquors of various qualities. This branch of industry has a great future in Porto Rico, as a large quantity of excellent rum can be produced. Aerated waters. — There are three in the island — San Juan, Maya- guez, and Ponce. They produce but a limited quantity, which is consumed in the same towns and their immediate limits. Iron and brass foundries and machine s7iops. — I understand that there is one in San Juan and another in Ponce, but they can only make simple machines and pieces requiring small skill. This indus- try can be made a prosperous one. Sawmills. — One in Ponce and one in Mayaguez; not very flourishing. Pottery. — No real factories. In Santurce, San Lorenzo, Yabucoa, and other towns pitchers, jugs, and pots, and other similar articles are made. The raw material is excellent and plentiful. Petroleum refinery. — One in Cataiio, which is said to bring the oil in already refined, and only has to change the lid of the cases — a monopoly, fortunately abolished now, which only served to enrich a commercial house in San Juan, to the prejudice of the whole country. Cigar factories. — This industry is certain to assume large propor- tions, as large quantities of the leaf are produced and the quality can compete with the best Cuban. There are two large factories in Cayey, one the "Bella Rosita," the other of Rucabado Brothers. The prod- net of M. Lopez's establishment — the first named — is the standard of excellence in Porto Rico and enjoys a good reputation in Europe. There are also important factories in Ponce, San Juan, and Mayaguez, and in many other towns of the island. C igarette factories. — There are only two in the country, one called the Colectiva, and another in Ponce, the Internaeional. Their prod- uct is excellent and competes with the Cuban. Starch factories. — Are really none, but an excellent quality is made in many parts of the island. Ice factories. — Several in the island, two in San Juan, one in Maya- guez, and three in Ponce. The product is consumed in these towns and immediate limits. 137 Limekilns. — The prime article is so abundant that lime is made in many places. Fertilizers. — One in Mayaguez only, besides natural fertilizers on the Mona Island, in the Mona Passage. Hat manufacturers. — One in Ponce only, who uses Italian straw and also makes felt hats. Cocoanut oil. — No manufactories of this article. There is abun- dance of crude material, and a small amount is made in Cabo Rojo. Coffee-polishing mills. — Both Ponce and Mayaguez, as well as many estate owners, have them. FEW INDUSTRIES IN THE ISLAND. STATEMENT OF SENOS DE GAZTAMBIDE. Yauco, P. R., November 20, 1898. Industries in this country are very rare and poor. They should be nurtured, giving free entry to all classes of machinery and certain articles not produced in the island, constituting the crude material for manufactories. The tariff in this respect requires conscientious study, so as to facilitate the establishment of factories to-day nonexistent^ while not going to the extreme of an exaggerated protection. Commerce is suffering the consequences of* a decadent agriculture, high exchange, and heavy taxation. Its salvation lies in the modifi- cation of the tariffs and the increase in the number of banks, to break down the monopoly enjoyed by the Spanish Bank in this direction. Agriculture is in decadence, thanks to the dearness of articles of prime necessity, the want of capital, and the high rates of interest. The situation would be somewhat ameliorated by the establishment of coasting trade (cabotaje) with the metropolis and the change of currency with a discount of 33 centavos per peso, debts to be liqui- dated in equal proportion. Besides this, it is necessary to help the establishment of agricultural banks which would lend money at low rates and for long periods, seeing that the only establishment of this nature can not, by a long waj 7 , fill the needs of the island. HOW TO HELP MANUFACTURERS. STATEMENT OF SENOR ANTONIO SANCHEZ RUIZ. Aguada, P. R. , November 12, 1898. I am of opinion that the free importation should be allowed of all machinery necessary for the manufacture of the crude materials pro- duced in this country, including medicinal plants so necessary to the wants of the climate. This would in great measure remove the diffi- culties under which manufacturers labor, and would tend to the aggran- dizement of this piece of American soil by the positive advantages given to our manufactures in foreign markets. It is clear that the growth of manufactures would greatly increase commercial prosperity, but it is very necessary that food stuffs be sub- ject to small imposts only. This would be of great advantage to our indigent classes, victims to-day of the high price of food and their scanty means of procuring them. In compensation, the loss occasioned by this reduction could be made up by the heavier taxation of articles of luxury, necessarily paid by the wealthy classes. 138 NASCENT INDUSTRIES. STATEMENT OF MAYOR ETJSTAQTJIO TORRES. Guayanilla, P. R., November 7, 1898. Industries are in the most lamentable condition. The enormous duties levied on the importation of machinery, tools, etc., necessary for the use of the most simple manufactures, with the view of pro- tecting peninsular industries, smothered at birth all initiative, and killed the germ of progress in this important branch. It is necessary, therefore, to harmonize insular interests with the legitimate interests of the metropolis, facilitating as much as possible the growth of nascent industries and of those which under a frank and free protec- tion might be begun. CAPTAL NEEDED. STATEMENT OE SENOR P. SANTISTEBAN Y CHARIVARI, SPANISH MERCHANT. San Juan, P. P., October 28, 1898. The manufacturing industry of the island is extremely insignificant, being reduced to the manufacture of cigars, cigarettes, macaroni, chocolate, ice, matched, and the distillation of rum. These indus- tries are lacking altogether in vigor, and can only be strengthened by the introduction of capital necessary to enable them to compete with foreign countries. It is possible to manufacture here paper, beer, canned goods (meat and fish as well as fruits), cordage, textile fabrics from vegetable fibers, which could be harvested at a small cost, and among which can be named the maguey; also cabinet works which could use the excellent woods growing on the mountains of this island, and there could also be established to advantage smelting works to reduce our excellent ores, such as manganese, iron, copper, lead, etc. LIQUORS AND TOBACCO. PRELIMINARY REPORT OE THE COMMISSIONER. San Juan, P. P., January 11, 1899. The Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C. Sir: I have the honor to present herewith returns which I have gathered with reference to the manufacture and sale of liquors and tobacco in the island of Porto Rico. Late in November a circular let- ter in Spanish was sent to the alcaldes of each of the seventy-one municipal districts, including the island of Vieques. The questions asked had reference to the number of distilleries, the annual product thereof, the number of bay rum distilleries, with their annual product, the number of wholesale liquor dealers, the number of retail liquor dealers, the number of manufacturers of cigars, and the number of manufacturers of cigarettes. After no little difficulty, I am able to present substantially complete returns from all these districts and for the various items, estimates taking the places of returns in only six instances, namely, the annual product of the two native rum dis- tilleries in Mocha, the product of the bay rum distillery in Rio Piedras, 139 the product of the two bay rum distilleries in Vieques, and the num- ber of retail liquor dealers in Toa Baja, Vega Alta, and Vega Baja. Although I have made diligent use of the mails and also of the tele- graph, I have failed to secure returns in these few cases. I believe the statistics may be taken as quite trustworthy. They are from the official head of the municipal district in each case, and the returns from which the inclosed statement is compiled bear the stamp of the alcaldia or the signature of the alcalde himself. At present there are but sixty-nine municipal districts, there having been a consolidation in two or three cases. It should be understood that the distilleries of alcoholics are nearly all appendages of sugar estates, and the product is therefore a by- product. The molasses which is obtained from the cane, after the sugar has been almost entirely extracted, is the raw material for the making of this rum, which is manufactured very cheaply and consumed in large quantities by the natives. The process of distilling does not go on constantly, but begins after the sugar-making season is over and while another crop of cane is coming to maturity. When the price of sugar is low the product of rum is likely to be increased, and vice versa. A considerable quantity of artificial wines is made in the island with the native rum as the base. Raisins are steeped in it, and the product, which is flavored by certain chemicals, is bottled and sold as a cheap wine, the duties on good wines forbidding the general use of the imported article. Not only wines, but cordials, such as pepper- mint, aniseed, vermuth, absinthe, gin, and other varieties which are used as after-dinner beverages, are produced. Brandy is also made here from pure alcohol with burnt sugar and other ingredients. It is stated to be quite a general practice among retail liquor dealers to prepare their own liquors, in many cases using ingredients which are regarded as destructive to health. It will be observed that there are 198 distilleries of alcoholics in Porto Rico. The municipality which has the largest number is Cabo Rojo, which is in the southwestern part of the island, near Mayaguez, but the largest output is from the 7 distilleries of Arecibo, which yield annually 294,000 gallons. The total number of gallons produced is 1,615,075. As there is no special motive for concealing the product of the distilleries, it is not believed that there is any illicit distilling. The number of bay rum distilleries is 28, with an annual output of 15,143 gallons. Bay rum is produced from the alcohol which is made from the native rum, in which leaves of the malagueta tree are steeped. The number of wholesale liquor dealers is 246, and of retail liquor dealers 2,445. There are no data with regard to the amount of sales, either of the wholesale or the retail dealers. It is possible, however, to arrive at approximate figures concerning the consumption of liquors in the island by reference to the official report of the commerce of the island for 1897, which gives both the imports and the exports. It appears from that report that the imports for 1897 of spirituous liquors, wines, beer, etc., amounted to 1,386,249 gallons, which, together with the total products of the 198 distilleries in the island, viz, 1,615,075 gallons, makes a total of 3,001,324 gallons. But there was sent out of the country by exportation and reexportation 103,521 gallons, leaving a net total of 2,897,803 gallons as representing the jjrobable consump- tion of a year. How much of the native rum produced by the distil- leries is used for mechanical, chemical, and other purposes it is impossible to state. 140 Of course the alcohol which goes into the manufacture of artificial wines and of bay rum is produced from the native rum. It is not improbable that the real total is somewhat larger than that indicated, from the fact that retail dealers, according to common report, are in the habit of increasing their stock by artificial means. The rum pro- duced at the distilleries is of sufficiently high proof to allow of being considerably reduced by retail dealers in selling it as a beverage. Of the total imports in 1897, 50,129 gallons were of spirituous liquors; 1,186,971 gallons of wines, and 149,149 gallons of beer and cider. Of the exports, 84,654 gallons were of aguardiente de cana, or native rum, produced from sugar cane. The first cost of the production of native rum is estimated to be about 30 cents a gallon. This includes the value of the material and cost of distillation, together with insurance, cartage, etc. I am informed that the plantation price is from 40 to 45 centavos per gallon. The wholesale price quoted in the San Juan papers is from 50 to 55 centavos per gallon. No excise taxes have been levied by the insular government. Stills belonging to sugar estates have been considered as part of the sugar machinery and have paid nothing unless they bought materials and did di stilling for other parties. Distilleries separate from sugar estates .pay so much per 100 litros capacity of the boiler or receptacle of the raw material in which the boiling is done. The rate is $6 per year for each 100 litros capacity. For common stills the rate is $2 per year, and for the manufacture of aniseed or other liquors oh a small scale, $3 a year. This tax is levied for the benefit of the insular govern- ment. Retail dealers of liquors pay no special tax unless their business is confined entirety to the sale of liquors. Almost every grocery store sells liquors and tobacco, and such stores pay an annual tariff accord- ing to the class of cities in which they are situated. In San Juan, Ponce, and May aguez they pay -$40 a year. In the next grade of cities, $33; in cities of 12,000 population or more, $26; in cities of from 8,000 to 12,000, $20; from 4,000"to 8,000, $16; less than 4,000, $11. If cigars are manufactured in connection with the store an additional tax is charged. Wholesale liquor dealers pay a tax graded in a similar way from $130 down to $31. Cafes and restaurants pay rates graded from $81 down to $20, and clubs where liquor is sold, 50 per cent of these rates. By virtue of an order issued by General Guj 7 V. Henry, military commander of the island, under date of December 30, 1898, modifying the consumption tax as levied by municipalities on bread, beef, mut- ton, and pork, a special tax is now allowed to be levied on the sale of liquors and tobacco, as follows: For every liquor or tobacco store or stand: In towns of from 5,000 to 10,000 population $50.00 In towns of from 10,000 to 15,000 population 60. 00 In towns of from 15,000 to 20,000 population , _ 70. 00 In towns of more than 20,000 population 80. 00 These rates are for the sale of liquors and tobacco, and are addi- tional to the rates levied on the business of groceries and restaurants. Municipalities may ask larger amounts on licenses issued to wholesale dealers in liquors and tobacco. There are no breweries in the island, but about twenty brewing companies have agencies here for the sale of their products. All but one are United States firms. The exception is a Copenhagen, Den- mark, company. 141 There is, naturally, a difference of opinion on the question of levy- ing an internal-revenue tax on the production of liquors. One agri- cultural proprietor says a tax on the output of the cane distilleries would not only ruin the business, but seriously affect the sugar pro- ducers, who depend upon the rum they make, in many instances, to put a balance on the right side of the accounts. Another proprietor says it will simply result in raising the price of rum to the consumer. He holds that if men want drink they will pay for it. Others, not directly interested in the cane crop, insist that an internal-revenue tax on rum would be a good thing. It is now the common beverage of the poorer classes, because it is very cheap; imported wines, which pay under the existing tariff a total tax of 30 cents, being much too costly for general consumption. Its effects on the consumer are said to be injurious, and it would be a measure in the interests of health and good morals, according to philanthropists, so to tax native rum and artificial liquors as to lessen their consumption and lead to the more general use of light wines. The number of cigar manufacturers is 108, and of cigarette manu- facturers 27. The inquiries were limited because of the information that it would be impossible to get definite returns for other items. There are no official figures relating to the annual production of tobacco. It is only possible to approximate the figures by estimates. There are two ways of doing this. It is believed that two-thirds of the annual production have been exported. The amount exported in 1897 was 6,267,327 pounds. One-half of that, which it is estimated was consumed in the island the same year, is 3,133,663, making a total of 9,400,990 pounds. One of the leading tobacco dealers in the island makes the following estimate by districts for 1898: Tobacco districts. Cayey Corta aba jo Arecibo Bales produced. 4,000 12,000 25,000 30,000 Tobacco districts. Yauco . Juncos. Bales produced. 10,000 4,000 85,000 Bales weigh about 100 pounds each. In addition to the number of cigar and cigarette manufacturers reported in this table, there is a large quantity of tobacco manufac- tured into cigars and cigarettes in private houses, especially into cigars. Most of the cigars consumed in the island have been made here, while most of the cigarettes have been imported from Cuba. Since the same rates in customs duties were imposed on Cuban ciga- rettes as are imposed on those imported from other countries, it is believed that the imports from that island have fallen off almost entirely. Native production has therefore been greatly stimulated. There is a steam factory in San Juan which produces 400,000 ciga- rettes daily, all of which are sold in Porto Rico. There is another steam factory in Ponce. Formerly manufactures of tobacco from Cuba were admitted to this island without the payment of any customs duty except the payment of the 10 per cent transitory tax, amounting to about 4 cents per kilo. It is estimated by a committee appointed by the chamber of commerce of Ponce that there are about 250,000 smokers in the island and that the average daily consumption of cigarettes is about 200,000 packages. Very respectfully, Henry K. Carroll, Commissioner. 142 Liquors and tobacco manufacturers and dealers. Municipal district. Num- ber of distill- eries. Annual product in gallons. Num- ber of bay rum distill- eries. Annual product in gal- lons. - Whole- sale liquor deal- ers. Retail liquor dealers. Cigar manu- factur- ers. Cigar- ette manu- factur- ers. 54 6 60 26 25 8 13 157 40 20 30 23 15 66 24 31 15 46 6 17 1 5 2 1 3 10 2 5 5 66,137 19. 708 2 1 13 3 2 1 3 2 7 7 2 1 25.780 294.000 65. 016 27.249 9 2 3 1 350 2 3 152.000 12.600 4 3 5 3 6 6 2 3 1 6 14 15.000 14.782 1 1 5 1 2 1 8 3 3 9 2 3 5 2 2 5 8 2,142 14,417 17,724 24,000 2,110 26,455 52.911 9:520 18,518 23,102 25, 000 11,000 38, 080 9,521 15 32 15 23 30 ■ 28 45 25 14 8 52 61 31 40 23 29 30 20 3 29 25 10 100 32 18 7 14 198 22 . 38 9 25 30 64 8 130 40 50 66 8 30 30 8 6 84 8 12 12 35 46 2 3 6 1 3 3 2 1 1 300 6 1 9 1 2 3 2 2 5 Hatillo 1 2 1 5 2 7 6 6 2 7,200 5,291 5 2 1 2 7 19, 047 3.000 12,000 52,910 4 1 2 30 Moca .- .- _ 1 661 7 7 3 15,000 1 9,259 3 2 1 9 3,300 27,893 11 2,760 31 4 4 Patillas. 4 3 1 3 6 2 1 3 62, 628 3,174 7,936 30,000 18, 000 36,000 7,000 3,306 Piedras.. 1 1 Quebradillas ... 1 Rio-grande 1 Rio-piedras 1 100 3 9 1,500 40 20 3 2 Sabana-grande 8 1 1 1 San German 3 2 1 2 3 2,110 76. 899 2,645 24,000 14,400 Salinas „ Santa Isabel Toa-alta 7 Toa-baja.. Trujillo-alto Utuado. 6 2 2 4 8 3 15,872 52,285 42,327 8,000 38,080 58,000 Vega-alta Vega-baja 3 4 12 3 2 200 Yauco Yabucoa Total 198 1,615,075 28 15,143 246 2,445 108 27 143 COMMERCE, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC. BUSINESS METHODS. [Hearing before United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., November 1, 1898. Mr. Sasteria Francesca. Importations formerly were made on a half scale in Porto Rico, that is to say, were imported over and above the needs of the island, because the importers could get a year's credit from Paris, London, or Hamburg commission houses. These mer- chants or importers when they sold to smaller houses charged them from the date of invoice one-half per cent interest outside of their commission on the merchandise shipped, while they only paid their bankers at the rate of 4 per cent a year. Moreover these importers sold that very merchandise on long terms to merchants in the interior — these terms extending as long as a year and a half, in some cases — and generally sold at wholesale at higher prices than were paid by retail at the rates prevailing in the capital. These merchants of the interior would do exactly the same thing in turn with the smaller merchants of the country, selling to them on long terms, and charging them at least 10 per cent a month on the invoice value, and often from 1-g- to 2-J per cent. This class of smaller merchants in the interior consists for the most part of cultivators, and it is a very important matter to be con- sidered that these small cultivators are charged at least 35 per cent per annum over and above any profit realized in any country in the world. The results of that system have been that at least one-quar- ter of the small proprietors in the island, buying in that waj^, in the period of five years have all lost their estates, the estates going into the hands of Spanish merchants who commenced selling goods on credit without any capital to speak of, and who after five or ten years have become worth $20,000 and even $50,000. The estates on which they held mortgages were unable to produce sufficient to pay back at the half rates that were collected. When the relations between the United States and Spain became strained the merchants here became afraid, saying that nearly their whole capital consisted of bills receiv- able and other forms of credits owing from creditors throughout the island. This alarm was increased by the Spanish bank declining to renew on first-class indorsements except by paying off on the princi- pal amount at 25 per cent for every renewal. As a matter of fact, big importing houses have to follow the same system and their customers, the interior merchants, have had to do the same with large and small estate owners. The result of that is that to-day all transactions are done on a spot-cash basis throughout the island, and the current stock of merchandise in merchants' stocks and warehouses does not amount to one-third of what it was before the war. The prospect is that this state of things will continue, because every merchant is convinced that the extraordinary credit allowed in Porto Rico has been the cause of much mischief, for any person who knows Porto Rico never thinks of attempting to collect money through the courts, as they invariably protect the man who owes against the man to whom the debt is due. The Spanish law intrinsically may be as good as any law elsewhere, but it will never be enforced so long as the judges receive no salary. 144 COMMERCIAL BUSINESS. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., November 5, 1808. Dr. Carroll. What do you consider the most important matter respecting the future of Porto Rico ? Mr. Manuel Egozcue, Vice President Provincial Deputation. The establishment of a Territorial form of government. Dr. Carroll. We have had a number of statements with respect to the money question. We have had less about commerce and mer- cantile business than anything else, and I would be pleased if you would tell me something about that. Mr. Egozcue. Commercial business in Porto Rico is entirely in the hands of the Spaniards. Porto Ricans hardly have any representa- tives in it at all. The commerce of this island is in the hands of very active men, and also of men of means, who will distribute money over the island. Lately there has been an extensive grant of credit to store- keepers in the interior, and a great many of these having failed, the critical stage of affairs has resulted. Commerce without a doubt has built up agriculture, but unfortunately agriculturists have not attended to the prompt payment of their debts, but have used the amounts which they have been able to get together for the purpose of buying new estates. It would be a great desideratum to-day for the com- merce of Porto Rico to obtain a low tariff between here and the United States, or, better still, to have free trade. I am in favor of indirect taxation, as against direct taxation. In any case the amount need not be so great as it formerly was, as we have removed from our estimates, or will do so, the clergy of Rome, and to a great extent pensioners. The poor of the island would not feel taxation so heavily if it were indirect and through the custom house. Dr. Carroll. Would you have a high tariff with all other nations than the United States ? Mr. Egozcue. It would certainly be well to have a high tariff, be- cause with very few exceptions everything we consume could be bought there, and this would interest the people to protect the trade of the island and of the United States. Dr. Carroll. What are the exceptions you refer to that can not be bought in the United States? Mr. Egozcue. There is no olive oil in the United States. Dr. Carroll. Yes, there is lots of it there. Mr. Egozcue. One of the things we could not get would be the Span- ish peas, which is a staple food here. As to the textile fabrics, we know nothing of them, because, owing to the heavy duties, we have not been able to import them. The article of food which is consumed here by all classes is rice. East India rice is generally used by the poor and working classes, while the better classes use the Valencia rice, which is a better quality. That would be one of the exceptions. Dr. Carroll. Have you never heard of the Carolina rice ? Mr. Egozcue. No; I never did. Dr. Carroll. I understand that the Spanish idea of the United States was that our chief products were pork and a poor class of machinery. Mr. Egozcue. Yes, and it was their object to make everybody here believe it, too. 145 Dr. Carroll. Is the mercantile trade here divided into the usual classes, retail and wholesale, or are most of the articles that are needed by the retail trade imported through commission houses on order? Mr. Egozoue. A great many of the retailers imported directly for their own consumption. Some of them who are really retailers buy everything of the local merchants. Besides the wholesalers there are commission merchants, who are general!