644 UNITED STATES : — PORTO RICO
Production, Industry and Commerce.— The cultivated land in 1910
was divided into 58,371 holdings, having a total area of 2,085,162 acres, of which 1,570,304 acres was improved land. Total value of all farm property in 1910 was 102,377,801 dollars. The chief products of the island are sugar, tobacco, coffee, pineapples, grape fruit, oranges, and other tropical fruits, sea island cotton, textile fibres, bat guano, phosphate, and vegetables, and the principal industries are manufactures of cigars, cigarettes, hats, embroideries, drawn-work, rum, &c. Supar crops for 3 years : 1918, 453,795 tons ; 1919, 406,002 tons ; 1920, 485,070 tons. Sugar exported in 1920 amounted to 419,388 tons, valued at 98,923,750 dollars, being over 60 per cent, of all products exported. In 1920, 223,316,450 cigars and 5,123,850 cigarettes were exported. Over 20,000,000 poxinds of leaf and scrap tobacco, valued at 13,416,388 dollars, were exported in 1920. Coffee increased from 27,897,971 pounds, valued at 6,065,573 dollars in 1919, to 32,776,754 pounds, valued at 9,034,028 dollars in 1920. Orange exports amounted to 833,575 dollars; fresh pineapples to 479,461 dollars; canned pineapples to 99,172 dollars ; grape fruit, a comparatively new product (7,586 dollars in 1907), amounted to 1,332,742 dollars, while coconuts amounted to 1,142,412 dollars. In 1910 tbere were 939 industrial establishments in Porto Rico, employing 18,122 persons (15,582 wage-earners), having a total capital of 25,544,385 dollars, with an output valued at 36,749,742 dollars. There is no established mining enterprise, but gold, silver, iron, copper, bismuth, tin, mercury, platinum and nickel are found in the island. There are very productive salt works.
In 1920 the imports into Porto Rico amounted to 9(5,388,534 dollars ; the domestic exports to foreign countries amounted to 17,603,941 dollars. Shipments of United States merchandise to Porto Rico, 90,724,259 dollars ; of foreign merchandise 5,664,275 dollars. Shipments from Porto Rico to United States, value 133,207,508 dollars.
Shipping and Communications. — In 1919-20, 1,599 American and
foreign vessels of 3,915,607 tons entered Porto Rico from the United States and foreign countries. The harbour of San Juan, the chief port, and naval station proper, is being improved to have an entrance 600 yards wide and 30 feet deep.
There are over 1,100 miles of road in the island, and about 339 miles of railway. The railway system connects towns on the west coast and now almost encircles the Island, and penetrates the interior. A line is operated from Rio Piedras to Caguas inlaud. Extensions of existing lines are being under- taken, and a new line across the Island, with many branches, is projected. There are 1,574 miles of postal (government) telejmone and telegraph wire. There are 90 post offices, and 77 telegraph stations.
The Porto Rican island of Vieques, 13 miles to the east, is about 21 miles long and 6 miles broad, and has about 10,000 inhabitants, who grow sugar and rear cattle. Like Porto Rico, the island of Vieques is fertile and healthy.
The island of Culebra, between Porto Rico and St. Thomas, has a good harbour.
Acting British Corunil. — Cyril Douglas Elphick.
Books of Reference.
Report on the Census of Porto Rico. Washington, 1912.
Report on the Island of Porto Rico, iti population. Ac, by H. K. Carroll. Washington. 1899.— Register of Porto Rico, 1911, M. Drew Carrel, Secretary of Porto Uico.
Reports on the Agricultural Resources and on the Industrial and Economic Resources •f Porto Rico. Washington, 1900.
