Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/701

 PRODUCTION, INDUSTRY, ETC. — SHIPPING, ETC. 579

The assessed value of property in 1911 was 178,275,000 dollars. The net public debt is 4,139,760 dollars.

The police force consists of about 700 men, and the military force of about 590.

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. The chief products of the island are sugar, tobacco, coti'ee, pine-apydes, grape fruit, oranges, and other tropical fruits, sea island cotton, textile fibres, bat guano, phosphate, and vegetables, and the principal industries are manufactures of hats, embroi- deries, drawn-work, rum, &c. Sugar exported in 1912 amounted to 867,000 tons, valued at 31,544,063 dollars, being 63 per cent, of all products exported. In 1912, 111,682,615 cigars were consumed and 169,765,656 were exported* or a total output of 281,448,271 ; while 532,431,000 ci^garettes were consumed and 11,293,350 were exported, or a total of 543,724,350. Over 5,000,000 pounds of leaf and scrap tobacco, valued at 2,320,130 dollars, were exported in 1912. Coffee increased from 33,937,021 pounds, valued at 4,992,779 in 1911, to 40,146,365 pounds, valued at 6,754,913 dollars in 1912. Orange exports amounted to 584,414 dollars; fresh pineapples to 684,774 dollars; canned pineapples to 258,671 dollars; grapefruit, a comparatively new product (7,586 dollars in 1907), amounted to 525,048 dollars, while cocoanuts amounted to 308,883 dollars. With the completion of the system of irrigation now being constructed on the southern coast by the Government, at a cost of 3,000,000 dollars, the output of the island will be enormously increased. In 1910 there 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 1912 the imports into Porto Rico amounted to 42,926,473 dollirs ; the domestic exports to foreign countriL-s amounted to 49^705^413 dollars. Shipments of United States merchandise to Porto Rico, 37^424^545 dollars; of foreign merchandise from United States, 1,046,418 dollars'. Shipments from Porto Rico to United States, value 42,873,401 dollars.

Shipping and Communications.— In 1911-12, 468 American and

foreio-n vessels of 685,198 tons cleared from Porto Rico to the United States. The^-essels of 13 steamship lines (5 Spanish, the others being French, German, American, Cuban, and British) visit the island. 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 1,000 miles of road in the island, and 220 miles of railway. The railway system connects towns on the west coast and now almost encircles the Island, and i)euetrates the interior. A new line is open from Rio Piedras to Caguas inland. Extensions of existing lines are being undertaken, and a new line across the Island, with many branches, is projected. There are 590 miles of postal (government) telegraph wire. The telephone (private) is in use and is being widely extended. There are 80 post oflQces, and 40 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

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