} 7 the bankers and owners of steamship lines. Dr. Carroll. Do the wholesale houses here have drummers going through the island to sell their goods? Mr. Egozcue. Not as a general rule. Generally a wholesale house will send one of its employees around the island, chiefly to find how its customers are getting along, and when it finds them all right it tries to sell them goods. Most of the small houses in the interior have their own houses in the city where they have an open credit. For instance, in the cities of Toa-alta and Ciales every merchant and business interest buys from me exclusively at four or six months, or from harvest to harvest, and all the produce from this district comes to me in payment of merchandise. Dr. Carroll. Is it common to charge high interest on those long- term credits? Mr. Egozcue. For terms longer than four months usually 8 or 9 per cent is charged. Dr. Carroll. Is it not extremely difficult to introduce new goods to the people of Porto Rico? If you wanted to introduce something new in dress goods, for instance, how would you go about it? Mr. Egozcue. By advertising, and also by sending around printed lists stating that the goods had arrived, were of such and such quality and description. These lists we would send around to all our cus- tomers through the island. Dr. Carroll. What per cent of their sales do the wholesale mer- chants generally expect to lose in the way of bad debts? Mr. Egozcue. That is not an easy question to answer. Sometimes I don't lose more than $2,000 or $3,000 in a year in bad debts, but if harvest is bad there is a heavier loss. Things now are better because merchants generally are not selling goods to persons except of recog- nized standing. Dr. Carroll. Is there not an enormous number of retail shop- keepers in this island? Mr. Egozcue. No; there is plenty of room for more business. Dr. Carroll. There seem to be a great many of them in this city. Mr. Egozcue. They all do business, and as a proof of this it can be stated that shopkeepers are constantly retiring from business, leaving the country, and taking with them twenty, thirty, forty, and even as high as eighty thousand dollars. Dr. Carroll. You said that the mercantile business was generally in the hands of Spaniards. I want to ask how it is that they have obtained control of the retail business in this island. Is it that they are better business men than the Porto Ricans, or are they more thrifty and live on less? Mr. Egozcue. Not by reason of any superior intelligence, but because of the protection they give one another. Take my case, for example. Although I was born here, I was educated in Spain, and I desired to obtain a mercantile career. I had difficulty in getting a position in a Spanish house. When I did get one I commenced by . H25 10 146 sweeping out the store. The Spaniards prefer to take an employee who is a relative, or some one recommended to them by their friends in Spain. In this way commerce has become a sort of close corpora- tion. Dr. Carroll. Is that system likely now to be interrupted and per- haps entirely broken up, owing- to the change of allegiance of the island from Spain to the United States? Mr. Egozcue. The Spaniards are of the same mind as before. I have been urging Porto Ricans to go into business, and I have met with a great deal of opposition from the Spaniards. I have been able to persuade two to open retail grocery stores. I believe there will be a great future for Americans who will come down here and establish themselves with Porto Ricans, so that little by little as the Spaniards go from the country the new commerce will gradually be introduced. Dr. Carroll. How much profit does the retail merchant generally expect to make on his goods? Mr. Egozcue. It is absolutely impossible to reply to that question. Retailers generally take advantage of the scarcity of an article to raise prices, and when there is an abundance of the article they drop their prices. The system in San Juan is absolutely cash. The wholesale houses sell to the retailer on cash terms, and the retailers sell in the same way. Dr. Carroll. Then, I suppose, the wholesale dealers in that case have to sell on a small margin of profit. Mr. Egozcue. Yes; they have to content themselves with small profit, but they do very well. Dr. Carroll. Is that cash system also established in Ponce, Maya- guez, and Aguadilla? Mr. Egozcue. There also. What I mean by cash is payment at the end of a week or ten days. No accounts are opened. Dr. Carroll. That is really the valuable trade of the island, is it not? Mr. Egozcue. Those three points are the most important, and here there are stores, if they could be supplied with American capital, whose business would be increased very much, as they have a large following in the country. To-day the tendency is to buy from Porto Ricans, and if that tendency increases I will have to buy twice as much as I do to supply the demand. Dr. Carroll. One complaint which the American visitors make is that the retail dealers have no fixed prices for their goods; that what they ask at first is a much larger price than they expect to get. Mr. Egozcue. It is a bad custom of the country, and it is owing to the fact that the peasant from the country is never satisfied with the first price asked him, but always insists on a reduction on the price stated. This has naturally led the merchants to raise the price above the figure at which they are willing to sell their goods. Dr. Carroll. Perhaps if a few Americans came here and set an example it would be followed by their merchants. Mr. Egozcue. I think it would be. Eveiybody wants to drop the old custom so as to make an epoch in our commercial life. Perhaps if one started all would follow. Dr. Carroll. Have the retail merchants and wholesale merchants any society here? Mr. Egozcue. They have a sort of club which is more of a social institution than anything else, in which they have to pay a small fee 147 for membership. I don't know whether it has been dissolved or whether it is still existing. The merchants of higher rank usually meet and expound their views in the chamber of commerce. Dr. Carroll. Is the chamber of commerce a somewhat large body? Mr. Egozcue. Under Spanish rule it was a very important body because it was the official chamber of commerce, but it was a Spanish body. To-day the press and public opinion are beginning to ask that the native Porto Rican shall be represented in it. Dr. Carroll. Have the}^ been excluded hitherto? Mr. Egozcue. Almost entirely. Dr. Carroll. The newspapers in the United States have told us, through some of their correspondents down here, that the people are very much wedded to one style of goods, and that they would not take to new goods. Does that correctly represent the situation here? Mr. Egozcue. I consider that the question of price is all important. I think we can introduce new goods here if we can get them at a suf- ficiently low price. .If we have free trade here, and a high protective tariff! against other countries, we shall have to introduce goods from the United States, but in any event I think if merchants take some trouble to prepare the public for the receipt of these goods they will be quite acceptable. WAR PRICES. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., November 5, 1899. Dr. Carroll. I wish you could give us some notion about the prices here relative to dry goods before the war and now since the war. There are some people who have come here from America who say that the people are robbing them; that they are putting the prices up, and that they are in a conspiracy to extract from the American consumers all they can, and I would like to have a statement as to this matter. Mr. Andreas Crosas. Previous to the war as exchange went up on the United States to 80 per cent, it was natural to expect that provisions would increase in proportion, but they really did not. Dry goods re- mained about stationary. During the war there was hardly any business done. Those who had a little business were the provision merchants. When provisions commenced to get a little short here the Captain- General decreed that no provisions should be taken out of the city, so that what little there was in the country they had to do the best thej^ could with. As I foresaw that the Government was going to pounce on these provisions, I bought a large supply for myself. Then it was that Hamburg rice, for instance, was worth $5 and $5.25 a quintal. It ran up to $7.50 and $8, but dry goods dragged along and they did not sell $5 worth in any of these stores, but now since the war is over business has revived a little, principally provisions, and some lines of dry goods. Building material and everything of that kind is stag- nant yet. Provisions have decreased some, according to the rate of exchange. Dry goods have kept the old prices, and these prices are not exorbitant in reality. You can get many articles in dry goods down here cheaper than in the city of JSew York. I know of several ladies who have bought articles of clothing cheaper, they said, than they could buy them in the States. A lady was telling me of a lawn that she bought for $1.50, for which she had to pay $1 more in gold in 148 New York. There is a custom here, however, very different from that in New York, and it is a Latin custom. You go into a store, for exam- ple, to buy an article worth 14 and they will ask you 85. They expect you to heat them down and then they come down to the real value. If they know you are not of the kind that beat merchants down, they will ask the real price first. I bought some cigars the other day. When I asked how much they were the cigar man said 83. I told him I would not give him $3 for them, and he asked me what I would give. I said 12.50, and I got the cigars. Pretty soon an American came in and asked me what I paid for the cigars and I told him $2.50, but when he priced the cigars the cigar man asked him 63. I told the dealer not to act foolishly; to sell the cigars for 12.50, and assured him that Americans don't beat down. He said he did not know that that was the custom among them. Dr. Carroll. Is that custom you have described universal here? Mr. Crosas. Yes. THE IMPORTS OF PORTO RICO. STATEMENT OF MIGUEL I. ARSUAGA, OF THE COMMERCIAL AND BANKING FIRM OF S0BRIN0S DE EZQUIAGA. San Juan, P. R,, December 5, 1898. • Merchandise generally imported from the United States consists of herrings, machine oil, beans, pease, some dry goods, wheat flour, corn flour, bacon, lard, hams, beer, canned goods, brooms, whisky, crack- ers, sausages, petroleum, paper, maizena, thread, fencing wire in rolls, pepper, macaronies, soap, paraffin, spices, oysters, notions, plows, Florida water, blacking, drugs, codfish, potatoes, bicycles, lumber, shucks, specie, safes, salted meats, chairs, butter, glass, manufac- tures of iron, furniture, and some few other manufactures and pro- visions which for years have been imported from the United States both before and after the Spanish- American treaty of commerce. Merchandise imported into Porto Rico from other countries is rice, dry goods, hardware, machinery, wines, liquors, canned goods, cheese, dried fruits, mineral waters, oils, olives, notions, jewelry, furniture, frijoles (beans), gin, perfumery, ready-made clothing, codfish, um- brellas, fruit jellies, Spanish candies, sweets, French beans, chick- peas, potatoes, raisins, dried plums, and many other goods, as well as almost all the articles brought from the United States, which are ordered in the markets where quotations happen to be lowest, or whose tariffs give the most advantage. Merchandise which could be imported from the United States if there were free coasting trade (cabotaje) would comprise everything now brought from Europe of which an equivalent exists in the United States and the goods now imported from there. In time the whole, or nearly all, the importations would come from the north, as Amer- ican usages and customs were gradually introduced. The present difference of fashions of dressing, etc., will cause some time to elapse before this country acquires the same tastes and cus- toms as the American; and this holds goods with several articles of food and drink, owing to the difference of the American and Spanish table. These will be overcome by assimilation in time, and then everything made in the States will find a market here. The tariff would play a very important part in the question in favor of the United 149 States — molding customs, usages, and the tastes of the people, if necessary, in a more or less short period. The hardest goods to obtain in the United States to fill public tastes will be foot wear, women's hats, some articles of food and drink usually obtained in Spain, France, and England; also fancy articles and novelties. European countries compete favorably with the prices of the United States, as merchants there quote lower prices than in America ; freights are lower, and maritime commerce is proportionately less. In imports of consideration these items do not pass unperceived. The question of tonnage and charges thereon 1 will be a very important matter for this island once the sugar crop commences, owing to the exclusive coasting trade under the American flag between this island and the States. This measure has not yet resulted in an increase of tonnage under that flag, and it is feared that it will be confined to steamships, whereas sailing ships are required for freighting sugar, molasses, and rum, otherwise freights will rise and harm considerably the agri- cultural and commercial interests of the island. Formerly the com- petition of foreign flags kept down freights between the island and the United States, as ships of various nationalities calling at the French islands, Barbados and St. Thomas, in ballast sought freight for the United States chiefly in Cuba and Porto Rico. The English flag, owing to the number of its merchant marine, was most abundant and its freights lowest. The importation of merchandise is chiefly as follows: Textiles, Spain, France, England, and a small amount from United States; readj' -made clothing, from Spain — this article is hardly used here ; hardware and machinery, Spain, France, England, Germany, Bel- gium, Holland, and United States; food stuffs of general consumption, Spain, France, England, German}', Holland, Belgium, and United States; canned goods, Spain, France, England, and United States; wines and liquors, Spain, France, an dltaly; stationery, Spain, United States, England, France, and Germany; furniture, Spain, United States, Austria, Italy, and local manufacture; lumber, United States chiefly. The island produces fine lumber for building purposes, boards, beams, planks, cabinet woods, and woods of great beauty for canes, etc. The woods mostly used in building are American white and pitch pine. Houses are built of wood with galvanized zinc roofs imported from England, with roofs sometimes of shingles im- ported from the United States. In the principal cities, houses are of mixed stone and brick, with roofs of the same material. Goods imported from the United States and Europe are of the sizes and weights usually demanded for this trade, and come in pack- ages subject to the same demands, or merchants send special instruc- tions according to their special needs. The weights and measure- ments are usually the common ones current in all countries, as regards textiles, hardware, food stuffs, canned goods, wines, liquors, etc. THE YAUCO MARKET. Yauco, P. R,, March 5, 1899. The market place in Yauco is a large square in the center of the town, on one side of which is the alcaldia. From early in the morn- ing (Sunday is market day) until 11 o'clock, this square was crowded ] Note by translator: By tonnage is here meant ownership or nationality of bottoms. 150 with market people and others doing their marketing. Some were selling vegetables only; others were selling corazones, cacao, and some vegetables, including cucumbers. Others were selling yams, water cresses, radishes, tomatoes, bananas, achiote or annatto, beans, peas, beef, fat bacon, lard, codfish, fresh fish, coffee, sugar, tobacco twists, cigars, rice, bread, sirups used as sweet drinks, mabby (a native drink), and butter. Besides, there were venders of hats which, they stated, were brought from Cabo Rojo; also small notions, such as cheap laces, collar buttons, cheap ornaments, etc. At one stand where various provisions were being sold, including lard from an American can, a young native who was assisting in the sales was very skillful in wrapping up the various articles sold. He was able to wrap up rice in small sheets of paper, seemingly too small for the purpose, without wasting a grain or using a string, and did it very rapidly. He also made change very rapidly, and kept up a busy stir that seemed to draw business to his stand. One man had on exhibi- tion a graphophone, and was surrounded by natives listening to the tunes. There were also a number of beggars who were importuning everybody. THE STRUGGLE OF COMMERCE. STATEMENT OF MR. P. SANTISTEBAN Y CHARIVARI, SPANISH MERCHANT. San Juan, P. R. , October 28, 1898. Commerce constitutes the most substantial source of income, owing to the tribute it pays through the custom-house, and its general condition of solidity gives it prestige in foreign parts. It may be said to constitute the greatest wealth of the country. In spite of all the advantageous qualities just attributed to it and which make it a subject for the greatest consideration on the part of the Government, it has to sustain a terrible struggle to defend itself against the bad faith which is taking it to ruin by means of suspen- sion of payments and failures, which are rarely punished, owing to the deficiency of our laws and judicial proceedings. It is also the victim of the present monetary system, which lends itself easily to speculation in exchange, sometimes the rise being as much as 25 per cent and 30 per cent during three months. This state of affairs does not allow even the most clear-sighted merchant to protect himself from enormous losses. Customs tariffs which have been in force for a long time are not based on equitable or scientific principles. The rates charged do not follow the requisite table of valuations based on 20 per cent over actual cost of goods in the factory, and the custom-house rules are full of punishments, guided more by the letter than the spirit of the law. Custom-houses, from their very nature, require more intelligent and honest employes than any other public offices, their object being to facilitate commerce by good faith and attention to duty, and also to discover the frauds which dishonest merchants try to perpetrate. 151 COMMERCIAL TAXES. STATEMENT OF MANY CITIZENS. Isabela, P. R., February 15, 1899. Agriculture is suffering from great prostration and the Government should hold out a helping hand, freeing it for a few years from direct taxation, which to-day weighs so heavily on it owing to years of bad prices, monetary crisis, and immense municipal and State taxation. The industrial and commercial taxes are also too heavy and should be reduced after giving a hearing to the persons interested. There is a notable want of agricultural banks which would lend money at low rates and for long periods to agriculturists, so as to help them recover from the losses occasioned by the Mexican and colonial currencies, which, authorized by the Spanish Government, caused the ruin of the country. The town of Isabela, one of the most industrious and fertile when rains are copious, has its properties well divided among several owners. But its position on the coast, where there is a lack of trees, subjects it to continuous droughts, which, however, have never been able to make our farmers lose heart for their work. "VVe think the Government would commit an act of justice by attend- ing to the two requirements of this town, which are : an irrigation canal to bring the waters of the River Guajataca into the district and fer- tilize its fields, and the opening of the port for commerce of export and import with the other towns of the island, which would lead to an extension of business. MERCANTILE BUSINESS FLOURISHING. STATEMENT OF MAYOR CELESTINO DOMINGUEZ. Guayama, P. R., January, 1899. Coevally with the downfall of the sugar industry one of the most extraordinary spectacles ever witnessed in an agricultural country has been seen. On the ruins of agriculture there has arisen a flour- ishing community of merchants, which not only dominates the farm- ers, but is slowly absorbing their land. These merchants are nearly all peninsular Spaniards. In other parts of the world commerce has been the right hand of agriculture; here it is its worst enemy, owing to the protection granted by the Government to merchants, which has enabled them to override the landowners, generally natives of Porto Rico. The larger part of our business to-day is with the United States, which buys our sugars. Then comes Spain, which has extensive deal- ings in this country, as we are accustomed to consume her products. We can not ship our produce there, except in small quantities, owing to prohibitive duties and fiscal hi?idrances. Our sugar is hardly known in Spain, our coffee goes there in very small quantities only, and our tobacco and alcohol in lesser degree still. Our imports come also from France, Italy, and Germany, and our exports go to North America, France, and Denmark, as to our sugar; to Cuba, Germany, and Denmark as to our coffee, and our other prod- uce is consumed in the country. Cuba takes large quantities of our tobacco, manufactures it and sends it out all over the world as Vuelta Abajo. 152 THE COMMERCE OF PORTO RICO. [Compiled from Estadistica General del Commercio Exterior de la Provincia de Porto Rice for 1897.] Value of importations in 1807. Schedules. Duty. I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. Stones, earth, minerals, etc Metals and manufactures Chemicals, etc Cotton and manufactures - --- Vegetable fibers and manufactures . Wool and manufactures Silk and manufactures . Wood Paper .. Animals and animal products Machinery, etc Food stuffs .. Miscellaneous ... Special imports Pesos. 691,834. 675,747. 651, 947. ,540,393. 513,094. 128,464. 50, 581. 368,211. 818,952. ,196,377. 401, 156. 1, 984, 808. 189, 557. 648, 044. Pesos. 69,772.9] 134,431.13 66. 696. 36 180,725.36 66,389.01 13,661.16 5, 871. 54 32.449.92 78,176.26 28,046.46 35,739.00 1, 750, 856. 54 37,185.98 13,960.88 Total - 17,858,063.29 3,841,962.57 Foreign commerce until Porto Rico in 1897. Countries. Value. Quantity. Imports. Exports. Imports. Exports. Spain. .- — Pesos. 7,152.016 3,749,815 1,755,754 1,445,000 1.314,003 913.089 092,780 215,474 163, 675 155. 363 • 124, 406 74, 126 36,046 10, 108 9.709 5', 495 5,491 3,774 3,715 2,783 1,800 518 78 37 Pesos. 5,067,467 2,814,349 77,341 254,430 2. 117, 803 Toneladas. 1 41.433 35.573 19,468 20, 865 19,543 Toneladas. 23,304 47,168 986 5,436 5. 370 3,515,006 3,037,984 1,607' 98, 539 908 705 15,135 5,680 Belgium 372 79 177 190 94 1,393 408,211 28,762 2 416 192 28,319 35,734 993 2,147 . 53,156 1 * 339 206 8,055 6,682 19 Africa.. 102 224 1 Tonelada= 1,000 kilograms, or 2,220 pounds. Articles imported in 1897. Articles. Quantity. Value. Mineral coal . . kilograms.. ..do.... 30,517,771 1,919,040 2,204,030 1.185,968 3,502,745 4.649,784 '774,392 11,244.245 317,919 , 35,451.874 J Pesos. 167,848 211,094 .. do.... 220,403 Paper, straw and ordinary do.--- ..do.... ..do.... 142,316 70, 055 1,394,935 do___- 108,415 Codfish .. do.... 1.461,752 Pish and shellfish in oil Rice (cleaned) . do.... do.... 158, 960 2.481,631 153 Articles imported in 1897 — Continued. Articles. Wheat flour kilograms. Dried vegetables do... Garden produce do... Olive oil do... Comniou wine liters- Canned goods kilograms- Cheese __- do... Manufactured tobacco _ do... Other articles _ do... Total . Quantity. 13,852,030 2,176,884 5,026,086 762,102 4,314,473 '265,477 337,982 324, 022 Value. Pesos. 969,642 141, 497 201,043 172. 179 388,303 238, 929 202, 789 648,044 8,478,228 17,858,063 National flags under which shipments left Porto Rico in ISO", Countries. United States Cuba.. i Spain English possessions . . Danish possessions Santo Domingo. France. Germany French possessions ... England ... Italy.....'. Austria ■Holland's possessions . Haiti ." Venezuela Mexico _ Africa Steam vessels. Total 172 243 138 21 27 39 49 43 1 151 16 14 Sailing vessels. 5 . 1 I- 26 28 341 Seamen. Mer- chandise. 5.245 13. 568 8,395 1,223 1,546 1,686 1,842 1,608 261 502 650 516 53 264 22 10 20 37,420 Tons. 47,168 15,125 23,304 5,426 2,147 192 5,680 5,270 339 968 1,765 416 224 ' "2 102 108,246 Articles exported in 1897, Articles. Coffee kilograms. . Sugar: Centrifugal ..do Muscovado . _.do Molasses. do Molasses -do Tobacco do Hides __ .do Tallow.. .do Rum... liters. . Bay rum _do Oil of bay leaves _ - do Cocoanuts- thousands.. Oranges do Guano vegetal, kilo- grams _ Annotto kilograms. . Chocolate bean .. -do Chocolate ■_ .do Starch do Tamarinds do Hedionda (to mix with coffee) — kilograms- . Pineapples.. hundreds.. Cattle head.. Oxen do Sheep do Salt kilograms.. Carnaza do Husks of cacao do Tobacco seed do Quantity. 23,504,999 16, 154. 466 40, 129', 465 1,364,980 11,529.132 2,843,615 378, 170 116, 624 310, 006 50.339 223 1,391,917 1,004,048 50, 759 54,813 5, 715 58 61,555 7,594 Value. Pesos. 12,222,600 1,316,584 2,608,415 82,991 403, 520 1,194,318 71,S52 11,662 31,000 7,551 982 27,838 2,510 5,583 2,741 2,286 47 6, 771 760 2,328 233 12,000 840 5,517 220,680 53 1,060 15 90 220.000 6,600 2,200 110 1,249 14 5,032 2.113 Articles. Peanuts kilograms. Ginger. do Corn do Corn meal do Tortoise shells .__do Sweets (dry and in sirup ) kilograms - . Fruits l.do Animal wax. do Oil of cocoanut .do Honey. ..liters.. Lime . kilograms . . Horns of cattle ... do Eggs hundreds.. Potatoes ... kilograms .- Bananas hundreds.. Guineos (small bana- nas) kilograms . . Arcos de pomarosas, kilograms Brick.. M.. Beans kilograms.. Small beans do Yams do Yautias do Ice do Woods -. do Cocks number . . Chickens do Quantity. Total . Value. 4,899 5, 300 1,944,050 3,612 67 4,643 7,201 137 4.405 1.350 10,600 7,077 113,253 24,211 6,181 3,750 1,380 23,160 4,495 16, 830 41,442 2,168 8,190 2, 799 42 4,009 Pesos. 490 530 97,203 361 268 4,179 5; 761 27 881 405 318 354 2.831 '484 19 278 450 1,683 828 6S 82 140 84 3,007 18,352,541 154 National flags under which shipments entered Porto Rico in ISO} Countries. Spain English possessions. United States Cuba England... Germany Danish possessions San Domingo Franco Belgium ... French possessions Venezuela Italy _ Steam Sailing I o„ ar ___ Mer- vessels. vessels. ! oeamen - chandise. Hayti Holland's possessions- Austria Argentine Republic . _ Brazil .. Uruguay 194 31 97 144 134 85 14 24 36 1 13.956 1.958 2.497 9.095 4.516 6,224 1, 157 1,577 2,160 1,049 195 235 361 358 35 120 35 20 18 Tons. 41. 433 20.365 25,573 908 19.468 19,543 993 94 765 3, 799 1 177 39 19 190 372 7f» 326 45,566 143,818 Countries to which the exports were sent in 1897. Spain , - kilograms - France .- do Cuba .do Germany do Italy.. do Austria do Swedenand Norway, -- _ kilograms. United States do England do TOBACCO. Cuba kilograms . Spain. do United States do Germany do Danish possessions . do . - . England do Venezuela do Italy ___do SUGAR. United States, kilo- grams Spain kilograms. - English possessions-do. .. Denmark do... England. _ do. . . Danish possessions-do... Germany — do... Italy , do... France do... Cuba do... WOODS. United States, kilo- grams Spain kilograms.. RUM. Spain... liters.. Africa do... United States do... France do. .. Italy do... Cuba ...do... Quantity. 6, 853, 694 5.802,495 4,008,775 3, 975, 878 1,939,375 785,022 54,460 47, 995 34,453 2,359. 337. 80, 56, 3, Values. 34, 966, 838 18.020,119 1,591,927 1,327,962 843, 989 282, 556 273, 598 143, 455 113, 539 78, 399 2. 500 200,105 86,558 15, 783 4,663 1,837 1,060 Pesos. 3,563,921 3, 017, 297 2, 084, 563 2, 067, 456 1,008,475 408,212 28,319 24,957 17.916 990,808 141, 729 33.906 23. 806 1,577 1.189 942 119 2, 418, 938 1,272,885 102,831 98.523 46, 595 19, 806 17, 784 9,324 7,380 5,662 125 15 20,011 8,656 1,578 • 466 184 106 Quantity. \ Values. United States liters . . ! 50, 177 Danish possessions-do. .. 162 MOLASSES. United States, kilo- grams... _ ..! 8,792.409 English possessions, kilo- grams I 2.644,937 England kilograms..! 91,786 HIDES. Spain ..kilograms.. 1 262,800 France do j 64.482 Germany do.— I 36,990 Italy do.... I 8,848 Cuba _ do-._- 5,050 CARNAZA. Spain ...kilograms.. 2,200 TALLOW. Cuba kilograms . . 109. 020 Spain do 7,604 GUANO VEGETAL. Cuba kilometers.. 50.339 Spain .do.. 420 COCOANUTS. UnitedStates.thousands- 723,763 Cuba do.- 427.713 Spain do_- 237,941 Danish possessions, thousands.. 1.500 English -thousands.- 1,000 CACAO. Spain kilograms.. 5,715 ORANGES. United States, thou- sands 939,798 Pesos. 7,52 24 307.734 92,573 3,213 49,932 12.252 7,028 1,681 960 110 10,902 760 5,537 46 14, 475 8,544 4,759 30 20 2.2S6 2,350 155 Countries to xvliich the exports were sent in 1897— Continued. oranges— continued. Cuba thousands . Danish possessions, thou- sands English possessions, thousands Spain thousands . OIL OF BAY LEAVES. Danish possessions, li- ters _ United States liters . CHOCOLATE. Spain kilograms . ANNOTTO. Germany kilograms. United States do France .do Danish possessions, kilo grains Quantity. STARCH. Cuba -.-kilograms. Santo Domingo do TAMARINDS. England kilograms. United States do HEDIONDA (A SMALL SEED TO MIX WITH COF- FEE.). Spain kilograms.. Cuba do PINEAPPLES. United dreds. States, hun- Holland's poss e s s i o n s, kilograms HUSKS OF CACAO. Spain kilograms. . CATTLE. Cuba.. head.. English possessions. do. . . French possessions-do... Danish possessions' .do. .. Santo Domingo do... OXEN. Frenchpossessions, head Danish possessions, head . Santo Domingo head L . SHEEP. possessions, English head French possessions^ head TOBACCO SEED. Cuba kilograms . 46,000 17,000 1,050 200 193 Values. 53 34,546 10, 773 8,481 1.013 60, 827 6.984 610 1,211 1,117 12,000 220, 000 1,349 2,420 96.800 1,471 58,840 1.312 52. 480 304 12,160 10 400 32 Pesos. 115 43 772 120 46 1.727 539 424 51 6,691 121 112 840 .600 14 5,032 640 400 20 2,113 PEANUTS. Cuba kilograms.. GINGER. United States. kilograms. CORN. Cuba kilograms. . Spain do CORN MEAL. Cuba kilograms.. TORTOISE SHELLS. United States, kilo- grams Spain kilograms .. SWEETS (DRY AND IN SIRUP). Spain kilograms. . Santo Domingo do Cuba do FRUITS. Cuba kilograms . Santo Domingo do... Spain do... ANIMAL WAX. United States, kilo- grams... Spain kilograms. OIL OF COCOANUT. Cuba liters- HONEY. United States liters. LIME. Santo Domingo, kilo- grams. _ Cuba kilograms . HORNS OF CATTLE. Spain -..kilograms. EGGS. Cuba --.hundreds. POTATOES. Cuba kilograms . BANANAS. Cuba hundreds. GUINEOS (SMALL BANA- NAS). Cuba ..kilograms.. ARCOS DE POMAROSA. Santo Domingo, kilo- grams Quantity. 5,300 1,930,353 13, 697 i.612 40 4,445 100 4,279 2,484 438 4,405 1,350 5,600 5,000 7,077 113,253 24,211 6,181 3,750 1,380 Values. Pesos. 490 530 96,518 685 361 160 108 4,000 90 3,423 1,987 350 881 405 168 150 354 2,831 489 14 55 156 Countries to which the exports xoere sent in 1897 — Continued. Quantity. Values. Quantity. Values. BRICKS. Santo Domingo M-- BEANS. Cuba kilograms . - SMALL BEANS. Cuba kilograms - . 23,160 4,495 16,830 41,442 Pesos. 278 450 1,683 828 YAUTIAS. ICE. Santo Domingo, kilo- 1 Pesos. 2,168 J 65 8,190 | 82 43 84 COCKS. Santo Domingo, kilo- YAMS. Cuba .kilograms-- CHICKENS. Cuba kilograms . - 4,009 i 3,007 THE MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. RAILROADS. The San Juan Railroad. The Porto Rico Railroad (French). The Bayamon Railroad (Ferrocarril del Oesta). A short railroad from Anasco toward Lares. THE SAN JUAN RAILROAD. This road was built to Martin Pena in 1879 and completed to Rio Piedras in 1880. It comprises ?f miles of track, including side tracks, and has four station buildings, shops, bridges, etc. The equipment consists of 5 engines, 15 passenger cars, 1 baggage car, and 16 freight cars. Pesos. Cost of construction and equipment $232,500 Passengers carried in 1897 . 557, 437 Freight carried in 1897 tons_. 9,123 Receipts for nassengers, 1897 $55,670 Receipts for freight, 1897 8,340 $64,010 Cost of operating in 1897 ._ 50,919 THE WESTERN RAILROAD. Passenger and freight traffic during the year 1897. Pesos. Number of passengers. 141,355, giving receipts of $24, 442. 32 Tons of freight, 12,370, giving receipts of 12,369.93 Gross earnings , 36,812.25 Total working expenses .__ _ 23, 181.40 Net earnings 13,630.85 There are 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) in operation, of which 7 kilo- meters (4.35 miles) are by land and 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) by water. The system is between San Juan and Bayamon, and the stock con- sists of 2 locomotives, 5 passenger coaches, and 17 cars. Coal has cost on an average 12 pesos per ton. R. Yaldes Cobian. Bayamon, December 3, 1898. 157 THE PORTO RICO RAILROAD COMPANY. Sections of lines. A 1, from San Juan to Arecibo A 2, from Arecibo to Camny_ A 3, from Aguadilla to Mayaguez Beach C 1, from Mayaguez Beach to Hormigueros . C 2, from Yauco to Ponce B 1, from Martin Peiia to Carolina. Total Totals reduced to miles . In operation. Perma- nent. Kilometers. 44 35 165 102.54 Provi- sional. Kilometers. "~U 39 24.23 Total. Kilometers. 86 14 44 11 35 14 204 126.78 Numbers, tonnage, and receipts in the year 1897. Passengers carried ._ 138, 379 Freight carried tons.. 59,108 Receipts from — Passengers pesos . . 104, 818. 04 Freight do.... 138,055.79 Rolling stock. Locomotives Passenger coaches Mail coaches Baggage wagons Closed cars, series E... Open cars, series F H and H H. 18 26 3 4 90 240 San Juan, November 21, 1898. SUBDIRECTOR. RAILROAD FROM ANASCO TO ALTO SANO. This railroad, with a gauge of 23f inches, was built in 1898. It comprises 11 miles of completed track and has buildings at two sta- tions. The cost of construction is reported as having been 1275,000. The line is to be continued through San Sebastian to Lares. The rolling stock consists of 2 locomotives, 4 passenger cars, 2 baggage cars, and 8 freight cars. FREIGHT AND PASSENGER RATES. The distance from San Juan to Camuy is 100 kilometers. The rates for passengers between these points on the Porto Rico Railroad are as follows : Pesos. First class, single. 4. 95 Second class, single ,. ... 3.85 Third class, single 2.75 First class, excursion.. 8.14 Second class, excursion 5.92 Third class, excursion. 3.70 Freight rates depend on distance, quantity, and character of ship- ments and speed of trains. For 10 kilograms or less the rate at the greater speed is 60 centavos between San Juau and Camuy; $3 for 41 to 50 kilograms. At the lesser speed the rate is one-half these figures 158 Merchandise is divided into four classes, and the lowest charges are 15 centavos a ton per mile for first class, 12^ for second, 10 for third, and 7 for fourth class. The charge per ton on merchandise of the first class between San Juan and Camuy is $15, for the second, $12.50; for the third, $10, and for the fourth, $7. These rates apply to articles of not less than 50 kilograms — that is, the minimum charge is for that amount. There are also special tariffs for sugar, coffee, and general farm produce. The rate on coffee between Camuy and San Juan is $4.95 per ton; on farm produce and fruits, $2.56 between San Juan and Barceloneta (65 kilometers); on sugar, $3.85 between Arecibo and San Juan (86 kilometers) . Rum and other liquors pay $6. 51 per ton between San Juan and Camuy. The passenger rates on the Western Railroad between San Juan and Bayamon are 30 centavos for first class, 20 for second class, and 40 and 30, respectively, for excursion tickets. PORTO RICAN ROADS. By Mr. Tuilo Larrinaga, Civil Engineer. The greatest drawback in the development and progress of the island of Porto Rico has been the absence of good roads and of any other means of transportation. Too late to be of any use to the coun- try, the Spanish Government took up the affair and gave out at public auction the concession for building a railroad around the island with quite a liberal subsidy, consisting of the guaranty of an 8 per cent interest on the capital invested. The interest was calculated on the assumption that the average cost of building the road was $18,000, when $30,000 would have been a closer approximation to the truth, so that the interest was rather 4.80 per cent than 8. Work on the line was commenced in October, 1889. Bad management, carelessness in the selection of the auxiliary class of the personnel, and some system- atic opposition in the beginning on the part of Spanish engineers soon brought the affair to a standstill, and work was stopped. From 1889 the Spanish Government had been trying to change his system and devote to subsidies for concessionaries of railroad the greater part of the money appropriated for building common roads and other public works, but the local corps of official engineers resisted, and nothing definite was come to. In 18 — the Government passed a royal decree — put up for bids the concession of several roads to the interior of the island — offering to help the building of them with 40 per cent of the actual cost of the roads. It seems that the credit of the Gov- ernment at the time and other difficulties to be encountered in official bureaus kept away bidders. The finishing of the road around the island should be taken up at once. Several lines going from the coast to the interior should be built to furnish the country with good means of transportation. Of these lines the most important perhaps is the line from Rio Pie- dras to Caguas, to be extended afterwards through the valley, if found convenient. Caguas and the whole plateau forming this rich valley is no more than 40 meters above the level of the sea. A road to that district may be passed through the gap cut in the mountains by the Loiza River, whose course must follow the line as soon as the town of Trujillo Alto is reached. The road will be a very winding one, but 159 grade would be easy; no tunneling would be required; the Loiza will afford ample power for working the road by electricity at a very low expense. The traffic has not to be created, as the existing one now done through the common roads is more than is required to make the road pay. Next iu importance comes the road from Anasco to Lares, in the dis- trict of Mayaguez. Lares is one of highest and best coffee-producing districts of the island. This road has been studied and a part of it built. The road is being built on the French system of narrow-gauge road, 0.60™ wide between rails, so much in favor for "chemin de fer d'interest local" in France. Seventeen kilometers, forming the first section, have already been built and are working since December, 1897. The line is equipped with first-class American rolling stock and possesses all the rails, ties, etc. , for the superstructure of another section reaching to San Sebastian. The actual cost of the part work- ing has been 117,000 rjer kilometer. Grade will not exceed 2i per cent, and 50 meters is the minimum radius for curves. Wood is used' mostly as fuel and the road is worked at little expense. The length of the line is 43 kilometers. Next after the Aiiasco-Lares line comes the line from Arento to Utuado. San Juan P. R., January 10, 1899. ROADS. By Jose Amadeo. Except the central road, which was built splendidly and with stra- tegic views, as were also those of Guayama and Adjuntas, the roads of the country are for the most part mule tracks and cart paths, im- passable in rainy weather. It was a pitiful sight last September to see three pair of powerful American mules on the road from Ponce to Guayama pulling at the wagons and unable to move them. A journey from Maunabo to Mayaguez in the months of June to October costs more than a trip to New York. There is also a lack of communication around the coast by water — the cheapest of all waj T s — and we can not understand why a small line of steamers is not established to attend to this traffic. This was im- possible under the last government, owing to vexatious custom-house restrictions, which I am informed are still in force under the American rule. As we have no other means of transport, it is to be hoped our coast- ing vessels will be assisted rather than hostilized, and that they will be allowed to enter and leave the island ports freely and without formalities. After four centuries of existence we are almost cut off from inter- communication. Of our internal roads, it is best to say nothing ; no one dares journey by them. Even in traveling on foot one's ribs are not safe. There are towns where no mail is delivered for five or six days when the rivers rise, and neither the public works department nor private enterprise has thought of spanning the rivers by footbridges even. With a thousand obstacles and expenses we have to carry our produce to market and bring back our provisions the same way, add- ing to the expenses of freight those of "consumos," which keeps up the already excessive prices and causes general discontent. The want 160 of activity of the Porto Ricans forcibly condemned to inertia by want of means of travel is not to be wondered at. The peasant of Patillas would like to market his produce in Ponce and there make his purchase of provisions at lower prices, but cannot, as the cost of the journey would represent the earnings of months. The greater part of the people of this town have never seen Ponce, distant only 60 miles. There can be no greater obstacle to the progress of the country than this. Any sacrifice made now to inaugurate a good system of roads would soon meet with its recompense. Many were surprised and angered by the paralyzation of the con- struction of the railroad to the east of the island, one of the richest districts, owing to the fertility of the soil and the continuous rains. Six years ago no one would have said that the concessionary company would have neglected to tunnel the Pandura (mountain between Mau- nabo and Yabuco). No other administration would have tolerated such a want of good faith in its dealings with our progress-loving people. Unfortunately these aids to progress have been undertaken as timid experiments. This has been a serious evil, as no country unprovided with a. network of railroads can progress. The value of these is understood by Americans better than by any- others. In the hands of the Government the post-offices, telegraphs, and money-order service so necessary for the country can be installed and run as perfectly as in the United States. This would leave room for railroads and private telegraph companies, which would surely come, as the increase of the well-being of the country would offer hopes of large profits. In rich, happy countries people travel, and there is life and motion an every side. In poor countries only the cry of anguish and misery is heard, leading to despair and immorality. We must work therefore for the benefit of our country. This can be aided by the freedom of our commerce giving us access to all the world and cheapening our cost of living. Patillas, P. R. ROADS AND RAILROADS. [Hearing luefore the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., October 29, 1898. Dr. Carbonell, secretary of the interior. In preference to ordi- nary roads, railroads should be built, because from the time they are started they begin to pay, as they work the portion already started, whereas roads do not until completed. The road from here to Ponce costs $15,000 a year to keep in order. It would be far better for the State to invite foreign capital to come in to build railroads and guarantee interest on the money, as they would not have to pay so much money, and the most they would have to pay for interest would not be in excess of the amount required to keep ordinary roads in condition. Dr. Carroll. But that would leave many parts of the island with- out proper communication, would it not? Dr. Carbonell. They were making a railroad from Mayaguez to San Sebastian, but as it was started without sufficient capital behind it, it came to an end and they had to abandon the railroad. 161 Dr. Carroll. I should suppose that good cart roads would be nec- essary in order to give access to the railroads from towns in the inte- rior. I am told that the roads now in use, with a few possible exceptions, are almost impassable. Dr. Carbonell. I think the roads already begun should be finished, but I think it would be advisable to grant liberal concessions to rail- road companies with the view of having the island intersected by rail- roads as soon as possible. This would make communication much easier than it is. Dr. Carroll. Is it very costly to construct such roads as the mili- tary road from here to Ponce? Dr. Carbonell. It cost $14,000 a kilometer. There was an immense amount of robbery in connection with the building of that road. They used 400 prisoners, whom they paid 10 cents a day, and they put in bills for wages at 50 cents a day, the difference going into the pockets of the officials. In some places it cost $25,000 a kilometer, 5 kilome- ters being equal to 3 miles. Dr. Carroll. Do they have stone convenient for the construction of roads in the island? Dr. Carbonell. Everywhere throughout the island. Dr. Carroll. Have you the facilities for crushing the stone? Dr. Carbonell. In some places we have, in others we have not. In the greater part of the island it is crushed by hand. Dr. Carroll. Can not the cost be greatly reduced by having proper appliances for crushing stone? Dr. Carbonell. It is not possible to have machinery everywhere, and to cart it (the stone) from place to place would be very costly. Dr. Carroll. What is the length of the road? Dr. Carbonell. It is variously stated at 142, 143, and 144 kilometers. Dr. Carroll. I am told that in the interior of the island the roads are so bad that teams are destroyed, and that transportation, owing to the state of the roads, costs an immense amount — an amount, in fact, out of proportion to what the planters can pay. Dr. Carbonell. You have been correctly informed. In many places the oxen have been drowned in mud. The freight charges are far out of proportion to the value of the stuff transported. Dr. Carroll. Has your department any control over the railroads? Dr. Carbonell. Yes, over the railroads and over electric lighting ; formerly the telegraph also; but that is now under the military author- ities. Also my department had charge of the stock (not the working) of the post-office. Dr. Carroll. Does the department fix the rates of tariff on the railroad? Dr. Carbonell. The railroad companies put in their propositions for freight and passenger tariffs, and they were accepted by the gov- ernment. Dr. Carroll. Have you heard any complaints as to the tariffs being too high? Dr. Carbonell. I have heard a good many complaints, and the rail- road company has violated its agreement. For instance, if you want to take a horse from here to Arecibo the rate is the same as a first- class passage for a person ; moreover, if you take one horse you have to pay the same as for five. Formerly the State used to grant conces- sions to private parties for building a certain road or certain bridge, and allowed them to collect so much for foot passengers and so much for vehicles. 1125 11 162 Dr. Carroll. Could the prisoners be used by the government in the making of roads? Dr. Carbonell. Yes; they have to give prisoners 10 cents a day when making roads, besides supporting them. Dr. Carroll. That is cheap labor, is it not? Dr. Carbonell. The Spanish officers who had charge of them always took from the prisoners one-half, and when they went out they hardly had anything. I do not understand why the United States authorities have not removed the employee who is at the head of the present department, as he is the very worst man they could have for the purpose. Dr. Carroll. The military government having been established only about a week, it can not correct all the evils at once. CART RATES. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., October SI, 1898. Dr. Carroll. Would not the agriculturists be greatly helped if they had a quicker and better transit for their products to the ports of shipment? Dr. Santiago Veve, of Fajardo. The chief complaint against the Spaniards has been that they did not furnish facilities of that kind, and some farms are so located that it is impossible to ship products from them to the seaport towns. Dr. Carroll. Are the rates charged by the railroads excessive? Dr. Veve. The railroads in existence in the island are of very little importance. They consist of small sections, which are not con- nected. They charge practically any rate they like and their rate is established without regard to equity, but even then it is cheaper than the old cart roads. Dr. Carroll. Why are the cart rates high, when labor is cheap and the cost of cattle is not great, I presume, nor the carts themselves? Dr. Veve. A cart from here to my city, which leaves to-night, for instance, at midnight and arrives to-morrow morning at daylight, can not be rented for less than from $20 to $25. The reason for this is the condition of the roads, which wear the oxen out. They are really not roads. You go over them and get stuck in the mud up to the middle of the wheels. In order to come here to attend the congress yesterday I had to pass over a river on a raft. Dr. Carroll. Do you think the establishment of the trolley or electric system would be a good thing for the producer? Dr. Veve. Yes; it would be of immense value. Dr. Carroll. Is it not a fact that producers lose the best of the market by the delay incident to the difficulty in getting their goods to the shipping points? Dr. Veve. In reference to the sugar producers, they do not suffer on this account, because they can get their crops to the seashore in ample time with the facilities in the way of roads which they have here. There are only a few firms here who buy sugar, and these firms do not limit the purchasers in point of time in getting their sugar to the seaport. Dr. Carroll. Is the military road between the capital and San Juan the only good road in the island? 163 Dr. Veve. In addition to that road there are other small pieces which have been begun, but not completed, and are now more or less in a state of dilapidation. For instance, from here to Fajardo the road is not finished, and from Arroyo to Guayama the road has been years in building, and is not yet finished. From Guayama to Cayey the road is finished, and is fairly good. From Mayaguez to Cabo Rojo and from Mayaguez to Aiiasco the roads are fairly good. The rest of the roads in the island are atrocious; they are not graded and are really unworthy of the name of roads. Dr. Carroll. Should the railroad system be extended so as to encircle the western half of the island to Aguadilla, Mayaguez, and Ponce? Dr. Veve. That was the original plan of the railroad, and its com- pletion to those points is very necessary. The French company began, but failed in a short while. Referring again to the other roads which I have described as atrocious, it is sometimes necessary to pull a coach which is passing over the road out of the mud with oxen. Dr. Carroll. If the railroad system were finished and reasonable charges were made, would it not result in an increased use of the railroad, so that the revenues would be increased and the road be a paying investment? Dr. Veve. I think it would. There are families living here in the island, some of whose close relatives live within a few miles of them, who, because of the almost impassable condition of the roads, have not visited each other and have not seen each other for four or five years ; and I believe that if the railroad was opened up many of these people would patronize it and greatly increase the receipts of the company. Dr. Carroll. What does the railroad company charge per mile? Dr. Veve. I do not know. It is 50 cents a round trip to Rio Piedras from the capital, which is a distance of about 11 miles, and I suppose the rate between other points is in proportion. Dr. Carroll. I have heard that the freight charged on a chicken from Arecibo to the capital is $1. Dr. Veve. That is an exaggeration. It is my impression, however, that the rate between here and Arecibo is greater than the rate between the capital and some other points, the rate seemingly being based on the amount of business which the company handles between the capital and connecting points. THE NEED OF RAILROADS. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., October 31, 1899. Ricardo Nadal, of Mayaguez: They have begun a railroad from Anasco to Lares, affording com- munication from the center of this coffee district to the seaport in Mayaguez, which enterprise, owing to the abnormal condition brought about by the war and consequent retrenchment of all mercantile transactions,- has been suspended, the shareholders waiting and hoping for some American company to come and take hold and carry out this line and plan. The island is also greatly in need of some crossroads running through from east to west, which together with the French Belt 164 Line of railroad, that is to run around the coast of the island, would furnish sufficient transportation from the interior to every available seaport. That French line, although its time of completion has been extended three different times by the Spanish Government, has not as yet complied with the requirements of the grant, affording good ground for the question as to whether or not the American Government now has a right to take such part of the line as is already built away from the company according to the articles of agreement under which the -concession to the railroad company was made. COST OF INLAND TRANSPORTATION. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Arecibo, P. R., January 14, 1899. Mr. Bernardo Huicy. The question of roads is a most important one, as there are estates in the center of the island which have to pay as high as 75 or 80 cents a hundredweight over a distance of 20 miles. Dr. Carroll. Is that to the railroads or by the railroads? Mr. HuiCY. To the railroads. VIEWS OF AN ENGINEER. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., January 10, 1899. Mr. Tuilo Larrinaga, an American civil engineer: Mr. Larrinaga. I am a native of Porto Rico, and studied in the United States. Dr. Carroll. When were you educated in the United States? Mr. Larrinaga. From 1865 to 1870. Since then I have been here. I was in the United States a few days in 1894. Dr. Carroll. What engineering works have you been engaged in here? Mr. Larrinaga. I built the first railroad of the island. Dr. Carroll. When was that? Mr. Larrinaga. In 1880. I was employed in its construction some- what against the wishes of the then Governor-General, who ques- tioned the propriety of having a Yankee come here to build a railroad. He seemed to regard it as a reflection on the ability of Spanish engi- neers. Dr. Carroll. Was that first road the one which connects San Juan and Rio Piedras? Mr. Larrinaga. Yes. The longer road from San Juan to Camuy was built later. Dr. Carroll. I notice that on the maps a distinction is indicated between certain parts as completed and in working order and of cer- tain other parts as under construction ; for instance, from Camuy to Aguadilla. Mr. Larrinaga. No; that has only been surveyed and studied. Plans and specifications and estimates are complete. From Agua- dilla to Mayaguez and Hormiguerros the road is built and in working order. From Mayaguez to San German all the grading is done and 165 the superstructure is ready to be placed, such as ties, rails, and bridges. I was to put up the bridges. I have put up all the bridges of that line for a French company. I also built all the bridges from San Juan to Ponce. From San German to Yauco all the plans and estimates are made. From Yauco to Ponce it is built and in working order. There is a little of the east line running to Carolina, 11 kilometers. Dr. Carroll. There is a line shown on the maps all around the island, from Ponce eastward through Guayama. Mr. Larrinaga. That was given in the concession, but nothing was ever done except to survey it. There was some little grading done near Fajardo. I should add that there is a short road from Anasco to the heights. Dr. Carroll. I suppose you will meet many difficulties in running branches into the interior from the belt road? Mr. Larrinaga. It is not difficult to build roads to the interior along the rivers. We have plenty of rivers affording good passages through to the interior. Dr. Carroll. Don't those rivers become dry? Mr. Larrinaga. No; except on the south coalst, the difference being due to the fact that our mountain range runs closer to the south side of the island than to the north, so that the territory where rain falls is smaller on the south side, and dry weather there is more frequent. The great watershed is on the northern side, and you can see brooks on that side which do not carry a pint a second and yet never run dry; whereas on the other side you see streams that abound with water in the rainy season which disappear in the dry season. Moreover, the land on the northern side is more porous and water filters through to the substrata more than it does on the southern side, where the soil is sandy. Dr. Carroll. I am told that the rivers on the east coast dry up sometimes. Mr. Larrinaga. Yes, some of them; but not so much as in Ponce and Guayama. From ISTaguabo coming north you do not find it so. Dr. Carroll. Mr. Argueso, of Humacao, said that they wanted to build a trolley line from Humacao to their port, and that there was water power enough to run their dynamo; but there was a gen- tleman here this morning who stated that the streams in that section dry up now and then. Mr. Larrinaga. Small brooks may, but not the larger streams. Dr. Carroll. Do you think it would be cheaper to have trolley roads and have cars run by electricity rather than by steam? Mr. Larrinaga. Yes; there can be no question about it. Dr. Carroll. You would not, in that case, need as solid a road- bed. Mr. Larrinaga. That is true, because it would avoid the use of a locomotive, which is always the trip hammer that destroys the road- bed. Heavier trains and locomotives than those you see here in use would require a much more solid roadbed than we have now. Dr. CArroll. If you could have a more solid roadbed, and perhaps change your gauge and have more powerful engines, you could make railroading pay. You could then reduce freight and passenger rates, and passengers then could make quicker trips. Mr. Larrinaga. Yes; there would be a gain in time, and with a broader gauge more freight could be carried, so that the rates could be brought down; but my experience in railroading has taught me 166 that such a step should not be taken unless there is an excess of traffic over the capacity of the road. Dr. Carroll. It has seemed to me that if you had branch roads from this belt line into the interior, so as to facilitate traffic between the interior and the coast, and charged lower rates, the people would patronize the road and make it pay. Mr. Larrinaga. When such feeders shall have brought the excess of traffic to justify the use of heavier trains, then would be the time to study that matter. Dr. Carroll. One difficulty has been the cost of getting the loco- motives, the coaches, and the steel rails here. Now, you are going to have lower duties so that it will not cost so much to import these things. Besides, you will have ad valorem duties, which will make a large margin of difference. Tour locomotives are of an old pattern, are they not? Mr. Larrinaga. Those which run along the north coast are of French manufacture and are old-fashioned, but those in use on the tramway to Rio Piedras are of the best Baldwin make from the United States. These Baldwin locomotives have been working well, even with poor repairing. The company sent to England for a No. 4 engine. It was a 14-ton engine, but they have never been able to get the work out of it that they have been getting out of a 10-ton engine of Baldwin make. She was too stiff about her back — too much of an Englishman. The French engines can not make 10 kilometers an hour, as I was able to do with the Baldwin engines. Dr. Carroll. It seems to me that the trolley is the thing to intro- duce here for short lines, to connect the towns of the interior with the belt line. Mr. Larrinaga. Yes; and that would enable the people of the interior to send their fruits out to the coast towns. At present they can not send bananas or oranges, which they have in great abun- dance. They can only cultivate coffee and tobacco. Dr. Carroll. Referring again to the introduction of electric motors here for passenger and freight cars, would it be your idea to have the overhead wire? Mr. Larrinaga. Yes; it is the cheapest. The only objection to it is the danger of its causing accident in thickly populated districts. Dr. Carroll. Would you think it wise to make use of the military road to Ponce for a trolley line? Mr. Larrinaga. It is not wide enough. Dr. Carroll. Do ,you know whether any concessions have been granted for the construction of trolleys here? Mr. Larrinaga. None of any kind whatever have been granted. I was named as under-secretary of public works when the first auto- nomic government was established here and have been in close touch with the work of that department. The law requires that before any power other than animal power can be used for transportation pur- poses, application must be made to the insular government, and such applications all come to the department with which I was connected, and I can state positively that no concessions have been granted. Dr. Carroll. Are there many engineers in the island now? Mr. Larrinaga. About a dozen or so. Dr. Carroll. It seems evident that the first great need of Porto Rico to-day is a system of good roads. The question is, Should the insular government bear the expense of them alone? Responsibility 167 for the construction and maintenance of good roads might be divided between the various divisions of the island. Mr. Larrinaga. There was a governor-general here several years ago who* gave the entire island roads and then left the care of them to the municipalities. In three years from that time the roads were in a state of ruin and were never repaired. But good roads must be built; nothing is more urgently needed, and nothing would influence more materially the social and moral development of the people than good means of transportation. COST OF ROADS. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Utuado, P. R., January 18, 1899. Mr. Lucas Amadeo. Roads of broken and rolled stone are calcu- lated to have cost from 18,000 to 20,000 pesos a kilometer under the former administration. Dr. Carroll. But I understand that much of that went into wrong channels. Mr. Amadeo. I understand that to-day such roads can be made at from 12,000 to 14,000 pesos a kilometer. I think, in contradistinction to what many others think, that roads are more important to the country than railroads. This is a country of small distances only. The roads would allow the development of industries which to a large extent would not give support to railroads. That does not prevent anybody from building railroads across the island or anywhere he wants to. I would favor anybody who wished to come here with capital to build railroads, but I think plain roads are most needed. Dr. Carroll. But are there not cases where the tramway, which can be run with exceeding cheapness, could be run with great advan- tage, as between Utuado and Yauco, or Utuado and Ponce, or Utuado and Arecibo ? Mr. Amadeo. Yes; but not to the exclusion of ordinary roads. A most ridiculous proposition has been advanced to exclude ordinary roads altogether. COST OF LIGHTERAGE. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Arroyo, P. R., February 3, 1899. Dr. Carroll. Is this a port of entry? A Gentleman present. Yes ; and we expect to remain such because it is a center of this district; and if this port of entry were suppressed, we would have to go to Ponce. Dr. Carroll. You could have it kept open if you guarantee that the expenses of the port shall be paid? A Gentleman present. At present we have only two or three employees. The expenses of the port are only about $310 a month, and that is nothing as compared with the business that is done. We collected from $40,000 to $50,000 a year here. Dr. Carroll. Then there is no question about it. Have you con- sidered a project for getting a pier built here? 168 A Gentleman present. It would cost a great deal to construct one, because the sea is quite rough sometimes, hut I think a strong pier of iron would pay. Dr. Carroll. It must cost you a great deal to load and unload cargoes. A Gentleman present. "We bring the cargoes on lighters, and we run out two poles. The system is very primitive; it costs $1.85 to dis- charge 1,000 feet of lumber. Dr. Carroll. I was told it would cost 15 for a thousand feet in Humacao. Mr. Verges, of Arroyo. As regards the questions you have been speaking of, I agree with the gentleman who has spoken. NEED OF MORE PORTS OF ENTRY. San Juan, P. R. , January 10, 1899. Mr. Gustavo Preston, of Humacao, called at the office of the spe- cial commissioner and made a statement respecting ports of entry in the island. He said that although large quantities of muscovados are shipped from Maunabo and Yabucoa, two towns on the south- eastern coast, neither of these places has a port of entry, but vessels with cargoes from or to these places are obliged to go to Arroyo to report for landing of cargoes or for clearance papers. Planters and merchants importing staves for hogsheads are obliged to have them landed at Arroyo and reshipped by coastwise vessels, or carted from Arroyo to the place of final destination, thus very greatly increasing the cost of importation. There used to be a rule by which vessels which reported at Arroyo and landed cargo could go on to Maunabo or Yabucoa and lie there, take on cargo, and clear without returning to Arroj^o, by paying the fee which would be charged if they did go there. On the southwest coast there is a similar inconvenient arrangement at Cabo Rojo, which is the shipping point for the salt mines of that place. Vessels are obliged to proceed to Mayaguez to report and get clearance papers, thus increasing the cost of shipment. The district of Naguabo is subject to the same riile as Yabucoa. FREIGHT RATES. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Utuado, P. R., January 17, 1899. Mr. Casalduc. In good times we pay $1 a quintal freight from here to Ponce. When the roads are bad, as they are now, we pay $1.25. That is the ruin of agriculture. It costs more to transport coffee from here to Ponce than from Ponce to Europe. The road from Arecibo here is the best in the whole district. Dr. Carroll. How can anything be worse than the road from Arecibo to Gobo? I can not imagine it possible. Mr. Casalduc. That is a fine turnpike road in comparison. You should not go from here to Lares without first making your will. From here to Ponce it is 30 kilometers, and it requires from twelve to four- teen hours to go there. 169 COST OF BAD ROADS. [Hearing before the United. States Commissioner.] Utuado, P. R. , January 18, 1899. Mr. J. A. M. Martinez, of Lares. We need good roads — cart roads and railroads. We have to pay $1.25 freight from the port to our city. Our ports are Arecibo, Aguadilla, and Mayaguez. Dr. Carroll. Are those ports equally distant? Mr. Martinez. They are 6, 7, and 9 leagues. Such rates cut down the profits considerably. Dr. Carroll. Are roads as bad between those places as between Utuado and Lares? Mr. Martinez. Worse still. Dr. Carroll. It seems to me that your system of roads, as I have seen them, is the most costly in the world, because they are so destruc- tive to wagons and to teams, and it costs so much to get your goods transported over them that they are really far more expensive than good macadam roads. Mr. Martinez. With what has been collected for the making of roads in the four hundred years of Spanish domination we could have all our roads paved with silver. Dr. Carroll. What does it cost to make a mile of good road that will withstand the rain? Mr. Martinez.. Here they estimate, but they do not spend. They make an estimate of $20,000, but most of it goes into private pockets. Dr. Carroll. That was under the old regime, but I want to get at the cost of the making of roads under the new regime. What would it cost to put a road in good working order with cracked stone? Mr. Martinez. I can not inform you as to that. The man who had the contract for road making could tell you about it. His name is Jose Roig. He lives in Santurce and is now visiting in Utuado. The railroad from Anasco to Lares ought to be finished. They have a large amount of money lying dormant in shares, which is not producing any returns. Dr. Carroll. Is that road built by a foreign company? Mr. Martinez. -Yes; by a French company. If the road does not pass into the hands of the new government, it will never be finished. Mr. Vivo. Half a million dollars was spent oh it, and when they reached that point and found it would cost a million, they were unable to go on. Nearly 12 miles were finished. Dr. Carroll. Is it in operation? Mr. Martinez. Yes. Dr. Carroll. What is the entire length? Mr. Martinez. Thirty miles. VIEWS OF AN EXPERT ON ROADS. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Utuado, P. R., January 18, 1899. Jose Roig, of Santurce, P. R. : Dr. Carroll. I desire to ask you as to the best kinds of roads in these mountain districts to withstand sudden and heavy rains and what they would probably cost. 170 Mr. RoiG. The best sort of roads for these districts are what they call " vicinage roads," the width of which should not exceed 4 meters, or about 12 feet. These roads at intervals of 2^ or 3 kilometers have a widening which enables carts to pass going in opposite directions. Added to the width of these roads there is an additional 7 feet used for ditching to carry off the water when it falls in abundance, and this part of the road is not packed down, but is left soft. It really is a sort of sidewalk. At intervals of a kilometer or a kilometer and a half there is a sectional ditch to carry off water, to prevent it from collecting and injuring the road. These roads over the mountainous parts of the country, where there are ups and downs and irregularities, should cost, with all the additional construction which I have just mentioned, from $2,000 to $2,500 a kilometer. Dr. Carroll. Would you use cracked stone? Mr. RoiG. Yes; the middle part of the road of broken stone, beaten down, but the 7 additional feet at the side are not macadamized. Dr.. Carroll. What would it cost to have the road sufficiently wide all the way through for wagons to pass each other at any point? Mr. RoiG. The differences in building roads of that kind are con- siderable. They call them roads of the third class, and they cost about $11,000 a kilometer. Dr. Carroll. That is in the mountains. Mr. RoiG. No ; we don't have really level roads. We take an aver- age, and estimate on that basis. Dr. Carroll. Would you have a road wide in the valleys and wherever it is convenient? Mr. RoiG. A road on the level lands wide enough to allow two carts to pass would cost only about $2,000 — less than a single track would cost in the mountains. Dr. Carroll. Where there is much travel would you have wide roads on the plains? Mr. RoiG. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Have not many of these roads already been cut, requiring now only the roadbed? Mr. RoiG. The whole question of cost depends on the depth of stone you want in the roadbed and whether you break the stone by hand or by machine. Dr. Carroll. Of course the cost would be greatly reduced by ma- chinery? Mr. RoiG. In the interior such a machine has not been known. The state has them and uses them elsewhere. Dr. Carroll. How do they make the road firm? Do they have rollers to press down the stone? Mr. RoiG. They have a big iron roller drawn by oxen. They first make the excavation to the depth they require the stone to be laid, then put the stone in and either beat it down with hand implements or with the roller I have mentioned. Dr. Carroll. I suppose a steam crusher would greatly reduce the cost also. Mr. RoiG. Doubtless it would, because one of the machines can break up from 50 to 60 cubic meters a day, and a man can not break a cubic meter a day. Dr. Carroll. We pay about 90 cents a ton for cracked stone in the United States; that is, including cartage. That would insure cheap road making here. 171 Mr. RoiG. There is no road in this country of any use unless it has a stone top, because after a rain a cart opens a ditch in the road, water collects there, and the road is injured. Dr. Carroll. It is an axiom now that money put in roads made of gravel is money thrown away. Mr. RoiG. I have held that opinion for a long time. Dr. Carroll. It is better to make 100 feet of good road in a year than a mile of gravel road. DECADENCE DUE TO BAD ROADS. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] ■ Aguadilla, P. R., January SI, 1899. Mr. Torregrosa. This city used to be one of great commercial importance, owing to the fact of its being the port of outlet for sev- eral interior towns which produce coffee. To-day it is a city of complete decadence. One of the chief reasons for this decadence is the complete abandonment of the roads. From here to Lares is a journey of six hours, and yet there are times when carts laden with freight require seven, eight, and ten days to make the journey. Dr. Carroll. That is when the weather is very wet and the roads very muddy. Mr. Torregrosa. Yes; in the rainy season, which lasts from seven to eight months. Dr. Carroll. Is the road from Aguadilla to Lares worse consid- erably than the road from Aguadilla to Camuy? Mr. Torregrosa. There is no comparison between them — very much worse. There are mud holes where oxen have fallen in and perished. Dr. Carroll. That has always been so, has it not? Mr. Torregrosa. Twenty years ago that was not the case. Roads were kept in good order, but since that time the Government has abandoned them completely and paid no attention to repeated appeals to have them repaired. Half the distance from Moca to Lares it is an infernal road. It is not more than six hours, but there have been instances of carts taking as long as fifteen days in making the jour- ney. There have also been occasions when a hundredweight of freight has paid 15, or four times that from Aguadilla to Liverpool. The opposite has taken place in Arecibo. Arecibo, a few years ago, was of no importance ; but as the people of Lares have not been able to communicate freely with Aguadilla, they have opened a road to Arecibo and send their goods that way. Dr. Carroll. If they could open a road to Arecibo why could they not improve the road to Aguadilla? Mr. Torregrosa. The limits of Lares lie half way between here and Arecibo, and the people living in those districts were able to get to Arecibo better and it cost less to make the road. Dr. Carroll. What about the road from Lares to Camuy? Mr. Torregrosa. Bad; but the other is worse. Dr. Carroll. The town of Camuy itself is bad? Mr. Torregrosa. Very bad. Camuy and Hatillo should be joined to make one municipality. Dr. Carroll. How far is it from Rincon to Mayaguez? Mr. Torregrosa. It is about an hour's journey by railroad. 172 Mr. Caeroll. Why has the commercial importance of Aguadilla been deteriorating since the roads have been getting bad? Mr. Torregrosa. All these small towns around the coast are poor. The only two towns of importance that used to feed Aguadilla were San Sebastian and Lares. Since they have gone to Arecibo; Arecibo has gone ahead and Aguadilla has dropped behind. Dr. Carroll. Is the harbor of Aguadilla a good one? Mr. Torregrosa. One of the best in the island. Ships can remain here in all weather, they have such good anchorage. There is no trouble getting in and out. They do not even need a pilot. Dr. Carroll. Has the government discriminated against Agua- dilla in any wa}~? Mr. Torregrosa. As this town and the interior towns of Lares and San Sebastian were almost entirely in the hands of Porto Ricans, the Spanish Government would never do anything for the benefit of them. Dr. Carroll. Is there much shipping here now? Mr. Torregrosa. No, but there used to be. The traffic between this port and Europe and the United States used to be very impor- tant. Insurance companies that would not allow their vessels to stop at Arecibo never made any objection to their calling here. Dr. Carroll. What measures are necessary to reinstate the pros- perity of Aguadilla? Mr. Torregrosa. The very first is the roads. If you will open them the rest will come. Dr. Carroll. Does the municipality do all that it can for its own roads and streets? Secretary of the Council. This municipality can hardly cover its expenses. It assigns a small amount yearly to attend the vicinage roads, but the amount is so small it has very little effect. The munici- pality labors under too many restrictions. Everything has to be sent to the * government center for approval. The municipality can do nothing of its own accord. Dr. Carroll. Are your propositions generally approved in San Juan? Secretary of the Council. Since the American Government has been in power we have not sent srny, but now the time of making our budget is approaching and we will have to send various propositions. Mr. F. Estebes. I am a sugar planter and wish to say that what the sugar planters want is good roads and agricultural banks to advance them money with which to carry on their work. Agriculture is the source of wealth of the country. The real wealth of the coun- try lies in the interior. The land around the coast has been worked out, and what we want is better facilities for bringing our produce from the interior to the coast towns. The interior possesses a large extent of fertile virgin lands. Dr. Carroll. How far from Aguadilla is your plantation? Mr. Estebes. I have one estate near the railroad station and another near Moca, but this road that I speak of should go through the towns of Moca, San Sebastian, and Lares. The great part of the produce of the island is lost through not finding an outlet. It costs four or five times as much to bring it down to the coast as to transport it from the coast to the United States or Europe. Besides the staples, sugar, coffee, and tobacco, we could ship pineapples, oranges, and. other things, if we had better facilities of communication with the interior. Dr. Carroll. Is there any water power on this route which could 173 be used to run dynamos, so that you could have trolley roads into the interior? Mr. Estebes. There are rivers of great volume of water which could be used for that purpose, and also plenty of material in the way of stone and lumber which could be used. As Aguaclilla is a natural port for all those towns in the interior which I have named, the con- struction of a pier here is very necessaiy to accommodate shipping. Owing to the advancement made in scientific building of these struc- tures, it could be built very easily. Dr. Carroll. Do you recommend that it be done by the state or by private enterprise? Mr. Estebes. I think it would be a very good business enterprise for any private company to undertake. The municipality would do it if it could. Dr. Carroll. What is the present method of transporting freight from the shore to the ship and vice versa? Mr. Estebes. We are about two hundred years behind the times in that respect. They bring the lighters up to the beach, turn them over so that the inside is perpendicular to the earth, and then they roll the hogsheads in, let the lighter fall back again into its normal position, and then push it out to the ships. Each hogshead pays one- half dollar. Bags of flour weighing 200 pounds pay 8 cents a bag. Dr. Carroll. You have no pier, then, at which the vessel can lie? Mr. Estebes. No. Dr. Carroll. If the pier were built, could a vessel lie here at the pier in all kinds of weather? Mr. Estebes. Yes. Dr. Carroll. Do you think the prosperity of this city can be revived? Mr. Robert Schnabel. Yes; if the roads are improved. It used to take only four hours from here to Lares, and now it requires two days. Sometimes it costs a dollar and a half to bring a quintal of coffee from Lares to this city. In good times it can be brought for 75 cents. In rainy times the peons are better for the bad roads, but only certain classes of articles can be taken up by them. NEED OF RAILROAD FACILITIES. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner. ] Cabo Rojo, P. R., January 27, 1899. Mr. Pagan. The natural course of the railroad is from Mayaguez to the bridge on the road you passed over joining the branch that leaves Yauco. It is a flat land and naturally adapted for the con- struction of a railroad. The construction of this road, or the altera- tion of the old plan, would be an immense benefit to this town district and to the surrounding districts. This road would receive freight from all of the largest and most productive estates of Cabo Rojo. It would also receive all the wealth of production of the neighboring municipality of Lajas; also that of Cuanica; it would also take a lot of freight from the salt mines, one of which is at a short distance from here and another down on the southern corner of the island. One of these mines is only about half a mile from where the line would pass. This freight we speak of would not take away the freight of the port, because it would be for internal consumption. The railroad would 174 get 50,000 quintals of freight per annum from the salt transportation. A great quantity of tobacco also is produced all along the line. Dr. Carroll. Have you made representations to the railroad com- pany? Mr. Pagan. No. A great quantity of corn also is raised along the line; also a large number of cattle — and very fine cattle, too — cocoa- nuts, firewood, cacao, lime in abundance, and bricks made of the best clay known in Porto Rico. ROAD EXPERTS REQUIRED. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Arroyo, P. R., February S, 1899. A gentleman of Maunabo and others : Mr. : I would like to say a word about the roads and about the new tax laws. I think the money to be spent on the roads should be under the control of the government, and the work undertaken by contract and not left in the hands of the municipalities. For instance, this town has $10,000, we will suppose. The people here are not able to study roads and. are unable to make the best application of the money. In the mountains it is still more difficult. If the gov- ernment is going to spend half a million dollars, that sum is too important to be left in the hands of incompetent persons. Engineers should do the work in order that the money may be well spent. The money will certainly be squandered if placed in the hands of the municipalities. We have asked for $5,000. Perhaps it is too small for our needs, but the engineer would know what is required, and I think we should have the services of one. Mr. . I think in every town there should be a road commission. In Maunabo there is nobody who knows anything about roads, and my experience is that money spent by the municipalities of the island on roads has been ignorantly spent. Sometimes the Spanish Govern- ment would give a town a couple of thousand dollars, and I have known cases where that amount disappeared entirety, and not a cent of it was even spent on roads. Dr. Carroll. Is there anything to be said about the roads of Arroyo? . A Gentleman present. They are infernal. The road from here to Patillo should be built, also the vicinage road, and a road from here to San Lorenzo, which is now in project. RAILROAD AND CART FREIGHTS. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Yauco, March 6, 1899. A Gentleman. In Mayaguez there is a soap factory which makes very good soap, but as they have so small a market they can not go into it on a large scale, besides which the margin of profit is not large, but the quality of the soap is good, as I can show you. Mr. Vivaldi. I am a merchant, and have never seen any of this soap. Dr. Carroll. This incident brings out very strongly and very clearly the great defect in this island, and that is in transportation. 175 If you had easy, quick, and cheap transportation and they produced good soap in Mayaguez you would know it here in Yauco. A Gentleman. A load from Mayaguez to Yauco costs 7 pesos now that the road is dry; in the wet season it costs 15 pesos. Dr. Carroll. That is an embargo on commerce between municipal districts. The Druggist. Before there was a railroad between here and Ponce I have paid 18 pesos for one ox load brought here from there. Dr. Carroll. How do the rates compare with railroad rates? Mr. Vivaldi. In normal times, when the roads are dry, there are still people who prefer to bring their goods by cart, because they are brought direct from the playa, while by the railroad they have to cart them from the playa to the railroad station and then load them on the cars. The Druggist. I think on the average, in the rainy season, the freight is about 50 per cent less by railroad. Dr. Carroll. How much would you pay now, during the rainy season, on the railroad for the same load? The Druggist. From 2 to 3 pesos. Dr. Carroll. The railroad charges no more in bad weather than in good? A Gentleman. Besides, we can always have transportation. Dr. Carroll. How much does it cost to send a hogshead of sugar or a thousand pounds of coffee to Ponce by railroad? A Gentleman. Two-thirds of a cent per quintal per kilometer. Dr. Carroll. How many kilometers are there between here and Ponce? Mr. Cianchini. Thirty-five. Dr. Carroll. What does it cost from here to Ponce for 2, 500 pounds by cart? Mr. Cianchini. Four pesos. Mr. Vivaldi. The average freight on merchandise from the ware- house here to the warehouse in the playa at Ponce is 15 cents per quintal by cart; and the railroad freight and the car freight to Ponce are more or less alike — sometimes a little in favor of the cart freight. Dr. Carroll. What does it cost from the railroad in Ponce to the playa by cart? Mr. Vivaldi. One dollar, and it costs 50 cents from the warehouse here to the station. Dr. Carroll. Do you consider the railroad freight rates too high? Mr. Vivaldi. The general opinion here is that they are too high and could be lowered. Note. — The commissioner made the following calculation on the transportation of 2,500 pounds from the warehouse in Yauco to the warehouse in the playa at Ponce on the basis of two-thirds cent per quintal (100 pounds) for 1 kilometer of distance : Per quintal for 35 kilometers.. ---- $0.23J Railroad charges . ___ 5.75 Cartage in Yauco .50 Cartage in Ponce to playa 1.00 Total for 2,500 pounds - 7.25 Several gentlemen present at the hearing examined the foregoing figures and acquiesced in the result as a fair estimate for the trans- portation of the amount stated. Mr. RoiG. You must take into account that the railroad freight is 176 collected under different tariffs. The rate you have taken is that for carload lots. Dr. Carroll. It would be higher, then, for other freights? Mr. RoiG. Yes; very much higher. Yauco is One of the most important cities of the island, and its traffic is one of the most exten- sive. It contains a population of 27,000 persons, with an area of 50,000 cuerdas, paying taxes, divided into 24 barrios, each one important in itself. There are 40 coffee estates of the first class and as many of the second class, a great many small coffee estates, and 10 sugar plantations. One of the grades of coffee most acceptable in Europe is Yauco coffee. Our surrounding districts also send their products to Yauco. Yauco exports 2,000,000 pesos' worth of coffee, and imports three-fourths of that amount of merchandise. Its natural port is Guanica. We require two hours to go to Ponce, over 35 kilo- meters, while we can reach Guanica in twenty minutes, over 5 kilo- meters. One great disadvantage of this is that we have to purchase our provisions from Ponce. Ponce controls the only communication between Yauco and the rest of the world, and the merchants there put their own terms on us. When our merchants have tried to import directly through Ponce, they have been badly treated. The Ponce people tried to have fines imposed on them, and put other hindrances in the way of direct importation. This town has sufficient vitality to exist by itself, and could do so easily if the port of Guanica was opened. It is a painful thing to us that, rich as this district is, we find ourselves tributary to another district, and we appeal to you, as the representa- tive of the Government which can bring about this change, to bring it about. Dr. Carroll. What is the character of the harbor of Guanica? Mr. Roig. It is the best one in the island. Note. — A few weeks later Guanica was opened as a port of entry on the commissioner's recommendation. RESULT OF WRETCHED ROADS. STATEMENT OF ME. P. SANTISTEBAN Y CHARIVARI, SPANISH MERCHANT. San Juan, P. R., October 28, 1898. Countries which have the good fortune to possess honest and intel- ligent municipal administration usually have good roads — thanks to which they are also, as a rule, in possession of a flourishing commerce and agriculture. Their freight rates for agricultural products to the ports of exportation and for merchandise to the centers of consump- tion are nearly always low. This, however, is not the case in this island, there being important producing centers here where coffee, tobacco, and other crops are grown which have to pay from 2 to 4 pesos a hundredweight for freight charges to get their products to the port of shipment. This is owing to the wretched roads which have to be crossed, sometimes so bad that ox teams and drivers have been known to lose their lives. Postal communication with these parts is in no better shape. 177 STATE ROADS. STATEMENT OF A. HARTMANN & CO. Aeroyo, P. R. , November 7, 1898. We think the Spanish system of highways (carreteras) being made and sustained by the state a very good idea. In proof of it there are good carreteras existing in the island. If the towns have to look after the roads, they would have more roads to attend to than their municipal finances could stand, and the result would he, in course of years, no roads. Without roads the island can not be developed in all its riches ; though we expect American enterprise will give us rail- roads, there are many parts of the island where they can not be built, nor would it pay to do so. DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVEL. STATEMENT OF MAYOR EUSTOQUIO TORRES. Guayanilla, P. R., November 7, 1898. Apart from the Central road from San Juan to Ponce, that from this town to Adjuntas, and a few others, the rest do not merit the name of roads. During the rainy season travel from one town to another is almost impossible, not only owing to the bad condition of the roads, but also because of the absence of bridges, which is more noticeable when the rivers are swollen. But in the roads called "rural," which join one barrio (district) with another, this is still more apparent. This, as is natural, makes the moving of the crops very difficult, and is one of the chief difficulties agriculture has to contend against. The laws in force direct that these roads be kept in order by those using them, but if it is taken into account that these are mostly the field hands who live from hand to mouth on their mis- erable daily wage, and that the day they attended to the roads their families would be left without food, it will be seen how impracticable that measure is and how unjust to the laborers. Therefore if an ample system of autonomy does not give the munici- palities the right to control this matter, the foregoing order should be derogated, and the municipalities should be authorized to provide for the maintenance of these roads in their estimates, the province in either case setting aside a sum sufficient to help them for a period of four years, after which time the municipalities to take them under their exclusive charge. As regards the vecinales (roads joining one town with another), the economic situation of almost all the towns of the island will not per- mit them to undertake the work necessary to provide a system of good roadways. I am of opinion that this should be a matter for the public treasury, at least until a stronger administration has lifted the municipalities out of the prostration into which they have fallen. One of the roads which calls for immediate attention is certainly that from Mayaguez to Ponce, and another that from Ponce to Yauco, the latter not only because of its present bad condition, but because of the numerous towns it passes through and the trade depending on it. It is therefore of greatest moment that the road from Ponce to Yauco be declared carretara (highroad) and put under the jurisdiction of the province. 1125 12 178 BETTER TRANSPORTATION INDISPENSABLE. STATEMENT OF DELEGATION FROM PONCE. Ponce, P. R., November 8, 1898. In reference to our seaports and means of transportation to and from the interior of the island, we are to-day in about the same prim- itive state as when Puerto Rico was discovered. A short visit to the interior will demonstrate that the immense natural resources of Puerto Rico can not be properly developed unless we have the necessary means of transportation. ROADS AND RAILROADS. STATEMENT OF JOSE M. ORTIZ. Maunabo, P. R., February ££, 1899. 1. Speedy construction of roads, especially around the island (belt road), which for a long time has been neglected and contains places absolutely impassable; for instance, between Maunabo and Yabucoa, where at times even a horse can not pass. 2. Stimulate and assist the installation of railroads, both steam and otherwise, all over the island. 3. Grant facilities to foreign steamships to enable them to call at our ports. 4. Cheapness and rapidity in the mail and telegraph service. INSUFFICIENCY OF TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES. • STATEMENT OF SENOR C. DOMINGUEZ. GrUAYAMA, P. R. , December 8, 1898. If we look at the topography of the island, it will be noted that its territory on the coast land is generally flat, and extensive valleys are found in this district. On the other hand, the interior of the island is very mountainous. On the coast land most of the sugar planta- tions, pasture lands, and cocoanut groves are to be found, also graz- ing lands and stock ranches, and, to a certain extent, tobacco, cocoa trees, and a fair number of vegetable products. Coffee, the principal source of the wealth of the island, is cultivated on the highlands, the principal region of its cultivation being that about Yauco, Maricao, Lares, Ciales, Utuado, Ad juntas, San Sebastian, and Moca. Besides coffee, numerous small fruits are cultivated, and here the forests abound, full of fine woods for building and cabinet work. Owing to the exuberance of our vegetation, almost all the lands of the island are capable of cultivation. The approximate area of the island is about 10, 000 square kilometers. If, in addition to this data, it is taken into consideration that the island is peopled by about 900,000 inhabitants, that its agricultural productions exceed £19, 000, 000, and that its exterior trade amounts to 136,000,000, it will immediately be seen what a large amount of capital should be brought into the island for the proper development of those agencies which modern life and our particular necessities required 179 Let us now look at the means which we possess to attend to the transportation of passengers and merchandise within this region. With respect to roads of the first order, we have one from the capital to Ponce, measuring 132 kilometers; one from Rio Piedras to Rio Grande, 25 kilometers; one from Arroyo to Cayey (by way of Guay- ama), of 25 kilometers, and pieces from Mayaguez to Anasco, from Bayamon to Reyes Catolicos, and, in course of construction, one from Arecibo to Ponce, 72 kilometers, which will be of great importance as joining four of the most flourishing districts of the island. The remain- ing roads are far from being in suitable condition ; in fact, they are so lamentably bad that in the rainy season the freight on products from the interior to ports of shipment is two or three times as much as that across the Atlantic. The aspect of railroads is not any more flattering. The railroad called the Belt Road covers 546 kilometers, of which 194 only are in operation. These 194 kilometers are cut up into four disconnected sections. The branch from Anasco to Lares is only finished between the first-named point and San Sebastian. The concession for the con- struction of a road from Arecibo to Utuado has already been granted, and a short time ago there was some thought of constructing a branch from Ponce to Jayuga, and another between Rio Piedras and Caguas. Public works maj^ always be considered as measuring the amount of interest and intelligence with which governments have attended to the well-being and greatness of their countries. We consider, for the reasons already stated, and to give impulse to agriculture and com- merce on this island, a railroad should be constructed which would take in the whole of the shore line, with branches to the most impor- tant towns of the interior. A NETWORK OF RAILROADS. STATEMENT OF RUCABADO & CO. Cayey, P. R., March J h , 1899. One of the most necessary requirements of this country is the open- ing of new roads between different districts which to-day, owing to the inexplicable indifference of the last government, are completely neglected. The best results would be obtained by a network of rail- roads joining the interior towns of the island. It would be less costly, quicker to construct, and more suitable than cart roads. CENSUS OF THE POPULATION. THE POPULATION OF PORTO RICO AT VARIOUS PERIODS SINCE THE SPANISH OCCUPATION. , The first census of Porto Rico, according to Acosta's annotated edition of Fray Inigo Abbad's history of the island, was taken in 1765. The figures given for previous dates are, therefore, evidently estimates, official and otherwise. It is not clear that the results given for later years of the last and the early years of the present century were official. It is nowhere stated that the government took an annual census. How the figures given for those years were made up 180 there is no definite information to show. In 1867, we are told, a decennial census was ordered, but no figures are given for that year, and there is a break of seventeen years — from 1860 to 1877. The table for 1775, as found in Abbad's work, is full of errors in addition, which Acosta refers to and says that he did not undertake to correct them. It is not a very difficult clerical work, however, to find and remove these errors. Similar errors are to be found in most other Spanish statistics. I have eliminated them from the tables for 1887 and 1897, as well as from that of 1775. The necessary changes very slightly affect the totals. Of much more importance is the dis- covery that the last column of the table for 1775, which has univer- sally been understood to represent the total of population for that year, is only the total for all classes, excepting the slaves. The head- ing of the column De Almas (souls) would seem to be inclusive of all classes. Acosta himself accepts the footing, 70,260, as the total of all "classes and castes of inhabitants," but I am convinced that is this a mistake. The column of "souls" is embraced with that of "slaves" under the same heading, "Total general," showing that the compiler, from whom Abbacl doubtless copied the table, intended to place "slaves" and "souls" in complementary columns, which must be added together ih order to find the grand total. Any- one may convince hiniself that this inference is correct by adding together, across the table, the several numbers representing whites, free mixed, free blacks, and groups, the sum of which will be found identical with that placed in the column of "souls." The total for that column, 73,932, represents, therefore, all classes of inhabitants of Porto Rico, except slaves. The slaves must be added in order to get the total population, which is found to be 80,504, which is more than 10,000 greater than has been attributed to Porto Rico for that year. In the table for 1765 no such discrepancy exists; the slaves are included in the final total. The population in 1765 was 14,883. The total for 1775 is 80,504. Here is a difference of 35,621, from which it would appear, if both censuses are correct, that there was an increase in ten years of 80 per cent. If there was any such increase, no explanation has been given of it, and one is left to suspect that one or both of the censuses must be incorrect. No errors in addition were found in the table for 1765. In all other tables, including those for 1887 and 1897, I have found many. The returns for the censuses of 1887 and 1897 were kindly furnished by the secretary of state for Porto Rico, Senor Munoz Rivera. They differ somewhat from the figures given for both censuses elsewhere. One authority, for example, gives 806,711 as the total population for 1887; another, 803,474, and another, 802,439, while in the table fur- nished by Mr. Rivera the footing is 798,565, all claiming to give official figures. The discrepancy between the last figure and the two preced- ing ones is in large part explained by the fact that evidently the former includes the Spanish soldiers and marines, and also the pris- oners, while the latter does not. There were in 1887, 3,224 soldiers, 114 marines, and 536 prisoners, making a total of 802,439, which is 4,000 less than one of the figures above given. According to the cen- sus of 1897 the population in that year was 890,820. To be added to this number, as making up the actual population of the island on the 31st of December of that year, are 7,014 Spanish soldiers, 368 marines, and 1,101 prisoners, making a grand total of 899,203, as representing the actual population on the 31st of December, 1897. It will be observed that in ten years the number of soldiers and prisoners had more than doubled and the number of marines had more than trebled. 181 Among the intelligent Porto Ricans with whom I have talked there seems to be no very great confidence in the correctness of the figures of the census of 1897. It was taken under the direction of the Span- iards, who are said to have carried away most of the detailed returns when they left for the peninsula or to have destroyed them. I have obtained copies of the blank schedules used in that census. The sheets are from 14 to 20 inches in length and each is ruled for seven- teen names. The province, judicial department, municipal district, section, and barrio are indicated, together with the street, number of the house, the story, etc. The inquiries embrace (1) sex, (2) race, (3) age, (4) civil state (married or single), (5) family relation, (6) edu- cation, (7) place of birth, (8) nationality, (9) resident or transient, (10) present or absent, (11) length of residence in the municipal dis- trict, (12) profession or occupation, (13) period of absence, and (14) legal residence of transients. A distinction is made between the actual or hecho and the legal or derecho population. The former includes all who are present, whether citizens or not, permanent or transient residents; the latter, those who are citizens of Porto Rico or of Spain, both present and absent. It would be interesting to know how the s/ population is divided among the various occupations and how many can read and write, but I am informed that, notwithstanding the requirements of the schedules, there are no returns for these items, or they are too incomplete to be tabulated. The progress of the population of Porto Rico since the discovery of Columbus has been greatest in the present century. The aborig- ines disappeared "like the mists before the sun," according to an authority quoted by Acosta, shortly after the Spaniards began to settle the island?. In 1493, the year of the discovery by Columbus, there were, Secretary Coll thinks, not more than 80,000 to 100,000 Bori- queiios or Caribs. Acosta's estimate is 200,000. Both agree in saying that the estimate of Father Las Casas — 600,000 — is impossible, because the island could not have supported so large a population living in such a primitive state, because in 1511 only 11,000 Caribs could be mustered to oppose the invaders and to strike a final blow for the liberty of the natives, and because it is not conceivable that 600,000 persons could be destroyed within a generation, authentic documents showing, it is claimed, that there was only a small remnant of Indians in 1530. The lot of the Indians was indeed a hard one. They were virtually slaves ; and when they finally disappeared as a distinct race, the Africans, who had come with the first colonists, continued to serve the Spanish settlers as bondmen until 1873. If the first census is at all trustworthy, the number of inhabitants, including slaves, was less than 45,000 in 1765, which was more than two hundred and fifty years after the settlement of the oldest town, Caparra. That is slow progress, indeed. It is partly explained, however, by the fact that gold fields were opened by Pizarro and other Spanish adventurers in South America, and that the Spanish thirst for gold led the migration from Spain in that direction and also tempted all who could to abandon Porto Rico, which, while it was rich in other natural productions, was not a promising gold field. From 1765 to the close of the century there was an increase of 110,593, showing that the tide of population was setting from the peninsula more rapidly and steadily toward the West Indies. In the next twelve years there was a gain of about 28,000; some 38,000 were added in the next three years, if we may believe the record, while the growth in the next nineteen years was 128,000. The large growth in 182 the fifty years ending in 1834 was brought about by the gradual relaxation of the laws prohibiting foreigners from settling in Porto Rico. In 1778 some Catholic workingmen were allowed to come from neighboring islands, and by a royal decree of 1815, when the golden age of the island is said to have begun, many foreigners were allowed to obtain land and became permanent residents. In the period between 1834 and 1846 there was a net increase of 85,000. From 1834 to 1877 the population was considerably more than doubled. In the decade 1877 to 1887 the increase was about 71,000, and in that of 1887 to 1897 upward of 87,000. In the period 1765 to 1783 the population doubled ; in that of 1783 to 1803 it doubled again; in that of 1803 to 1834 it doubled a third time; in 1834 to 1877 it doubled a fourth time. The gain in the last twenty years has been at the rate of 22 per cent. During the present century the population has almost inultipled itself by 6. This sex- tuple increase shows that it was only in the present century that the Madrid Government made the conditions of settlement in Porto Rico sufficiently attractive to induce a large migration to the colony. NOTES ON THE POPULATION OF PORTO RICO AT PERIODS. By Seiior Coll y Toste, Secretary of the Treasury. llfiS (date of discovery). — According to the historian Fray Bartolome de las Casas, the island was as thickly populated as a beehive. Fray Inigo Abbad, agreeing with Bayacete, places the number at 600,000. The probable number is from 80,000 to 100,000 aboriginals, taking into consideration the difficulties of obtaining food and the unhealthi- ness of the intertropical climate. 1515-1535. — Thirty-five residents in Caparra (old capital) and 35 in San German, the only two towns of the island (Licentiate Velasquez). The aboriginals were then formed into gangs and were working in the mines. Those who had taken part in the uprising were branded with an "F" in the forehead. 154-8. — The capital, more than 100 residents, and San German a few more than 30 (Bishop Bastido). Aboriginals, but very few. 1556. — The capital, 130; San German, 20 residents. (This latter had been burned by French corsairs.) 164.6.— The capital, 500; San German, 200; Arecibo, 100; Coamo, 80 inhabitants. 1759. — 5,611 fighting men, according to Governor Esteban Bravo. 1765. — 44,833 souls, according to Governor O'Reylly (first census). 1775.— 70,260 souls (Fray Ihigo). 1782.— 81,120 souls. 1788.— 87,984 souls. 1788.— 101,398 souls. 1793.— 120,022 souls. 1796.— 132,982 souls. 1798.— 144,525 souls. 1799.— 153,232 souls. 1800.— 155,426 souls. 1802.— 163,192 souls. 1803.— 174,902 souls. 1812.— 183,014 souls. 1815.— 220,S92 souls. 183 1834.— 358,836 souls. 1846.— 443,139 souls (Santiago Fortun). 1860.-580,329 souls (Paulino Garcia). 2577.-731,64-8 souls. 2554.-784,709 souls. 1887. — 802,439 souls. This last was made up of 474,933 whites, 246,647 mixed, 76,985 blacks, plus 3,224 individuals of the army, 114 of the navy, and 536 prisoners. 2557.-899,394, made up of 573,187 whites, 241,900 mixed, 75,824 blacks, plus 7,014 individuals of the army, 368 of the navy, and 1,101 prisoners. Since 1867 the census of the island was ordered to be taken every ten years. From 1860 to 1867 no census was taken. In the last cen- sus of 1897 it is noteworthy that the black race is not prospering, as will be seen by comparing the number of blacks, 75,824, with that of 1887, 76,985. By not allowing black immigration from the neighbor- ing islands and counting on a 3 per cent annual loss by absorption by the white and mixed races the 75,824 negroes now in the island will have disappeared in 300 years, more or less. This study in anthro- pology is interesting, for if that should happen Porto Rico would be the only island of the Antilles in which the white race would prepon- derate numerically. 184 >1 o3 a | •I^oj, lc» CO co t-i-H •DO X o. 0!CO XCD E5os coco '4 04 CO *C0 COOS mm 00 t— t- -1 coin — X, cr. O •3 CO e 04 COCO coo cit- -*-* cr. c£i CO* UOIO — ; •noBia 13* e» CC13 CO oios 1 ol hn in" 1-H* coco occo m i-i— 13 CO cot— co' r-Ii-T i- t- 0! 0-f mco la X o5ol % Wi— 1 CD CO 13 ■paxiw »» *-„ CO-* *OS ©ft* s co CO *C0 CO -J O !— 1 04 04 -* t-iO coco oo5 0-104 CO -* Sc? coco cr. c 04 COX * i-H CO 04' 13X CO CR* -* •8iin m "=J» °i ■ OX X CO 13 o» t— i— *'* X X * CS 1-H CO OX — cs CMi— 1 t- cS -* I- 00 oin t- CO 0104 13 -D CO in Oil- COI4 xcs 04 04 — in ollg XX t- •TOox COrH 1 CS cmi-i Leo 1 com CO rH | i-H 1 1 • ^ 1 1 B .2 s CO SH 1) n •SP '53 s •qoBia Hrl co I i i - 1 ': '- 1 •paxim "* ; rt ^ rt -H ! rt i i CO m 55 CO* t- II : : i • 1 CO -d M cS 'I ft 02 •1^0 J, j CON CI o CO csm CO CO * osea oi* L- — IO -*t- 3 OICO 01 i-l X II 04t- co xt- m •i[0Bia ooo c-tM CO -* i-H rt *04 CO 04 CO 00 - 1 " rH •paxijt *o COCO * cc CON 1—1 X coco CS OS-* CO 04 ■* -* X OO! ■ OS •aH1A Hca OCv 04 rH CO * coot com m 00 OSt- rH CO >- oo com o X t-04 T— 1 •—! OS 0! i OIX l-CO 5 rH +3 d '5 m CO f» CD a to '3 o •TO°iL xt- t- co 3 CO om in ct 04 rH CO t-04 3: 04 oo 0! 1-1 r •qotqa com coco 00 CO | oi-h 1 CO H i - 1 COt- co •pextjc | ™ M CO CO rt 1-1 ! : t-co o iH 04 04 i o> coco C! rHrH 04 OO: ::: -*«H 13 " - 1 CO 3 '3 oS ft CO Topi *X iocs 04 CO com CI in CB CO ox cot- moo 00 CO s * t- oco i-l OS 00 00 mm OS CO mo COO mco CO -*t- ot- coco -** OS COi-H cot- 1 04CO m"m" -f 5 o" — •jp'eia oo ofci" S3 04 in 8x= 00 00 t- 0113 moo cot- t- C0^ t-i-i 04-* X 04 occt COX *co t- 84 X 1 mx 59 * £-X cs CO no *x ooi coco CO CO t-o ss 0404 -* 13 CO COCO O04 0404 X c; CO * m-* Olt- coco o; COOS 04C0 i-Ti-H m — m 04 I 1- o OX t- co 01 OS CO lOH cot- ** m b- CO 35 rHX 00 * OCR 04i-l en C! t-OS CO o-iof in" 1-H-* *— 1 X3S 04 04 13 m t- m 04* mos t-t- COCO CO — m t-T r P 3 z p X 3 ft 3 3 3 1 ■a s CO o 1 CB ft 1 c E- oii csg 03 CO = Eh " X cd C5 | afi en o Eh os ' « Sis s c oS O EH &1 03 CD f3^c CD "3 ^> o Eh X a; ^ S'cS o X - = CD -- "3 185 | can t— t ;i icoo 83 NScf §N OH XI- >oo Ss as 00 t- COCO ss J'* CO tlH -# CfiOS ©o eo»o CD OS coco OK Hj> 03 a a CO ■TOOi 16, 976 17,307 CO §8 -*" CO 4,026 3,813 CS CO X i- CC m CIO cocs oo t- i 53 5 CO 4,813 5,0133 5 CO c: Olrt OS b- C0i- ■*•* ci — CS CO 30 — CO CO CO i m 3 of ■■spBia CRN t->a t-Tt-H 04 CO 01 US iraco co -*CS 1 CO CO 01 1 CO CCOl T-IOl so CCi- CO m CO t^o coco £|| ■ •pextj\[ ■SO ■*fc- coco OS —ICO ~t> o3< — i II com t-T | r-Tr-T 9 —1 co" coos b- m cs m COlO 1 01 ^|=0 1 HfCO -*co OICM ■ b-CO m m s o CC— 1 OSb- mco -. co' ■??iim 8JH -*■* 04 0*. CO CI CO o b-CO OS 04-^ -*" 0* 04 3 -c* COb- CO COO CI COO 1 CO Co"co' CM? 1 r ~ l com co CO c: m oso co-* o CO — 01 OS b- co 00 43 1 .2 CO S cS Eh CD Fh IB fl P 3 fa ■rooj, rHOS ^ 1 1 ! 1 1 rt i 1-1 1 01 • CM 1 ■qoBia : •paxipj i : -* 1-1 : 1-H 01 ; CM CO >h 5 s c3 ft CO TB»QX Ob- 8* b- 04 OHO b- ■*CO coco — — oico >a b-^H CO moi b- 1 •jfouia t-r-l CO 1— 1 CM ; CM i •pexipi US CO CO CM CM OICO «5 01 COi-H ^ ■e+JtLM coco coco IN CM CO >o —ICO m>04 b- OICO ia mr-H CO 01—1 CO l -p a x IOCS cot- CO— 1 OS r-irH •-r 00 CO CO coco MO oco -*co CO CO b- CMOS coco coco COb- m CO rH b-CO OCM COO -*m m CO ■X OS -*o cot- -*T+I m o: b-CO 01 1- r-iCO COCO m 01 | •3[OT3i a oto to 0! oj" CO CM mco i.O CC 0! COC3 nco CO CM Ol m CO COO OOl CO : 5 COrH cot- -* m co b-O coco -H-* o CO II •pexipi COO cocs -Sco coco" so b-r -HCO o^ CDiC CO coco ^*co com 01 CO 01 OS ^HCO -*co 01 Ol o 3 b-CO mm CO CO o mo CSb- mco m 111 OS ■a»RM. csco fc--* i-l CO 04 04 01 o; «5 -+ CM OO coco 01— < CM CM c. CO-* b- COCO r-l coos 1 CO 1 ecus esf b-CM CS CO^fl CO com 1 cs ■* ■* CO ■* CC OS co CO m b- CO ' O 1 x mco OSb- OCM ^*-* os I b- co II CO "i -i c _j 1 i 3 3 a, 3 3 3 5 8 I oj < at a 5 Eh "3 o 43 ' > ®i !h CS PQ a, a c, fa "3 o Eh Si "3 S3 o cr. 13 a fa c Eh CO .. CO cS o CO It a fa "3 o Eh IS 3 5 fa 3 o EH CO .. CB 43 "3 m o 3 a cs fa 7s 43 o e 187 b-b- -*•* UI-* mm -n OS CS g 222 3o4 COCO cs 8 to H<04 Om 04 00 HOI 04H to 5 h1 co 04 cab- in co b-b- CO 10 OS 00" ■* 7,538 8,206 3 b- m T— 1 b-00 COH OSO -*m H-* Hm b-rH tOb- 10 to CO CO co 04 r-lb- -*b- HO in 00 ?] 0004 coo 04 01 Iffl CO ■* 5O04 CO'* CO b- HOS H?04 to 04 110 00 00 HOS -*co CO co' 04 to Osb- -*in s Sol 04 O! 1 tH-* to to 04 04 in OlO §?s 10 -* in 04 0D00 H OO "J? H -*-* to to 1— ItH 0! CO COt- 04 04 b-tO CO m CO co" m-* 010 coos HH OS of -*oo -*o HH^ 0! lO in of OS 00 lOO into b- ■-£> iHrH to HH CO^tH 00 OS-* OSb- totO CO CO 04 to OH -*H< -*-* 00 b- CO coo fflO 04 CO CO 1- c in b-tO -*ID OOS 00 to CO ■0 CO H<04 04 to COCO rob- in 10 ■to X 04 0! OOl 05 Ol into" 3 oi coos HCO 04H O CO 00-* O-* to"to" X s? of HHC0 COH -*OS o'os" OS « 01 • in 04 b- OS lO ■* iH 1-1 i-t 1 H T-t 1 H 1 1 > 1 ! '• in 04 ti os in ■* H ^ 1-1 ! <■* ^ I H 35 -* O4 04 — IH CO •- 0! to to in 04 to 00 b-00 O in 0! in-* coo toco OS OS 1 lot- see 04 O H-* m 04 to in co X' X OSO mH CS •-O 1 1 -*0:> to CO 04 lO m co -*04 x to H-* H rH ! 7-1 ill 04 Ol C5 -* : O00 in torn 00 to in H Ob- b- '7-i 1-1 H j H rt : H C: OS OS OS 00 os to to in 02 to OS 04 OS-* "* -*co OH 1004 Q 04 b- -f to -*04 | HCO -* oto 10 CO to 00 000 lOH 00 •O m ! co 1 1-1 ^HH in OH 1 b- 000 1 00 H H -*co O CO CO ' ! CO -*in 04 04 OS ■* ^ ; '** 1-1 i 1-1 i i mto H i 04 04 ■* -*co O !h H 04 ! 04 -*H in b-OS OS to to to com crj 0! CO ; CO 04 CO 04 04 in ■* lOCO HO! -*co in in CO e too COH ON coco to OS O! O OOS 04 to Ob- HOS 04H ■* OS b- 9 -*-* coco -*co -*co" b-t- 00 00 5 OS 04 lOlO COh b-00 in m C0-* OOt-H OSO -*m b- cs O: CS coco IOh tOH tOb- l- co OSb- 04 CO 04 b- HO to to OS 04 1 COO 040 04 04 00 55 mo4 CO'* b- b- OOS oco -*04 OS CO 33 of inos inb- 000 -^co- CO OS b-T 04 OO b- -*in 0! s OH H04 04 04 CO O-* to to 04 04 -* ot in COCO 04 00 04H hJ COtO OlO 00 00 60 to -*-* to to 00 ot to OS COO IQ c o> 05 rn CO HOC b-00 00 OS m co' 01 t*0 coo HH< -* CO m of ost- lOO into to -jo H OH tD-* CO-* 00 CO-* OSb- totO 04 b- co r- It- 80 H coco -*-* 00 b- to CO 000 000 04 CO OS 00 m OSH CO 04 t-to O - -*04 Ht- b-m 00 b- m m 0! to mo -*00 b-H into m 04 OS -*to HOC OIH O O -H CO COCO COH O-* to to in -* OJ 1-1 coo 1 co oco CO COCO ! H 00s" H 04 "eS 03 ! 1 "3 ' CO 1 CO 'a? +s 1 1 s : ; en ; 1 ! i 3 : i p. ; : CD , ■ ro , ' "S '■ '£ "S *sj ! ! & : : 'cfl 1 83 ' "3 ' CO 1 a "eS ' CO ■ CP "3 co^ a o few ® ^^■^ pi EH q;) C§ o^g P ;s g ® eh S "5 ten ® 111 -3* COH OJ CD^pq 188 . 01 CO in icco co 1 ^r? ,_, COO SO ss X 1 CC 01 c I CSg c IS CO-*" i-i 1 oSSs CO ■^ - r--H CO | OCD «5 1 C! CH "t^^ox COCO CM COCO CO 1— 1 1 oot- cc ^5 CO cr. abf S8 1 -*co" t^ coo coco i 5 coco co 3 t- CD CO-* 3 t-QO coo ■ - OS Si c X 8£ 3 >> a •j[OB[g 1-1 CM CM Sco 1-1 1-1 CO CO CM i^"r-T CO Of CM iff l-C a 3°. s 38 :: t-CO CI S^o 3 r^Q I 5SS S w •p8XIJ£ 5 r-li-H CO T* coco CC r ^.°i iffiff o rt ■*"•* 00 iccTico s 1-1 ._ . -J D COlff CO 3 -*i-l Iff ? QOCC CO coos IS CO 00 s f-tt- 3 iff CO CO C-Sl c Iff-* o COlO ccco c5c- r-i "^R.M. -*0i ■- i no i co O!00 - -*-*< CC CO-* CO »ff iff c 5 CMCM iff t-V T* CM.-H -K CM CM 1 iff" 1 -*-* CC f-li-H 1 ; ; ! ; rH I rt CO— 1 -* CO 00 3 -*< I -* CO TBWL 1-1 ,H el _6C ■jioBia '3 CO CM »o 8 'P 9X TM +5 fe ! i-H ! _, COr-l ■* coo CC "* 1 ■* .2 '33 a c3 ■aWRM. - CO -* 11 CM CM« X -*00 SJ CO-* t- ! •sto-Bia C! COrl ■* CM CM ■* -*o elf ost- •^ t-CO o a CO •pexim t- CM co CO'* o i-IO ,_, oo OS uO>C o -ft- 1-i CMIO 00 CO CO -zimM. 1—1 c; oso COrH 1-Ht- c. 1-1 t- t- N ; R OtH 1—1 00 IS 2 1 Iff IT o 1C5-* cc iff cc CO CO 'I^^oj, . =#■* c: CO CM 1- LOt- s s S bo •^oBig -*co 1— 1 CO CM CD 1 o pexipi -*IOS fe t- t- CM ■ C-J 1 ir-00 lffl rHCM CO lff>ff s ■^IRAi 1 -*C0 CO t-o coco t- co 1-1 1-1 Pi !2 CM CO 1C CM^f CO CMOS _, KOt- i> -HCM CO io co CO OSO iO^ OS CM CO cc OC CO co 00 CO co»o r-i CM CO Ttnoj, rHO oo o CM 00 o coos co os CO iff 03 P3 COCO CN coco CO cot- so 1-t- US OiCM •-o" coco t-T r " rt ^f<^H cc -* coo ce CO 00 CO CO CM Ifl CMO CM CM CM "* iff CO CO coco cc t-cc -f "^ t-e t- t-CO OS o OS 02 •j[0t3ia 1-1 CM CM ■* U5CO rH coco o iff CC - 1 cs 03 rlrH CO CMCM Iff CM CM -* -*lff OS ooo oo t-t- ■ol t-lffl 01 00-* CM coo co -*CC Is t- CO - OSCM c> t-CD 3 CM-H -* Pi 02 ■pexipi est- CC t-CO ^n CM CO c ot- Iff Iff o ^ ^"th" I CO iffTiff o M t-i-C CO Oi-< 1 ~4 OS OS CO COO 10 CM iff t^ CM CD CO t-CM r COi-H ■* S3 CM— 1 s coo CO 33 OS ' 9 OTAV -*ff Iff" co CMCM* -* P += a - ■3 o O CD s 1 3 § o -^ -^ ' 3 s C3 § P. ' 3 ■£ 03 CD T3 ■§ CO cc CO DO CO X & c c CD <-i T U CD CD (D 5 o3 03 CO — — h 03 Ch —r^ 08 t- C8 ?3 £ * £ 03 -P cjSoS +s •" £ 03 £ 03 1 3 4 ■e |a O Eh S =« § E" 1 ?3oJ H ^Ss o 1 CD 5 CD c EH o En •» gsfe £%& «=SS -SSS s s -e a & Ei 1 s o3 cc o Eh (5 < 189 in cm ©co t-OO ©00 t- a: m eg 6,872 6,418 c — co" 3.907 3,841 X coco O ifC com cc'co CC' co" 4,377 4,213 cr CC 00 OJCO t-co coco rHrH lO C! 12,518 11,686 -- 8 Hi CM ©00 ©© in" in so CC 1 C0H1 CM© 1 1 eicM t- 'CM Hi" oo oo© fc-© © Hit- t- H-rH h< coco CO © t-eo cc 1 ©t- inco coco CC cc Hi 00 t-CO c> CO t-in IfC-HI in in 1 in© ©Hi CM© ■ o 1 Cl" t-t- t-CM © I- OH 00 Hi -*H< 0: Oi cm** 00 t- coll ©§S in| NS rH rHrH © •* oi ©t- COCO coco CO © CO COHI t-rH ©O r-Tecf N cc © co' ©in ION t-fc- ■Hi CO in co" rHrH 1 r eo com co ©£- in N» •n in-nT CO e t-© 0:0 CO 1 co"co" 1 CO CC ©03 coo ro© coccT t- 00 t-" tHO I Hi •Hit- y-i Hum ! t- CMCl | Hi" 1 coin \ r-t OCO 1- ICrH | CO CO"cO 1 CM 1 ^ 00 HI i CM CMrH HI CO CM 1 CO t-"N Hi" oco © in ©oo CMCM 9 CO m" OOO air^ 00 o © rH '• i — t II CO ; co rH i 1 1 CO CM 1 m CM COrH. H< i : ' ; ; 1 !| rHrH CM ; ; '• '• ^ : 1-1 IrH 7-1 1-1 | ^ * ; rt to ; CO 1-1 i ^ ! j CM CM -+ r-l • ^ 1-1 ! H t-00 00 rH 1 JO© I— in 00 CO HI coco rHrH ss OTfc- CO HlrH O-.HI rH ire S3 rHOO CO CM CS CC' rH 00 HI 01 t-in COrH rHrH 01 m 01 -*rH m COrH T* rH : r- 1 | H-H1 CO ©OO 01 ©t- COCM CO CO rH ! rH cooi m [cm 01 M : rH com 3 S - 01 CO© © 0! ©CO © t-HI CO-* CO eMt- 00 1-4 © © lOS- r-l 01 m cohi 0? H 8 ©rH COCO rH © rHrH CM t-t- t-CM COCO HI o t- CMOS HirH HI H< in in CC 32 00 fc- CO CO L-C ©HI CO CM CMCM ■* CO HI Ol" Cain coco coco o CO t-CO t-rH ©O tHCvf o CC CC co" CM© ION t-t- rHrH 07 0! in co" Oif) coco com in ^^ co" t-© COi-H CO H< CO~C0~ © ■CC' O t-" i-ICS m-H< CMCM © 8 in t-© ©H< toco 1 rH 00 03 moo coco t-~N OI iff IN 00 O© rHOO Iff'* fe- es — " oo in co© oo co'co" CO 8 co 1 ©© cot- ©co co'co" m 00 t-" in co CO CM cm"cm 5 CO hT t-co as co"co 3 0>" ooo CM© HirH nTnT 00 ■00 IfC Hi" t-1 CO© ©1* ©00 CMCM 01 ^^ CC us CM© cm in ©00 CO t- rH I co ! co ■ CD "3 CO 1 i • rt ' CD "3 ! co ' CD "3 " 1 CO cS i CD "3 ' CO i CD 1 K1 ' <0 "cS ■ CO n %li "e8 111 -a +a O P r^gfH rl cS PQ +a H ^ ro cS § l! rl C3 PQ o H •-11 o j g H 13 i o O Qr|a cSjScs as&H » S * CD * > u g a w T^O,! i-t- coc OCO coc Csc: •4 i «: X i 9 re c-.c. COCO X 1- - i o s t-o OO 1 OOt- -r cr c II §s CO CO ll — II CI cc ceo O CO CO IS c_ •jioBia t-O OO COt- t-"t-" CM us US -HO CO OCO CO cot- 1 i-l iHr-T CO COCO oco -*-* CM -f- CO 1-H ■*< >-0 -HCO -* 1 -*-* 1 CO l-Ol coco c o C! coco i- 01 'P 9X !W coo: MC CO i— 1 ocp OJOJ >5 CO O CO-* O COO CM t— CO 1 i—l co"-* oo ooo S3 i-H-H -* 8 C! COCO oco 1 COO co' o-.o CMCO =2 s IS 1-Hl-T 1 of ■Q%mjA -*co oco COO o"co" coo t- CO X co Nt- O oco CO t--HV 1 H HH CM CMIO i-HO uouo CM 1 H+ 15 OlO O 1 O CI O co'o oi TlICO oco o, 01 COOl COl- •— C! -*•* "3 o c x' PI 'cQ n o5 ID P .£? '5 o •IB^ox iOH vCDrH , — If— I-l x 161- a RH CO 1 •noBia hoi CO •pextpi OCO CO H04 CO : ■»;tqA\ CSfc- ■CO CO OlO us 151- 00 -* "SS CM CO " H 1-1 rt i-H ■^otay t-o -*-* COO o CO HO oco CM i-l 1 CO CO CO CM lO cs-<* CO OJi-H CO CO CM X 02 'O rH '8 P. CD inoi oco oco OH H» OS CO CD X co o~ CO •gicM cot- i—l rH CO 0! CO CO CO 1 CMCO U0U0 co'co" CM U3 O CO CM-* t-CO COX) £-t- CO CO t- o t-co O'C COO 1 CO OrH -*c t— -<* OO CO — 1 ■jioBia coo t-^t^ 1 o o o" o-* COO cot- rHrH ?o o CO COCO °3 CM -+ 00 O-* 5J9 X C3H coco t- CO C! COrH OH CMCO -* o CO ■paxijuj OO -* Nt- O coco 1 o us o" H CMCM US O0-* OS CO CO CM co"-* CM X r: £-" COCO O-* CO -* in cm" 1 HOI oco COO 8 1— CO coc CMOJ 01 o cr o-* OJC oc c — © cm" •eniqAl e» CO at ste o cm t— 1 a? co"o" co" tflifl 1— 1 -* t-co co w m CM J—CJ5 O-* HO usus CO UO i— ICO 1 OS coos o COCO 1 t- OO" pH 00 CO 1— IrH X Oc CM t-co j co , CMCO i-l -*H 1 CO -*"•*" CO o m g. 3 3 p» •6 1 J" & "S rS a " i 3 c Eh s S lj Eh SUSa ce a e 1 "c? +3 O Eh .. c a* c 1 1 - C E- O a P3»S cS D 1 c c E- o o M c 1 1 7 -i- c :- CO % a »i c8 H - 1 1 c E- 191 S3 as© CO-* CO 30 1 -*H oc -* 000 I oso UP OS OS coos i-ICO HO! IC-* X CO-* -*CO X t- 5^2 ©lO ©1©1 coco CO HO HOS COfr- CC Cf, C3-J 0305 H -* lOH H03 OS CO CO CO mo -*-* 10 1 coos HC8 1 -*CO 1 1 10 iH -*co -*o coco -* CD «H cofr- CO HO co osfr- CO CO - CO ost- COOS coos CO CO X OIO X)OS coco 10 coco 01 CO -*co H 0.' 1- £8 OH CO Q 55 oi -*co 1 fr- fr-as co oso 1 -*"io HCO coup 10-* 0303" 10 coco QH fr-fr- SO up coos OOfr- -HCO fr^w 10 CO 00 -+" co — fr- ©1-* 003 03*03" X CO 55 -* -*io OS H 00 OS CO-* 1 t- r^f^ | 01 COH Ofr- fr- CO co" fr-CO fr-l— 03 03 CO up >o HOS I CO OS-* -* -*»C 1 O -*"-* 1 os* coo OH HIM CO ■* -* oio ©3 01 03 up -*••* fr-CO 00 00 00s •*co CO 10 fr- =■ CO 0310 fr-lO co"co 03 0" fr-' CO-* 1 t- -*os co UPUP 1 H 1 - COnO 03 fr- ee 00 tHH CO OS CO co' IN j 03 - 1 I - ; * H 03 UP OI H fr- CO 03 CO T-lr-l 03 03H CO i ' > 1-1 ^ ' ! HM co lOH CO I 1 " 1 H ^ j " CM i 01 H rH 1-1 i w HCO 03 H -H CO •T 1 !1 rHr -' 01 03 fr- Cl« c. -t- HCO 7-1 '.CO co coco -*o ©3 ©3 OS lO HO O100 — fr- 00-* HH -*03 s 1 CO 03 -* 1 fr- ee -*os -*co HH co 1 X c> -- 1 H 1 ©3 00 lO CO OS t-CO fr-CD H COCO Ol O! 01 lO CO 01 io HCO J^ MN ■* COH HH 03 OS COM CO HCO -*OS OS CO ©> OCO CO o> COH H03 28 -*U0 iJ0»C OS O^H 0103 3 com CO H 3 jco CO 01 CD COCO 3? 03 oS OS-* u 03 03 COCO COH 1 — 1 1— rHrH 00 Ol OSH fr-fr- 1.0 coco HH OS 01 CO 1-1 NH fr- co CO OS-* 01 CO CO 03 CD COH C0O1 X H com OH CO Oi COH 03 CO fc- 10' CCH -* rH - rH 1-1 rH COCO HOJ OS CO OS-* CO CO OS 03 s J1H CO H j rH 1-1 ! H ^HlO H« OS CO fr-OS H03 CO ■* COCO -* 7-o 00 ■0 -* COCO Ofr- 00 -*"-* as 1- co IOCO ^kco tHi-" CO 00 01 coco HOJ -*co -* X Has -*o coco fr- -* CO oco 00 CO up up CO OS 00 OS 00 oco J- 88 co" -*fr- 0310 000s X t-rH COOS coco co| UPUP Hffl ^HCO t- is- OS 03 COCO Or-I i-TrH 1 ©3" 003 CO OS oso -*"lO 01 B p HCO QC ITS >n-* ©3©3" CO 00 fr-CO -* OH corn ©>o> t-*t-T ■* X us H CO OSH coo HC! -*" 10 10 OS »o CM-* ■0 fr- 03" OlO lOH COOS HH up CO fr- CO COO coco fr-fr- ©3 03 to co in 0-* coco co 10 -*-* CO CO COCO coo hS5 03 03 01 OS CO -* OS 03 OH XOCO 03 Ol ©1 CO -* H03 -*00 CO 03 osas" coco ©3 OS CO fr- HCO co"co" CO CO so" 1— ICO 031O lOlO t- p HCO -*o fr-CO -* ■* 10 co" S »c1 H S ^ra a EH ■• S « ■11^ S3§ ^ '""eg Ms aj • cs co cS 5 192 >> u a g co •l-B^OJj o fr- ee t- t--*> 00 cc r-i a t-O <- E -+ oi cr H-CO 1 co o- H*co O 2 t- HO OOO 01 Ol oo O CO •3[OT3ia COtH OSO SOt- - coco t-Ol coco c cr. to HO CO H- oo coco £ NCO So- o t- H 0JO CO-* 01 fr- o h" •paxipi 00 CO CMOS oo coco H cr. HO 00 00 r-TrH to CO si 01 c\f HO} t-o tot- CO r-T COOI o OH -H -*co 1 t- 7-^T^ 1 Ol -*o OSOJ CC'CS of of OS CO o" •94ttTAV OSO H"HH o 00 in co cohS -*-* CO CO fc- CO oo OOl OS to HIM us qa 1C lO to OS oo oo OJ0J o O' o »HO O -*to o OO 1 H 0}"cxf -* oo o t-55 cs t-oo ! o of of j o" O 05 ■3 la ft o s C o Q i S- 8 ■g s^ •Si ™ °8 c3 cr a 1 +■ c E- a o a a 1 C E- .. 3- .°,S o O as a 1 += c E- X a. 5 a "5 B "3 c Eh 03 1 a S CD H- c o ca cc _c, 1: s — .-; Eh 193 cooo t- ■* OS t-" 2,6ir 2,516 1 1(5 11 co'ccf ioio 1 fc- Ol 1 3? O coos OS© t-cc coco o CD CO* 00 IO ofcM 3 -*- S=3 t-os iram" 0! CO fc- t-OS CO CM -*co co'co CO OS t- oi" H lOH to CO CO" cmos 3 05 CO t-lO coco ia 0! i- r— C t — I ^CO COOS -*"-* 1 IS os CO So CO t- 01 "* CO §33 r-lrH CD O CO toco cot- CO s i-T OH coos oot- S cot- inin coco O H b- QQO o5co osos CO m 00 ■*H COCO rHl-H r-Tr-T >o oi ^*-* coo COCO odco" — Hi— 1 CO OS O! eg OCO coco CMCM g ■* io CMt- S3 OS OS coo CMOS fc-t- CO io co" t-t- iOh rHCO CMCM ~K t- ■* -* H^H 00 CO t-00 lO co" oco HCO 00 CO CMoT 9 so US HCM COO OO 88 © of t-o coo t-00 cooo OdOl fc- 00 ICC co" W 00 t- CMCO COH COCO 1 1Q CO OOO OCO lOlO 00 s CO CMOS OS 'JO CO-* coco CO 'CO CO 1 OH lOCM 1 -*CM COCO t- CO co" coo OS OS CO CO 1 > cot- o NH CO "* : 1 i i i -* 1 ■** ;C0 CO r-ICO ■* 1-1 : H CO CM CO II CO-* t- «*co H I s M -* 1 H OSH OSH HCM o 3 olio CMOS i-lrH t- 3S 1 oco t-o t-H CO t- co CM OH CM 1 OS CO CO-* uO CO 52 CMrH CO OCO -*^H CO CO COH 00 1- CS IO HCM S3 §523 IO CO oco OS © OJ "* i -* CMrH CO CM-* CO HCM co 00 IO CO COO IO-* CO OS COlO coio CO OS r-lrH CO CM COCO 01 IO CO 00 rH Hi— 1 OS 01 OS CM CO -*CO CMCM o HCO HH t- Oi -*^S CS CO CO its r-li— 1 CO .-lOO coo CS CM 00 COCO 0} £3 of COO COH 1— 1 CO os 2S3 rH 1C HO CO 8=° CO ?? coin CMCM CO COH t- m 1-1 : H HiO CJH CO t-CO cot- 3 CO —ICO ^*CM ■* CO 00-* OI t-lO -*CD Ol r-i COlO rH H Ol a- t- CM HCO -* CMC? CO CM 01 in COCO rH o? -*rH IO CMCM ■* t-H 00 o-* i-H ■* H COCO CO CD CM CM-* fc- t-CO O I"" 1 rH COt- rHCM 3 COCO CO CMH CO i 1-1 H OJ S3 rHrH o 3 00-* iHr-H CO -*oi CD rH-* IO OJ COH t- 00 CM o H oco cot- fc-t~ to e t-" OOS t-cO -*CO cmcm OS s -*" 33 cot- r-Tr-T ioio CS s co" o COlO in CO "*i> coco CO co r-llO OO CMCM CO 3 -* CM^JH OH 1O00 mio CO CO HH HCO -*CM coco" Ol OS CD CM 11 CM CO CO CS OS io" COO HCS CMH CO 9 oom -*co coco CO OO CO 00 OS OSt- cot- -*-*" t- fc- ■* os 00 fc- CD CM CO coco T— l<—H 'CO OS Ol coio -*co coco CO CO CM CO 1O00 00 t- O * CD H co-* CO CO 'CO t-OO COGS COCO coco 1 CO (MO CM r-'iH 1 CM r-Tr-T 1 CM 00 OS CM CO coos coco t- eo IO t-" CO -*t- 00-* in oo CMCM CO ■* IO CO'* t-os coco t- s cot- r-Tr-T 1 co" COO0 -*os HCM CMOcf 5 ^T oo m COH i-00 r-Tr-T CO IO in co" 1000 i-CO coco eioi co CO in OSH O OSCO CO oot- H OS COOS cc"t-T CMCM in CO 1 CO j in 1 CM CO CM-* r-trH coco IO CO O! 1 co" CDUO j—i OOOS CO ■*-* 1 OS r-Tr-T CM CD CM t-OS rHCO 'CO' CO IO CO com HOS -*rH COCO CD co" OO CO 00 coco o CO t- h" '• CO < CD ! CO i CD is i i a : ; » a i : ■+s , | S-. 1 , ce ■ ■ p. : : cd : ■ H. . . _ ' co SO | ■ j. ! ■ => ; i »< : *? ; ; ^ .. ' CD ' CO i CD ! co ■ CD ■ CD • CO iH a j-' a)""^ Oih ^ 1125- O _CD O o£ »IH CD clSfa 2h § Eh -13 ° m « cS c3 S c3 194 38 5 I 1 4 COt— C OQ i- IO-* C 3 coco 1 cj ^ rH o oi ?g S CO CO ^ r Clf i-H --R Ol C30C 1 ■s OO cs CO if) C! cot- 1 CO co co t- TB+OJL -*% h c o inio c 3" ^fco" t-T co'ocT coco ts- 0*0* I 10 t-a t-o ? " 5 CO-* 3 t-l- mic h e 3 H^C ? -* 38 ep J- B 1 O t-OT O >> •jfOBia i § S 8 3 C0- 3 COC( 5 1 CD S os; -Hjli * ' OS COCO l- !-H a ■*-r)T 00 ! a HlflH! -■ 1 t 5 cocc coc s it 3 COCO OS 3 S5 O 3 1H1-I CO co-W oc o*c 3 0* 3 -*< 113 O* t- OJOT if! PS 02 paxiitt R H C 3 OO 1 03* > c t-i— 1 MIIO 1H1— 1 CO CTS" 0? 3 O H O* 1-HrH 0* H*t- 1 -*i> A COIf) 00 OCD CC iat - O* -*o -* 1— It- - c 5 Oct > r t-co COCO COi- H CO COCO CO ■e^iq^V oc 5 C 3 COO 3 t 1—100* roo 3 CO roc? 5 51 3 iHt- i 3 0*0* -* OS OS 1—1 1-1 Hr H 0* -hit > C 5 CM I I I iHlfl i-l CO T— 1 t-u 3 0* 0* i 0* OS rH ■TOOi i- i-l l-H 01 -* ! -* rt ; rt .1 •^o^ia: j o ■1 ■ 1— i rH 1— ll- H 0* f— 1 r- 1 +3 •pexi-Rt -*Cf t- o* OCO CO 0*-i H CO PI O '53 a •egittM i-l cocc 5 * COO t- -#c s cooo CO Od 10-; ? CO occ CO i-tr- 3 -*W (X ) iH OS IO m R OS 05 'I^+Oi COCO rH COif a > ■ -* -* ^*t- ,_, 10 1- H CO Hr 0* rH •qoBia COi-H IO 1 i-H — e. [ COCC d I 0*^) CO -*-* 00 t-ct 3 if! COW CO 02 •psxipj; rHr- ) COCO 8 0*1- ■4 -* t-lf o ! t-CC IT ) coif co I Ot- !^ s§ S t- COO- CO •8?PIA ftl- Sf ) 0*i- T l-H roo CO t- ! -* l-H OS-H ) OS I OS l-H er, cc if eocc cr rH ,_, 010 1 10 00 If CO 01 O* •eaiq^. l-H *7 t--* OTTi CO 0*0C c -*o -+ coo- t- t-IO 3 coo- CD COCC 0* '53 © OSOC a -*cc -*cc c oscr - OS cot- os 0. l-H IO CO cow OS ■Moj, 00 cc t- cc O5 0C CO 1 t-o 00 -*lf O CO -*•* e If) If c cocc t- i~od If 0*0, in t- o*c CON tN coco i— ICO j_ oc t-o b- COi- ■* coc OS oc If row t~ COOT co K30 *- t-CO 10 CO '5tO'B[a "*-<* oc If) If! c CO ^ COCC 1 CD rH -*-* 00" 03 1 COlC COCO op -HC3 CO 0-* s COW COCC CO 0*05 CO MW s COt- ■* cot- t-co CO oil Pi 02 ■pextH oc 003 o IOi» 1COS 10 OSCT 1 CO t-liH IS COO* CC CO -*-* CO rH-H 0! sss? 1> 0*CO If -*o •* 1 OH l-H t-o- CO cooo "* ' at CD-* c CO 00 cooo -* QCO o*oq hi ICO] I '9+RAi OSO c COCO t- ■-HO 0* OO 04 CO CC cc 0*0* -* 1— li-H 00" CO 1— Tr— of - d -p a ■£3 el O O CD a ■ri ■ +j I s s 1 <3 & '8 J. 8 CO - _ cr a g5 "3 9 ffi rS CO CO '3 5y "ei *& & „r-H 3 +S "3 c3 "S 03 .. m^ .. S «3 +s> > <5 d3 -1 3 r< .. o3 CD +3 CD fl $ £ Hi s E-i > 195 13 coco m in co CO O CO o t-e* COCO OS OS CM cst- rccr •* -* OS CO GO © t- mcoincocococoo CO-HOSi— 1 CO-* CO CO cooi-iiocot-coo !-Tco~coin'co''os'co~i-H' '9;i^Ai ■moj, •itoBia 'P9 X IW •e^iq-M. •IB^OJ, •j[oi3ia •pexipi ■e^RAV ■m°& •Jio^ia ■pextj^ "QOT.M. •IB^Oi •jp'eia •paxipff ososoiinincoi— ios oin-*cococscocs OSt-OSOSOOCOCOCO i-Tco'cOi-wracros'cvf ion incoroco eo.eo-*t-oot-coco Mt--*tOO(CC(:N t- iH co i—i co in co O-Jl^t-t-COCO'* inrH t-TOTOiHi-l co i^oim COTOCOi-HTO TO-*-* CO-* ss= HOiHOOCOO-* oco^tooi— it- m-H coosmaot-cooco. i— ICO00-*©OSi— ICO t- co l— 1 1- -* o in in^H^csasiMaji— i QincMcoccmcoio SSiH MNS3N ^omt-HN^•lO INOseOCOi— ITOlO >t"*-*COONH IMt-i— li— ICOTOOSOS t-COOSOS^ticOQi— I ■-*— H CDinCOTO-* t-i— iininosc-jco-* OSi-H -*»CHCO toOH-*a-iooo COi-H lOTOt-t-O atDCNOOioio COCOQOCXi— -tli— 100 cooo«a3^*icscf os" inN incocoesi TO '8OTM in co co et co in i— i o — - : '. - TOCMinCSOSTOr-lt- I oi"cO , TOTO"odcO r "oOC 196 Table III. — Sex and race in 1897. Population. Percent- age. 448,619 442,201 573,096 241,895 75,829 0.504 .496 White.. .643 Mixed .272 Black .085 Table IV. —Penal population — Census of 1897. l Departments. Number of pris- oners. Departments. Number of pris- oners. 799 48 24 62 53" Guayama . 58 Total 1,101 1 Evidently the entire number of prisoners in all classes of prisons, including municipal jails. Table V. — Totals of population — Census of 1897. Total general population 890,820 Spanish military forces 7,014 Spanish naval forces 368 Prisoners ... 1,001 Total 899,203 Table VI. — Census of 1887 compared with census of 1897. — Race and sex. 1 MALES. Department. San Juan . Arecibo... Aguadilla. Ponce Mayaguez Guayama . Humacao . Viegues... Total White. 1897. 38,132 59,324 42,266 60,304 40,874 29,787 19,670 1,529 291,886 1887. 30,401 46,428 36,100 46,250 34,014 25.480 19,448 1,279 239,400 In- crease ( + ) or de- crease + 7,731 +12,896 + 6,166 +14,054 + 6, 860 + 4,307 + 222 + 250 +52,486 Mixed. 1897. 25,089 11,805 4,311 25,826 17,186 18,994 14,739 1,137 119,087 1887. 23,875 11,678 4,571 27,026 19,541 17,364 16, 176 1,073 121,304 In- crease (+)or de- crease. +1,214 + 127 — 260 —1,200 —2,355 +1,630 —1,437 + 64 -2,217 Black. 1897. 10,295 4,105 1,587 7,807 4,189 4,841 4,244 578 37, 646 1887. In- crease ( + )or de- crease 38,317 +667 +247 —325 + 39 —167 —343 —566 —223 -671 FEMALES. San Juan . Arecibo. . . Aguadilla Ponce Mayaguez Guayama . Humacao . Viegues... Total 35,440 28,717 + 6,723 26,820 26,074 + 746 10, 990 10,317 57,862 46,686 +11, 176 11,954 11,804 + 150 3,908 3,711 41,858 36,517 + 5,341 4,638 4,950 — 312 1,608 2,046 56,583 43,608 +12,975 26, 109 26, 789 — 680 7,705 7,870 39,884 33, 369 + 6,515 17,679 20, 156 —2,477 4,477 4,490 28,800 25,885 + 2,915 19,304 18, 049 +1,255 4,901 5,029 19,336 19,616 — 280 15,142 16, 493 -1,351 4,092 4,546 1,447 1,135 + 312 1,162 1,028 + 134 502 659 281,210 235,533 +45,677 122, 808 125,343 +2,535 38,183 38,668 +673 +197 —438 —165 — 13 —128 -454 —157 —485 1 There are wide discrepancies between reports of the results of the census of 1887. One authority gives the population at 806,711. In Table VI the returns by departments were cer- tified to the commissioner by the secretary of state, Senor Mufioz Rivera. His total is 798,565, which evidently does not include the Spanish military and naval forces and the prisoners. These aggregate 3,874, making the total 802,409. Another authority gives the figures 803,474. It is impossible to reconcile these differences, because there is no way of ascertaining the cause of them. 197 Table VI. — Census of 1887 compared with census of 1897. — Race and sex — Cont'd. SUMMARY. 1897. 1887. Increase. Decrease. Males: White -. 391, 886 119,087 37,646 239,400 121,304 38,317 52,486 3,217 Black 671 Total 448,619 399,031 49,598 Females: White 281,310 133,808 38,183 235,533 125,343 38,668 45,677 2,535 Black . . 485 Total 442,201 399,544 43,657 Aggregate : White .. 573,096 341,895 75,829 474,933 246,647 76, 985 98,163 4,752 Black --. 1,156 Total - - 890,820 798,565 93,255 Table VII. —Summary of population in 1765. Free. Slaves. Males Females.. . Children .. Total 10, 968 11,497 17,381 3,439 1,598 39,846 5,037 General total, 44,883. Table VIII. — Summary of popidation in 1775. Residents. Sons. Daugh- ters. Total. Men. Women. Whites 5,349 5,433 693 4,351 3,450 4,663 5,346 530 3,441 3,133 9,903 11,936 860 9,284 11,431 712 29, 199 34,146 2,795 7,792 6,572 19,376 17,103 22,699 31,437 80,504 198 INCREASE OF POPULATION FROM 1765 TO 1897. Between 1775 and 1877 no full tables of census returns are given. The following figures are, with two or three exceptions, those of Acosta, in his notes in Abbad's History : Table IX. Year. Popula- tion. 1765 44,883 80,504 81,120 87,994 91,845 93, 300 96,233 98,877 1775 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 Year. Popula- tion. 1788 101,398 103,051 106,679 112,712 115,557 120, 022 127,133 129,758 1789 1790 1791 1792 _ 1793 1794 1795 Year. 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 Popula- tion. 132,982 138,758 144,525 153,232 155,426 158,051 163, 192 174,902 Year. 1812 1815 1834 1846 1860 1877 1887 1897 Popula- tion. 183,014 220,892 358,836 443,139 583,308 731,648 802,409 890,820 Table X.— Population in 1834. Whites 188,869 Free, mixed 101,275 Free, blacks .. 25,124 Slaves 41,818 Troops and prisoners 1, 750 Total 358,836 Table XI. — Population in 1846. Males. Females. Total. Whites , 109,061 76,728 10,360 6,366 21,908 107,022 77,572 11, 131 6,674 16,317 216,083 154,300 21, 491 13,040 38,225 Total 224,423 218,716 443,139 Table XII. — Population in 1860. San Juan Bayamon Arecibo Aguadilla Mayaguez Ponce '.. Guayama Humacao Total Isle of Vieques General total Families. Souls. 3,387 18,259 13,051 77,781 13,916 80,427 12,558 70, 629 18,425 107,710 16,961 98,116 11,546 68,891 10,150 58,516 99, 994 580,329 530 2,979 100,524 583,308 BY RACE AND SEX. Males. Females. Total. Whites 154,350 120,397 21,668 146, 080 120,618 20,068 300,430 241,015 Slaves 41, 736 Total .... 296,415 286, 766 583, 181 127 General total 583, 308 199 Table XII. — Population in 1860— Continued. PERCENTAGE BY RACE AND- SEX. Whites: Per cent. Males -- - -- 5207 Females 5094 Free colored: Males 4061 Females - 4206 Slaves: Males. -'--- 0731 Females - 0699 BY NATIONALITY. National. Foreign Whites Free colored Total .. 298,704 280,821 579,525 1,726 1,930 3,656 BY AGE. Less than 1 year - 1M52 Between 1 year and 7 years - i??'^? Between 8 and 15 years , i' ?1 Between 16 and 20 years - .> 61 ' 6 io Between 21 and 25 years 57,69o Between 26 and 30 years 5/, 55b Between 31 and 40 years 6 Mof Between 41 and 50 years 35 'S?S Between 51 and 60 years 'ZIS Between 61 and 70 years .- ^'W£ Between 71 and 80 years ^'"If Between 81 and 85 years - 928 Between 86 and 90 years — 970 Between 91 and 95 years — - - 253 Between 96 and 100 years - ---- 218 100 years or more - "3 BY OCCUPATION. Free colored. Proprietors Farm peasants Merchants Manufacturers Industrial pursuits Ecclesiastics Active employments Pensioned officials and superannuated Active military duty, including trained militia Retired Professors 4,563 9,642 321 6 512 CIVIL STATE. Single. Married. Widow and widower. Whites: Males 112,555 98,871 92,167 89,359 21,272 19,756 37,155 36,756 24,599 24,218 338 256 4,600 Females 10,453 Free colored: Males 3,632 Females 7,040 Slaves: Males 57 Females 57 200 Table XII. — Population in 1860 — Continued. LITERACY. Literate. Illiterate. Whites: 27,009 17, 719 3,672 2,850 127,341 128,361 Free colored: 138,393 137, 836 Total - 51,250 531,931 .LITERACY IN PORTO RICO AND CUBA COMPARED. Literate. Illiterate. Cuba: 33.00 26.00 17.50 12.50 67.00 74.00 Porto Rico: Male - ..- 82.50 87.50 Table XIII. — Increase of population by race, 1765-1897. Year. Whites. Increase. Free colored. Increase. Slaves. Increase. 1765.... 5,037 6,572 41,818 51,216 41,736 1775 29, 199 188,867 216,083 300,430 474,933 573,096 36, 941 126,399 175, 791 241,015 323,632 317,724 1834 159,668 27,216 84,347 174,503 98,163 89, 458 49,392 65,224 82,617 !5,908 35.246 1846 9,398 1860 19,480 1887 1897 1 Decrease. GEOGRAPHICAL. San Juan, P. R., November 2, 1898. Mr. Andres Crosas, an American citizen, many years in business in Puerto Rico: The area of the island of Puerto Rico has been represented as 3,865 square miles, and in a new geography it is given as 3,500 square miles. The fact is there has never been an accurate survey, and the true area lies probably between those figures. There was a triangular survey of the. island made by the engineer staff officers of the Spanish army, but the Spaniards took that survey away with them. That survey cost the island a great deal. I do not know how much. 201 RIVERS AND BROOKS. [Those in braces are known by the first name, the other names being of branches or feed ers; italics indicate different names for the same river; Q. means quebrada, or brook; R. means rio, or river.] Q. Fajardo. Q. Juan Martin. R. Pita j alia. R. Sabana. R. Mameyes. R. Grande. R. Espiritu Santo R. Herrera. R. Canovanas. R. Grande de Loiza. R. Canas. NORTH COAST FROM EAST TO WEST. R. Bairoa. R. Cagnitas. }■ R. Quebradillas. I R. Turabo. R. Valencia. R. Gurabo. Q. Baden. { Q. Grande. J Q. Juan Mendez. R. Piedras. R. Puerto Nuevo. Q. Margarita. R. Bayamon. ) R. Hondo. > R. de la Plata. R. Usabon. R. Guayabate. J R. ChicodeCarite [ R. R. R. IB. |R. IB. R. Carite. R. Hondo. R. Ciburco. { R. Morovis. ) R. Manati. ) R. Cialitos. \ Q JQ- R. R. Q. Q. Arecibo. Tanama. Criminales. {_ de los Angeles, f Alonso. Limones. Seca. Beblaca. de Camuy. Guajataca. de los Cerdos. Seco. WEST COAST FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. R. Culebrinas. ) R. Nador. J R. Grande. Q. de Liana. Q. de la Altura. Q. Cagnat. Q. Machucal. Q. Adolfo. Q. Gonzalez. R. Susua. } Q. Rosas. ) R. Yauco. R. Guayanilla. R. Macana. R. Tallaboa, Q. del Agua. R. de Anasco. 1 R. de Prieto. I R. de Blanco. [ R. Guabas. J R. de Mayaguez. R. Guanajibo. 1 R. Grande. \ R. Viejo. R. Maguas. ' R. Cain. f SOUTH COAST FROM WEST TO EAST. R. Canas. R. Portugues. R. Bucana. R. Inabon. R. Jacaguas. R. Canas. R. Descalabrado. R. de Coama. R. Jueyes. R. Salinas. "] R. R. R. R. Q. Q- Q. R. R. Q. Lapa. I Majada. f Jajonie. J Seco. AgiTas Verdes. Cimarrona. Pozo Hondo. Guamani. Pianos Creaux. R. Rosario. R. Buey. R. Chico. Q. Dumas. Q. Ortiz. Q. Palencia. R. de Arroyo. R. Maria. R. de Patillas. R. Maton. R. del Real. R. Chico. Q. del Bajo. R. Jacaboa. Q. Manglillo. EAST COAST FROM SOUTH TO NORTH. R. de Maunabo Q. Honda. R. Guayanes. R. de Ingenio. R. Limones. R. Candelero. R. de Humacao. R. Anton Ruiz. ) Q. Mambille. ) R. de Naguabo. R. Santiago. Q. Bolijas. Q. Palma. R. Daguao. Q. Salada. R. Aguas Claras. R. Ceiba. Q. Damajagua. Q. Vueltas. R. de Fajardo. San Juan. Aguadilla. Guanica. HARBORS AND ROADSTEADS. NORTH COAST. WEST COAST. Mayaguez. SOUTH .COAST. Ponce. Arecibo. Cabo-rojo. Jobos. Humacao. EAST COAST. Fajardo. Isabel Segunda, Island of Vieques. 202 ISLANDS. [Cayo means key, small island.] EAST COAST. Vieques. Culebra. Culebrita. Caballo Blanco. Cayo Santiago. Cayo Southwest. Puerca. Cayo Northeast. Hicacos. Palominos. Pinero. Arcifes de la Cor- Cabras. dillera. Aldodon. SOUTH COAST. La Alcarraza. Piragua del Este, Cucharas. Descubridor. Cordona. Caja de Muertos. Cano Gardo. Ratones. WEST COAST. C. de Berberia. Mona. Monita. NORTH COAST. Cabras. San Juan CAVES. Desecheo. El Consejo (Council Cave), near Arecibo. Oscura, Clara, Ermita, in Aguas Buenas. Cave of the Dead, Utuado, so called because of human bones found therein. Cueva de Pagita, in Callejones, Lares. Cave at G-uayabal, in Juana Diaz. Indian Cavern, in Loiza. Swallow Cave, in Manati. Guataca, in San Sebastian. Enea, in San Sebastian. MOUNTAIN PEAKS. El Yunque, between districts of Naguabo and Rio Grande, ab6ut 5,000 feet. Torrecilla, near town of Barranquitas, 3,664 feet. Mata Platano, northern part of district of Penuelas, 3,030 feet. Toita, in district of Cayey, 2,856 feet. Guilarte, in district of Adjuntas, 2,660 feet. Cerro Gorda, in district of Sabana Grande, 2,233 feet. BATHS OR SPRINGS. Baiios de Coamo, mineral, medical, hot. Quintana, near Ponce, sulphur baths. San Sebastian, warm springs, mineral. San Lorenzo, mineral springs. Caguitas, in Aguas Buenas, hot springs. Rayo, Rincon. THE CLIMATE. By Prof. Mark W. Harrington, Director of the U. S. Weather Bureau. The published observations of Porto Rico are very scanty, con- sisting of a total of about nine years at San Juan only, and these are fragmentary, being scattered through twenty years. They show a true tropical climate, with a high mean temperature (78.9° F.) and very little difference in season, except in rainfall. The coldest month on the average is February (75.7°), and the hottest June (81.5°), but December to March are very much alike in temperature, and so are the months from June to September. The very coldest month on rec- ord is January, 1895 (70°), and the very warmest is June, 1878 (86°). 203 The average change from the coldest to the hottest is only 6 degrees, but this is verj?- appreciable to one who has lived long in the Tropics. The cool months really seem to the natives to be decidedly cold, requiring additional covering on the bed and heavier clothing. The coldest temperature on record in San Juan is 57.2°, on a day in January, 1894. The very hottest on record is 100.8°, on a day in May, 1878. The absolute range of temperature observed is therefore between 43° and 44°. The former temperature is far above frost, but would seem to the natives very cold and would check the growth of tropical plants. The latter would seem very hot, for the air of San Juan is very moist and the evaporation of perspiration is slow. The comfort of San Juan as a place of residence, not to mention its healthfulness, is very much increased by the "briza," which is not given in the published reports. It is the northeast trade which has been turned toward the west, until the "briza" comes quite regularly from the east. It is not felt much during the day, but springs up late in the afternoon and lasts through the evening. It is a soft, gentle breeze, laving the body, and giving an effect which is most fresh and delightful. It has a regularity approaching that of the sun, and Santurce and Catano, two suburbs of the capital, get it both more strongly and through a larger part of the twenty-four hours. At Catano it may be felt until the middle of the forenoon, and begins again in mid-afternoon. At Santurce it makes the nights positively cool. The year at San Juan is divided into the dry season and the wet sea- son; but the dry season has about as much rainfall as the Northeastern States, and the wet season more than twice as much. The dry season embraces the months from December to March, with a rainfall of 10 or 11 inches. It is the most attractive season of the year, relatively dry and cool. It is the proper season for the visits of Northerners to San Juan; and winter residents would find its climate very gentle, mild, and safe. The wet season embraces the other eight months in the year, and has a rainfall of 48 to 49 inches, or more than the whole of the year for the most of the United States. The total rainfall at San Juan is nearly 60 inches, and the culmination is in November, when an average of nearly 8 inches falls. The rainfall is not excessive. It is equaled in many places in the Southern States and in the northern part of the Pacific coast, and is sur- passed in many places. It is less significant from the ease with which the rain comes down. There are few threatenings of storms for days beforehand. There is little wind and little lightning. Rainy days are rare, but rainy afternoons or evenings — for an hour or two — common. The rain begins suddenly, falls heavily, and ends soon. There is no impression of a rainy climate, except that everything seems constantly fresh and clean. The healthfulness of San Juan is the greatest of any city in the West Indies. Yellow fever is never at home here, and when imported it rarely, if ever, spreads. Malarial fevers are very rare in the city and some cases of dysentery and typhoid occur. The little city has no waterworks in a condition to be used, but stands on a coral island which rises to a summit of 100 feet or more and is only 3 miles long by half a mile broad and with few open sewers, and between the city authorities and the heavy rainfalls it is kept quite clean. The great climatic misfortune of San Juan is the hurricane which occasionally visits it in the latter part of the rainy season (from August to October). It comes on very much as general storms do in 204 the North, with lowering sky, rising winds, and general threats of an impending storm ; but it comes from the east, while our storms generally are from the west. It is much more intense than our storms, but is very much rarer. Its usual earliest sign is a booming sea without apparent cause, for waves propagate themselves faster than wind travels. Hurricanes are rare in San Juan. The last occurred in 1876. They usually pass to the south or to the north of Porto Rico. The climate of the rest of the island is much like that of San Juan, with modifications due to elevation above the sea and to changes in the "briza," due to the topography. The change of the temperature with elevation is relatively rapid here, being apparently about 4° of temperature to every thousand feet. Now, Mount Yunque, at the northeastern part of the island, is, according to the chief of the department of engineers of the island, about 6,000 feet high, and its summit would have a mean temperature as low as that of many places in the States. Besides elevations of 2,000 feet are not unusual for towns — snow apparently never falls on the island, but hoarfrosts are reported as occasional in high places. Several towns of some size in the interior have a popular reputation as being cold — Cayey, Adjuntas, and Utuado. That black frosts do not occur, however, is evident from the fact that the banana grows freely up to at least 2,000 feet, and it is very sensitive to frost. There appear to be three mountain ridges running from end to end in the island, but the central is the commanding one, and the eleva- tions are, on the whole, highest toward the eastern end, and espe- cially at the northeastern angle. The result is that the " briza" most wets and refreshes the eastern end of the island and the rainfall changes greatly from point to point. Judging by Jamaica, of which the climate has been carefully studied, the heaviest rainfall is in the northeast, and it may here in places amount to 100 inches annually or more. In Jamaica it is known to surpass 200 inches in some places, and El Yunque, as seen from San Juan, is very generally capped by rain cloud. The interior valleys of the island are relatively dry, while the northern and eastern mountain slopes are wet. A few pro- tected places are reported as so dry that rain may not fall for an entire year or more, but these spots must be small. The general appearance of the island is most attractive and vernal. The vegetation is luxuriant and clothes the mountains to their very summits. Very little bare rock is seen anywhere. The island is one of the best watered in the world. It is said to have 1,200 streams with names, of which 71 can be called rivers, and 5 or 6 are of con- siderable size. In crossing the island from Ponce to San Juan on the military road .one crosses over 50 bridges, besides fording several streams at the southern end. Water power is extremely abundant and could provide power for a large part of the work required in the island. It suffers, however, the marked disadvantage that the streams are subject to sudden and severe floods. Two or three weeks ago the Coamo River rose 15 or 20 feet and fell again in one night. Its highest point was marked by the limbs of trees and other vegetation which it had plastered against the arches of a high bridge. A heavy afternoon rain in the mountains about its source had caused the sud- den rise. Weather Bureau Station, San Juan, P. R. , November 3, 1898. 205 HURRICANES IN THE ISLAND. According to history the nineteenth century has seen more destruc- tive hurricanes than any previous century since Spanish occupation of the island. The following list is given in Acosta's Notes to Fray Inigo Abbad's History of Puerto Rico : July. 1515. October 4, 1526. July 26, 1530. SIXTEENTH CENTURY. August 23 and 31, 1530. July and August, 1537. September 21, 1575. -, 1740. SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. September 12, 1615. EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. August 28, 1772. NINETEENTH CENTURY. September 4, 1804. August 2, 1837. July 23, 1813. August 18, 1851. July 23, 1814. October 29, 1867. September 21, 1819. August 14, 1886. July 26, 1825. August 8, 1899. Of these twenty-two hurricanes, the record of which has been pre- served, ten have taken place during the present century. Eight occurred in the month of August, six in July, four in September, and one in October. Of all the hurricanes, that of 1772 seems to have been the most severe. SUMMARY FOR TWELVE MONTHS. Month. November. 1898 December, 1898. January, 1899... February, 1899 . March, 1899 April, 1899 May, 1899 June, 1899.. July, 1899 August, 1899 September, 1899 October, 1899... Highest Lowest tempera- Date. tempera- Date. Mean. ture. ture. 88 1 65 9 77.2 85 12 66 118 75.9 82 28 66 19 74.6 85 8 66 2 20 75.2 82 3 5 66 8 74.7 90 21 66 4 76.6 89 "3 68 1 79 91 22 71 6 79.4 87 2 70 6 4 80 88 29 71 20 80 91 11 71 30 81 89 10 68 1 80 Greatest daily range. Month. Least daily range. Cloudy days. Partly cloudy days. Clear days. Rain. o Inches. 7 6 2 64 612 12.08 8 8 9 9 22 22 5.34 2.92 8 10 9 9 19 21 .80 2.29 1 8 2 8 20 6.09 10 2 18 11 2.59 9 6 17 7 7.23 7 4 16 11 7.53 7 5 12 14 10.38 7 6 11 13 13.66 7 13 12 6 10.21 Maximum velocity of ■wind- November, 1898 December, 1898. January, 1899... February, 1899 . March, 1899 April, 1899 May, 1899.. June, 1899 July, 1899 August, 1899 September, 1899 October, 1899... 20 21 24 19 24 19 r 66 31 38 1 Also, 19, 22. 2 Also, 28. 3 Also, 7, 19, 20, 29, 30. 4 Also 4, 22, 27. 6 Also, 8, 27, 28. 6 Beginning November IS 7 Eighth, east. 206 PUBLIC HEALTH AND SANITATION. THE CHIEF DISEASES. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] San Juan, P. R., October 28, 1898. Jose C. Barbosa, M. D. : Dr. Barbosa. I am a physician, having graduated at Ann Arbor, Mich., in the class of 1880. Dr. Carroll. I desire to ask you a few questions bearing on your work as a physician. What are the chief diseases here? Dr. Barbosa. Malaria is the principal disease. It is found here in all its different forms. There is also much tuberculosis, owing to the condition in which the people live here. We have here sometimes 50 or. 60 persons living in quarters where there is hardly sufficient space for 10 or 12. The poor live in the lower part of the house and the wealthier classes upstairs. The lower part of the houses is frequently damp and altogether unhealthful. Dr. Carroll. What about smallpox? Dr. Barbosa. We have a case of smallpox now and then, but it is sporadic. We have no epidemics of that kind. In 1880 we had some cases, and again in 1893, but it was not so dangerous as in former years. We have paid a great deal of attention to precautionary measures against it. We have given special attention to vaccination. Dr. Carroll. Is there not a great mortality here among children? Dr. Barbosa. Yes. The poor people here have too many children to sustain; they have not the means to provide their children proper nourishment. Milk costs here a great deal, because of the consump- tion tax, and is usually stale. Then the crowded way in which the poor live and the damp places where they have to live are conducive to disease among the children and adults as well. The principal dis- eases among the children are bowel diseases, which reduce them to a condition of weakness from which they are unable to build up their strength again, owing to lack of proper nourishment and suitable con- ditions. There is also a great deal of tetanus among the children owing to the careless way in which the cord is cut at birth — seldom by a physician in the case of poor children ; usually an old neighbor is called in and she will cut the cord with a pair of scissors. This care- lessness, together with the climate, which is favorable to the develop- ment of tetanus, produces the disease in many cases. Dr. Carroll. Do the people suffer often from sunstroke? Dr. Barbosa. Very seldom. We usually have a good breeze, which greatly modifies the temperature. NEED OF MEDICAL AID FOR THE POOR. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Utuado, P. R., January 16, 1899. Mr. Gonzales Cordova (physician). I will take advantage of this opportunity to say a few words in behalf of my country with regard to questions concerning my profession. I consider Porto Rico the most enemic country in the world. We are almost without charitable institutions; so much so, that among a people of 1,000,000 inhabitants we only have one hospital worthy of the name. That is at Ponce. We are continually seeing people in the country die for want of med- 207 ical assistance. I think that is a matter of the ntniost importance. This lack of hospitals should be attended to at once. As there are judicial districts, so there should be formed hospital districts. If every town is not able to sustain a hospital, several towns can unite and among them be able to do so. It is impossible to educate a people unless you can first attend to their health. I make these suggestions because I recognize the good intentions of the great country which to-day protects us and which is striving to do everything for our good. INSANE COMMITTED TO JAIL. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Cabo Rojo, P. R., January 27, 1899. Dr. Carroll. How many prisoners have you in the municipal jail? Mr. Ortiz. One madman there only. We send our prisoners to San German. We only detain prisoners in our jail one day. Dr. Carroll. Have you no other places for an insane person? Mr. Ortiz. No ; not even a prison. It is only a detention place. A LABORATORY NEEDED. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Humacao, P. R., February 1, 1899. Dr. Pablo Font, a physician of Humacao, and Mr. Joaquin Mas- ferrer, mayor of the city : Dr. Carroll. I am told that the health of Humacao is very good. Dr. Font. It is good. Dr. Carroll. It is a poor place, then, perhaps, for doctors to get rich? Dr. Font. Yes; decidedly so. Dr. Carroll. What are the prevailing diseases here? Dr. Font. Principally malarial fever in various forms. We have also typhoid, but it is rare; it is never epidemic, and yellow fever is almost unknown here. We have at present two smallpox cases, brought in here from Ponce. We- quarantine such cases out on the limits of the city. We also have a quarantine place for yellow fever. Dr. Carroll. Are there many cases of pulmonary diseases? Dr. Font. Owing to the weather of the winter months we have an epidemic of grip here. Two or three hundred people are suffering from that now. There is also very much rheumatism in the town. Dr. Carroll. What is rheumatism here due to — to dampness on account of rain or to undue exposure? Dr. Font. It is due to dampness. The poor people are more sub- ject to it, because they haven't sufficient covering to keep themselves warm. Dr. Carroll. What is the condition of the hospital? Dr. Font. The hospital is in good condition — at least, in proportion to the size of the town. It requires to be enlarged a little, but we haven't the money to do it. I desire to suggest to you the necessity of establishing a bacteriological laboratory, which might be either in the capital or other large city of the island. It is an absolute necessity. 208 Dr. Carroll. What special argument would you advance for hav- ing a bacteriological laboratory in the island? What would be its chief uses? Dr. Font. I give as one reason that there are a great many cases of hydrophobia in the island, and we have to take them to Havana. The same is true of croup and diphtheria. If we had such an estab- lishment in San Juan, we could take patients there. Poor people can not go to Havana. Dr. Carroll. Would the cost of maintaining such a laboratory be large? Dr. Font. During the Spanish domination there was some talk of establishing such an institution in Mayaguez, and all the municipali- ties were to contribute a proportionate amount for that purpose, but when the war came on the project fell to the ground. Some money was, in fact, contributed. Dr. Carroll. Where did the money go? Dr. Font. History telleth not. DISEASES IN THE INTERIOR. [Hearing before the United States Commissioner.] Caguas, P. R., February 7, 1899. Dr. Carroll. What are the prevailing diseases here? Dr. Jimenez Cruz. Paludic fevers and typhoid fever, the latter not in an epidemic form. Yellow fever, smallpox, and measles are only of rare occurrence and are brought here from outside. There is a disease getting more common here every year and which will merit the attention of the Government. It is malignant pustule, which is causrht from cattle. [HeariDg before the United States Commissioner.] Ponce, P. R., March 4, 1899. Dr. Vidal. It will be necessary to have energetic health measures introduced here. The country is suffering very much for want of health regulations. For the last two months there has been an immense mortality in the island on account of smallpox and for want of vaccination. Dr. Carroll. That is being altered now. Dr. Vidal. By the time the remedy is applied a large number of people will have died. It would have been easy to remedy it before- hand. It is necessary to Americanize everything, beginning with the ayuntamiento at Ponce. There are five councilors who have been in council for ten years who have come to regard it as a business. Another terrible evil here is the evil of venereal diseases. I am doc- toring a large number of American soldiers for that. We have a sys- tem of vigilance, but it is not sufficient. If you want to see the state of abandonment and distress in which things are here, go to the emer- gency hospital in the alcaldia and take an American doctor with you. There is not a needle or anything else to attend to wounded persons. The poor man who goes there wounded is murdered for want of proper treatment. I was the titular doctor here and left the position because I thought it was beneath me as a doctor to treat people as I had to treat them with the small means afforded. 209 SANITARY CONDITION OF THE CITIES. STATEMENT OF DR. AZEL AMES, MAJOR AND BRIGADE SURGEON, U. S. VOLUNTEERS. Ponce, P. P., March 20, 1899. The sanitary or rather unsanitary conditions of Porto Rico have been too well known, especially by Army and other visitors of the island in the last few months, to need any extended comment. That every disease of a zymotic character — that is, diseases originating in filth — was widely prevalent — in fact, omnipresent — goes almost without say- ing. Perhaps no more general filth conditions among a people living so nearly an outdoor life, and yet so densely packed in a small area, was ever known, and these conditions, "both as an ever-increasing menace to themselves and recently to the lives and health of the new pos- sessors and their representatives, have assumed the utmost impor- tance. While it has been denied that typhoid fever prevailed to any extent in the island before the advent of the United States troops, such a claim can not be made good, though it is beyond dispute that the volume of the disease was immensely increased by the arrivals from camps Alger, Chickamauga, etc. The prevalence of malaria, on the other hand, has not proved as extensive as was probably gen- erally expected by medical officers of the Army. In fact, the whole ring of most prevalent diseases except, probably, rheumatism is chiefly that due to evil hygienic conditions. Syphilis and associated venereal diseases, long the curse of the Tropics and certainly extremely so in Porto Rico, were undoubtedly increased by the influx of the Amer- ican Army; and while the disease has perhaps become more attenuated, still it is widely prevalent and possesses no small degree of virulence. To this assemblage of conditions it became the paramount duty of the medical intelligence of Americans as represented especially by the Medical Corps of the Army, to address itself, and with great vigor, skill, and energy. That it has done so may best be known from the results which have followed. Mayaguez, the chief city of the western end of the island and the earliest one, except Ponce, of the principal cities occupied by the United States forces, was the first to receive any considerable measure of attention in the direction of public hygiene. Under the sanitary supervision of Major Ames, at that time sanitary inspector, the effort was made to rehabilitate its health conditions, and Dr. Hermanez Nuessa, a very able young Porto Rican physician, educated in the United States, was created its health officer, and to-day Mayaguez presents an almost altogether unobjectionable appearance to the vis- iting stranger. Its water supply is excellent, requiring only proper filtration to make it acceptable. Its streets are clean, its market houses the same, and a general air of cleanliness and fineness, thrift, and modern prosperity is evident. The city council has voted a con- siderable appropriation, pursuant to the suggestion of Major Ames, for the improvement of its waterworks in the direction indicated, and a comprehensive system of sewerage is a probability of the near future. Aguadilla, at the extreme western end of the island, at the time of its occupation by the United States troops in October last, it being the delivery point of the Spanish prisoners at the close of negotiations, was the representative town of its size in the matters of filth and an evil hygiene, but under the exceptionably able administration of Major Mansfield, Eleventh United States Infantry, who has held nearly every 1125 14 210 official relation to it possible, it has become a model town in the island, the "United States post there being one of the most beautiful to be found in the Antilles. It lacks an adequate water supply and drainage, which, with the wealth and energy displayed by its people, are sure to receive early attention. Ponce, the largest city and chief commercial port of the southern coast of the island, including its port or play a, situated on a bay 2 miles or more from the town, has the merit of an admirable water supply and of fairly conditioned streets. Its public buildings, city hall, jail, market houses, abattoir, etc., are of wretched description, and require to be demolished and replaced. It is probable that all this will be of speedy occurrence. Its low location and the extensive watershed sur- rounding it make it especially desirable, in fact essential, that its sewerage should be a matter of very early consideration. There are five tentative propositions looking toward this under consideration, but there is need of a comprehensive board of water supply and drainage for the island, composed of competent engineers and experi- enced men to determine this with other similar questions. While the conditions of life of the lower classes are far superior to those of San Juan, the capital, the low-lying character of the city's site and perhaps other causes may account for the unduly large mortality which attends its sick list. The city is now kept in a cleanly condition and with adequate sewerage and a continuance of the excellent regulations recently established can not fail to become in a few years as well con- ditioned as it is beautiful. A vast gain has been made since the occu- pation by the troops in every material condition, but the poor character of the public buildings and the want of proper drainage have .been insuperable barriers to a progress otherwise possible on hygienic lines. Guayama, an old town built upon the popular lines of the Moorish- Spanish character, is by situation a healthful town, but lacked, on the advent of the American forces, nearly every sanitary requirement. Under the administration of United States medical and military offi- cers its condition has been greatly improved and is now likely to receive still more careful attention in the presence there of old and experienced officers of reputation for energy, and has already taken ©n features of cleanliness and improvement not hitherto possessed. San Juan, the capital, perhaps the dirtiest and vilest city in the island, presented so many difficult problems to the sanitarian on its occupation by the United States forces as to be well-nigh paralyzing. It was then without water supply, without any but the most superfi- cial attempts at drainage, with a population more densely huddled together under utterly unsanitary conditions than any other similar population in the United States domain. Narrow in construction, contracted in its limits, and under particularly bad conditions as to diseases prevalent, San Juan was apparently as hopeless a proposition to the health officers as could well be imagined. The first difficulty was that of the densely crowded mass of human beings occupying, in families of astonishing size, the ground-floor rooms of the contiguous dwellings. Their condition may be better imagined than described; in fact, there are no words equal to the task of telling it. Yet, in the few months of American occupancy, water from the works in process of construction by the Spaniards for several years has been brought into the city. Its fire department has been reorganized and made considerably more efficient; the health administration intrusted to a board created by the general commanding, at the head of which is Capt. L. P. Davidson, Fifth United States Infantry, ably assisted by 211 Dr. Glennan, assistant, United States Marine-Hospital Service, a native physician, and two members of the municipal council, which board is accomplishing a tremendous work in the cleansing of the city, in house-to-house inspection, the abatement of intolerable nuisances and the regulation of sanitary conditions, the prevention and control of diseases, quarantine regulations, the removal of domestic waste and excreta, and various other kinds of hj^gienic work of the utmost importance. Captain Davidson, recognizing the magnitude of the work committed to him, promptly ordered from Boston, New York, and other cities of the United States the most perfect appliances for the removal of garbage, excreta, etc., and has installed them in an efficient and well-regulated service. The outbreak of smallpox which has visited the city has been placed under adequate control and with the march of vaccination will be speedily eliminated. The question of the control of the dense, ill-starred population massed together in the tenements of the lower stories in San Juan is one that might well appall the most sagacious and experienced sani- tarian. Without an adequate water supply uritil now, without sewer- age accommodations, public wash houses, or baths, and with only the poorest provision for the preparation of food, it has seemed almost hopeless to accomplish any material change in the situation of this great population. But already, under the stimulus of Captain David- son and his associates, endeavors are being mooted, partly by philan- thropic aid from the United States, to occupy certain lands of the Government at San Geronimo and build there industrial dwellings for this class, which can be given to the poorer classes at present rentals, to which it is believed that 5,000 or more of the poorest peoj)le could be successfully removed and there be controlled in hygi- enic matters. It is a bold and great undertaking, as yet in embryo, but that it will develop into something adequate there seems little room to doubt. The health of the United States troops, since they have been so reduced in number as to make it possible adequately to house and care for them, especially since the advent of fine winter weather, has marvelously improved, and sickness is now at the minimum and below the figures for equal numbers at the majority of posts in the United States. The people and the soldiers are alreadj^ accustomed to each other, and the friction which has sometimes to a limited extent and in a mild degree existed is rapidly being reduced to the minimum, having been always much exaggerated. Under the more careful handling of the men and the better regulation of the citizens, brawls, licentiousness, and petty crimes are steadily decreasing and the level of public health is proportionately rising. That so much should have been accomplished under shifting conditions and under conditions involving haste and waste, poor regulations and uncer- tainty, and the movement of large bodies of troops in the brief time which the Americans have occupied the island, seems incredible ; but that another year is to furnish results far greater still can not rea- sonably be doubted. There is every reason to believe that sanitary conditions are abreast of, if not superior to, those in the British "West Indies, with sanitary appliances of American manufacture far supe- rior, and all at the end of a few months. When the American army established itself, intelligent officers of experience took up the "white man's burden" with an individual sense of obligation and a devotion worthy of the American citizen soldier. 212 THE VACCINATION PLAN OF GENERAL HENRY. Ponce, P. R., March 20, 1899. STATEMENT BY DB. AZEL AMES, MAJOR AND BRIGADE SURGEON, TJ. S. V., COM- MANDING THE UNITED STATES VACCINE CORPS, DEPARTMENT OF PORTO RICO. Dr. Ames. The undertaking to vaccinate the entire department of Porto Rico arose from the increasing prevalence of smallpox and the evident necessity of taking vigorous measures to control it. It became evident that there should be a thorough and general vaccina- tion, and General Henry issued an order requiring compulsory vac- cination of all inhabitants. The initial question then, of course, was want of the supply of virus, vaccine lymph, and on inquiry it was found that to bring it from the United States in sufficient quantity — the only source available for so large a quantity as would be requisite for the vaccination of a million people — would be approximately $50,000 or $60,000. In discussion of the matter with the chief sur- geon, Colonel Hoff , I suggested that it ought to be possible to produce our own virus, as the supply of cattle in the island was large and uncommonly fine, and after preliminary consideration and inquiry I was placed in charge of the undertaking, which contemplated noth- ing less than the primary testing for disease of approximately 2,000 cattle, a million vaccinations and revaccinations. The work of organization of so great an undertaking was one involving, of course, infinite detail and some considerable difficulty. It was necessary to secure without great cost to the United States a sufficient supply of young cattle, to locate them and subsist them for a considerable period, to procure from the United States initial lymph and the appliances for vaccination and tests, to organize and equip a corps of nearly one hundred men, with expert pathologists, physicians, assistants, etc., arrange for their transportation, and get them all into effective working order. Of course, the production of the virus was of itself a very great undertaking, but was but half of the entire enterprise, and left the organization for the vaccination of the inhabitants to be provided for. The great difficulty experienced, after securing the cattle and pro- viding for their proper manipulation and the regulation of the corps, was in the matter of procuring the initial vaccine virus for the vacci- nation of the cattle. This had to be brought from the United States, and, as was feared, it proved to a very considerable extent entirely untrustworthy, probably owing to climatic changes incident to the voyage and conditions under which it was transferred from the States. Enough, however, was procured to make a beginning, and it was rapidly multiplied as soon as local stock was established, a,nd the work carried steadily forward from that time. The magni- tude of the undertaking and the difficulties attendant will perhaps be best understood when it is stated that the vaccination require ments of the public vaccinators employed in the field made it requi- site that there should be sent from the United States distributing- station at Coamo Baths 15,000 charged points every day, besides which there must be gathered from the animals at the camps 1,200 points more for the vaccination of cattle, etc., making a total of 16,200 requisite per day. The work of distribution was simplified by the division of the island into departments, namely: five with head- quarters at San Juan, Ponce, Guayama, Arecibo, and Mayaguez, the effort being to divide the population between these five divisions as 213 nearly equally as possible. These divisions embraced a population usually of about 165,000 people, all of whom have had either to be vac- cinated or examined for proof of smallpox or of satisfactory recent vaccination. To reach the vaccinators engaged in the work it was necessary to establish a carrier service from the virus-producing farms at whatever distance they might be from the distributing station at Coamo Baths, whereby the virus produced each day to the amount of 16,200 points should be conveyed to the distributing station. The carrier and his horse, on arriving each night, must be fed and housed, the hour of his arrival and departure noted, and the virus placed for safe-keeping in a cold refrigerator. The next morning it was divided at the dis- tributing station into unit packages, so called, containing 100 points, which were placed in quadruple wrappings to protect them against changes of heat, cold, and moisture, and then sent by mail to their various destinations, to the extent of 3,000 points each, to every one of the five vaccination divisions of the island. The virus being com- mitted to the several alcaldes of the municipalities in the five divi- sions, is distributed by them to the vaccinators engaged in their respec- tive jurisdictions. The work at the virus farm has been so carefully done that when an animal was selected for vaccinating purposes, after being under observation for two days as to general health conditions, it was tested by an injection prepared by the United States Agricultural Depart- ment, and then retained under observation for twenty-four hours or more, temperatures being taken carefully from 5 o'clock each morning until 12 o'clock the same night and duly recorded. The animal giving satisfactory reactions to these tests had a tag placed in its ear and took its place in the group for vaccination. Vaccinating tables, with tilting tops, were constructed, and the animal ready for vacci- nation, being driven alongside, was instantly strapped to the table top and lifted to the horizontal and laid upon the table. It was then thoroughly sterilized, cleansed, and shaved, and vaccinated with the virus first procured from the United States and later by that pro- duced on the farm. In gathering the virus from the ripened vesicles of the vaccinated animals — all of which were under 1 year of age, and hence of tenderer skin and more likely to be free from all dis- ease than older animals, as well as being easier handled — much care was taken. The virus froni each animal was kept separate and distinct, and thorough records were kept by the number of the animal from start to finish, so that the complete record of every vaccine point at the vari- ous points of the island is in the hands of the vaccinator using it. As the virus is cut from the animal it is placed on a wire-net drying basin, from which it is removed to a sterilized glass jar, which is closed and placed in a refrigerator and left until the work of gathering for the day ceases. All virus to be shipped to the distributing station is then taken, one jar at a time, so that there shall be no admixture of points, and 500 points are placed in absorbent cotton, in shallow tin boxes made for the purpose, and duly protected by wrappings of absorbent cotton and oiled silk, and 15 of these boxes are placed in a pannier, two panniers being slung on opposite sides of the carrier's horse, who starts immediately upon his ride to the vaccination station, sometimes consuming half a night in the journey. In each tin box is placed a printed blank, carefully filled in, giving the record number of the animal from which the virus was taken, the 214 name of the owner, the location of the farm, the breed, age, sex, color, weight, and distinguishing marks, general condition of the animal, its response to tests, whether for tuberculosis or glanders, the date of these tests, and the operator's name, the date of vaccination, the virus used, the name of the operator, the number of punctures made, the date at which the virus was gathered, the number of points charged from the animal, the number sent to the vaccination stations, the date and hour of departure — the whole being duly attested by the officer in charge at the distributing station at Coamo Baths (which was found admi- rably adapted to the needs of the corps on its occupation, being pos- sessed of ample space, excellent location, fine conveniences of corrals, kitchens, outbuildings, tent room, etc.). The charged points, taken from the tin boxes in which the carrier brought them, are packed, as before stated, in unit packages of 100 each, great care being taken to keep them always in a cool tempera- ture in a refrigerator until en route for their destination. Great care has been taken to distinguish the packages containing the virus by proper marks and labels, so as to keep them from the sun and in cool and dry places, and the post-office people have been charged to give both great care and rapid dispatch to virus packages throughout the department. They have, at considerable pains, prepared mailing schedules to enable a package intended for any particular destination anywhere in the island to be forwarded with greatest dispatch to its destination. The work of vaccinating the island has been simplified in a degree by the efficient use of the division of labor. In each of the four divisions are jurisdictions or alcaldias, presided over by an alcalde or mayor, varying in number in different divisions. Under these alcaldes are numerous precincts or barrios, which are presided over by an alcalde de barrio, who is responsible to his alcalde for the proper con- duct of his precinct or district. These alcaldes de barrio are familiarly acquainted with every person in their precincts. Their assistance under the plan formulated by the chief surgeon and myself was availed of to accomplish the desired ends. Full lists were made by them of all the people in their respective precincts, and at a desig- nated time, of which due notice was given, the alcalde de barrio sum- moned 225 people from these lists to a designated place, usually a schoolhouse in his district. In the order of their arrival each person is given a numbered check, establishing the number of his vaccina- tion, so that there is no overcrowding. The vaccination of these 225 people, or so many as appear and require vaccination, is a day's work for a vaccinator and his assist- ants. The organization of this corps of vaccinators, consisting very largely of native physicians, who are employed under contract by the directors of the respective vaccination divisions, has been a work of no small preparation, involving as it does the necessity of procuring competent men, usually versed in both Spanish and English, dividing up the territory among them for greater efficiency, keeping in such communication with them over difficult trails and in remote places as to secure them their daily supply of virus, properly inspect them and their work, and secure through them .proper certification of vaccina- tion and records. It has only been accomplished b}^ the utmost atten- tion to detail and systematic organization. Every inhabitant is required to have a public vaccinator's certificate, under the stamp of the public vaccinator and the seal of the United States. On presenting himself to the vaccinator, if the person has had 215 smallpox, a certificate is given him so indicating. If presenting a certificate of recent vaccination from a responsible physician, such certificate is accepted and the official certificate of vaccination issued. Otherwise the person on presentation, after cleansing the arm, is vaccinated in turn, under specific instructions given by the director of vaccination, a complete record made, and an incomplete certificate given the person, with instruction to return in one week for examina- tion, at which time the certificate will be completed, and if the vac- cination is successful will be stamped accordingly. If not, the individual is revaccinated and the certificate finally stamped as vac- cination finally completed. Without these certificates every person is practically debarred from any participation in any occupation, the public schools, assemblies, etc., while for failure to report, when ordered, for vaccination or examination, penalties imposed by the alcalde follow. The records alike of the scientific work of vaccination and its results, testing of the cattle, the measure of success resulting from the various efforts, and the work incident thereto, will, it is believed, constitute important additions to the scientific professional literature of this most important subject. The effort comes at a time and under conditions favorable, if well handled, for testing thoroughly, on an enormous scale, the merits of vaccination; this is very desirable at a time when there seems to be, in different parts of the world, a revival of the animosity against this invaluable agent for the control of a noxious disease. To the personnel of the work its successes must necessarily be more or less indebted. The conception of the undertaking originated in the mind of the able chief surgeon of the department, Lieutenant-Colonel Hoff , of the Medical Corps of the United States Army, and the execution of it was, as stated, so far as the production of the virus was concerned and the care of the largest vaccination division, committed to Maj. Azel Ames, brigade surgeon, U. S. Volunteers, who was more than fortunate in being able to surround himself with a corps of most admirably qualified assistants. He was especially so in the oppor- tunity of securing the services of Timothy Leary, who, although a young man, was widely recognized as one of the ablest pathologists of the United States, serving since last summer for scientific purposes in Porto Rico as a pathologist at the general hospital at Ponce in the capacity of acting assistant surgeon, U. S. Army. To him has been committed the work of testing all cattle for disease, and his labors have been as indefatigable and unselfish as they have been scientific and fruitful. To no person connected with the undertaking is a larger debt due for its successes than to Professor Leary. The vaccinating corps was organized by him into four sections : First, the administra- tion, with myself at the head, and Dr. Richard Wilson, acting assist- ant surgeon, U. S. Army, generally well known and universally esteemed in Porto Rico, as executive officer at the vaccination station at Coamo Baths. To Mr. Samuel Moret, a well-known citizen and cattle buyer of Porto Rico, the entire undertaking is primarily inexpressibly indebted for the supply of cattle gathered by him at a . trivial expense to the United States and the painstaking service he has rendered. The sec- ond section is that of cattle testing for disease, and is placed under the charge of Dr. Timothy Leary, who, with a corps of 21 efficient assistants, has been steadily in the field from the inception of the enterprise. The third section is comprised of two groups, the officers 216 of the first being Dr. L. L. Gillman, acting assistant surgeon, U. S. Army, and Drs. Gustav Moret, temporarily, and W. E. McConathy, acting assistant surgeon, IT. S. Army. To this group has fallen the difficult work of collecting the virus from the vaccinated cattle, a work full of the utmost difficulty, the greatest responsibility, and the most fatiguing effort. To this group, in addition to the severe strain involved in the cattle tests, Professor Leary has given his personal aid in unstinted measure, as also more or less to the second group of this section, which is that charged with the duty of vaccinating the ani- mals. In this group are associated Drs. William Reddin Kirk, acting assistant surgeon, U. S. Army, and L. E. Barney, acting assistant surgeon, U. S. Army, with a corps of assistants, and their work has called for most laborious effort and the best of professional endeavor. The supply service of the corps has been in the hands of Dr. J. S. White, acting assistant surgeon, U. S. Army, by general order of the Department, acting quartermaster, commissary of subsistence, ord- nance officer, and medical supply officer of the corps, to whom in no small degree is due its great successes in taking the field and the small amount of friction with which this work has been accomplished. The post established at Coamo Baths, under the name of the United States Vaccination Station, is well known to many of the visitors of the island as one of the most beautiful and perhaps the best regu- lated in the department, admirably adapted to the purpose to which it has been delegated. It has been made, by the efforts of the command- ing officer and his staff, one of the most completely furnished and effective of any in the department, guard at this post being furnished by the Nineteenth United States Infantry, which has also the field camp. The carrier service, before mentioned, between the camps and the field is furnished by the Fifth United States Cavalry. The prox- imity of this plant to the beautiful Coamo baths has naturally caused it to be much visited by those coming to the baths, and added a new feature to the already many attractions of that beautiful spot. That the undertaking is one of greater magnitude than has ever before been conducted, established on distinctive scientific lines, can not be doubted ; that great advantages will be derived from it for a long period of years in the island of Porto Rico is equally beyond doubt. Smallpox has been for many years one of the worst scourges of the island, and far more injurious as interfering with commerce, both foreign and internal, than any other disease. That it is now to be stamped out can not be doubted. If we had imported cattle, we could not have done it for less than $25,000, but by manufacturing the virus here the cost has been only about one-sixth of what it otherwise would have been. 217 VITAL STATISTICS. Table I. — Inmates of military hospital from 1889 to first half of 1898. Year. Standing over from prior year. Admitted. Dis- charged. Died. Remain- ing. 1889 249 242 113 159 199 200 191 308 205 211 3,507 2,658 2,159 2,145 2,239 3,175 3,524 2,999 2,587 1,389 3,360 2,650 2,004 2,027 2,128 3,039 3,081 2,970 2,142 1,218 151 137 109 98 110 145 326 132 169 86 242 1890 .. .- 113 1891 159 1892 .- 199 1893 200 1894 191 1895 - 308 1896 205 1897... 211 1S98 (first half ) 296 Total 2,077 26,382 24,619 1,463 2,124 San Juan, September 26, 1S9S. Jose Battle, Director, Subinspector. Table II. -Inmates of military hospital — Nosological statistics from 1889 to July 1, 1898. Year. Prisoners and charity pa- tients. _co p. . go +3 O O IS o s CO "co CS 01 a Fh Ol p. £ CO fl P O ■3 r-H CO « 28 S ® a 0> > C5 a P. O CO CD CO c3 Ol m -3 a 3 CD a "6 '•B CD 1889 446 425 431 421 414 130 261 282 328 189 59 49 48 55 40 11 35 73 64 29 1 5 4 4 6 1 10 10 15 14 14 24 18 34 18 8 32 59 59 34 114 169 24 99 91 185 630 95 95 95 6 o "3" "3 7 4 3 19 3 "3" 1 2 23 4 386 279 281 195 265 307 299 462 420 209 15 25 16 19 29 24 48 65 75 83 395 • 259 333 291 415 256 520 411 401 283 16 13 21 10 16 13 29 71 49 21 350 235 105 64 115 216 100 115 130 151 999 1890 1891 1,359 1,120 1892. 1,091 1893 2,163 1894.... 1895 2,220 1,507 1896.. 2,310 1897.. 1,510 1898 (first half)... 1,060 Total 3,327 463 70 300 1,597 25 58 3,103 399 3,564 259 1,581 15,339 San Juan, September 26, 189S. Jose Battle, Director, Subinspector. Table III. — Marriages, births, and deaths in 1897, as returned by municipal judges. Municipal district. ges. Legitimate births. Illegitimate births. Deaths. 78 438 731 516 15 102 31 284 75 218 85 351 41 249 231 685 25 149 130 267 7 21 34 238 45 286 124 336 187 535 620 1,073 65 133 89 825 74 145 157 353 50 226 66 320 127 209 34 215 44 73 48 272 54 396 217 752 43 242 392 676 38 79 47 236 50 240 63 186 67 316 333 425 Ad juntas Aguas Buenas Aguadilla Anasco Aibonito Arroyo Aguada Arecibo Bayamon Barceloneta . . Barros. Barranquitas. Carolina Caguas Cayey Cidra Camuy Cabo Rojo 218 Table III.— Marriages, births, and deaths in 1897, as returned by municipal judges — Continued. Municipal district. Ceiba Coiner io Ciales Corozal Coamo Dorado Fajardo..- Gurabo Guayanilla Guayama. Hato Grande.. Hatillo Hormigueros.- Humacao Isabela Juncos. Juana Diaz Loiza Lares Lajas Las Marias Luquillo... Manati Morovis. Moca Mayaguez Maricao .._ Maunabo Naranjito Naguabo Ponce Pennelas Patillas Piedras Quebradillas .. Rio Grande Rio Piedras Rincon San Juan.. San Sebastian.. Sabana Grande San German . . . Salinas Santa Isabel ToaAlta ToaBaja TrujilloAlto... Utuado Vega Alta. Vega Baja Vieques Yauco Yabucoa Total Marriages 13 41 85 56 29 1 14 51 21 21 45 51 18 33 70 22 79 18 103 22 56 20 56 45 63 89 16 14 21 36 118 91 20 33 102 33 35 76 111 92 39 29 25 3 20 135 30 26 14 97 36 3,557 Legitimate births. 176 329 306 271 45 112 68 143 102 266 223 52 173 183 88 249 19 426 169 135 100 145 241 231 384 159 59 197 115 287 200 154 159 110 334 67 195 392 376 208 446 46 78 78 25 57 112 74 149 64 463 124 13,489 Illegitimate births. 103 157 97 126 331 76 149 42 363 98 265 94 46 301 79 79 543 35 213 167 102 114 99 53 38 278 279 97 101 67 242 280 265 160 5 304 50 53 446 113 100 233 104 86 64 42 39 663 98 163 126 12,471 Deaths. 158 292 466 236 506 72 436 246 234 617 446 212 133 561 321 328 904 224 696 191 300 188 455 273 316 1,418 319 331 224 340 1,778 304 407 231 147 338 421 198 1,272 456 383 606 168 128 223 133 153 1,407 187 330 270 962 851 30,806 219 Qg,S coco CON s 4^S CON CO CO o cd ^S OS CO C0.grO com COIN CO 1— 1 i += pj CO OS© coco CO CO 9 1-5 gg 00 cd pi l-B OtD toco CO cS COCO CM -*co £-00 ,3 o cS t-CO CO rH 3 . tXCO K3CQ O OS £a COOS «5 CO "3 O E-i *— -* o tfsos CM CO 8 CD CM CM -*-* rHrH >* cd oco cocm CO s M CD co i CO i o 3§ 'tis En s 6 CB P rH CM rH rH rH > O ft 1-1 CM CM rH rH MS o O rH rH CO rH CM ft CB co rH CO 1-1 CO >o si S3. rH rH CM "" ' HH 1-1 >> 1-5 i-l rH rH rH rH rH CD 1-5 I-H rH CO CM «5 cS s ** rH 0* 7-* CM ft CO rH CO rH 1C rH CM 1-1 CM CM 3 CM rH rH CO rH CM rH rH CB rH CM rH i-i CO CXI CS 1-5 rH M CM CO r-i rH -* O cS M HN CMrHCMrH ! rH rH CO ' r-t ' i rH i i j rH-* ;-*-* j CB 3 rH rHCMrH 'CM CM OS t-rH ! M | CMCM -*-*CO-<*l CD 3 CO CO CO rH rH t- rH ' "0 "* rH © OS »0 CM ■ -H rH-* lOCOiOcM CD CO CD ! CD ! £.2 £ *i CD ! CD ! CD ! CD ! §5 3=5 §=* §a CD CD 3 CD ! CD ' CD s 3 §3§ CD CO cS CD CO s CO H co a q- ^? T a c T a I s c 1 c B r? 1 J +■ r= c a a ! a a n ! 1 i a r a Is a , | s a c 1 1 a P > 4- | ! i > B 1 r? ii M I r ! ." : i , c. j a ) c ? •£ ! 1 B 1 1 c U a a ; 1 E i 220 H-i iH t- i-l « 1-H -H CO CI in ©I r-l in O 1*1 o cj •* c os oo os ci co m to ' i-l C} CJ CO i-l CI • coo cj 'H*^C3 GC to CI C! £- CO iCJ tO-^ii— ( 'Or i CJ iH CO rH CO - 'incj -^ co co i— OS' cj os to csohhos* CO Q cbo 3 "3 Q S 6? o &h a Q M H "" ^ 9 -^ SflPSS±3J2Q W M Ph CH .2 B ffl Ph O 221 CO i-H i— I -* SO ■* SO H(COHOOOCOCOOm i|-H 'rH 1 05 NiOWr tfSrHrHrHrHrHaOiO (THNlOHlfflr • ^-{ (MSO^H *a lOJCOrHt-WCOrHrHOllC-HHaOOlOCO I rHCO rH Oi rH rH i-H rH rH 0JC0C0 OOOCO J2 fl^rS 1.23 a .2 S2 liS fl2 s2 §2 fl 3 1|^ §3^ §3 §3 §3 §3 §3 §3 1 _ /*| « „ TO „ TO «8 1 J, CS