THE. IRRIGATION AGE. 89 



five months whose record the Treasury Bureau of Statistics has just 

 completed, amount to $3,316,334, against $1,169,128 in the correspond- 

 ing months of 1897, or practically three times as much in the five 

 months of 1900 as in the corresponding five months of 1897. The ex- 

 ports to the island in the five months of 1900 are $2,807,909, against 

 $717,744 in the corresponding months of 1896 and $768,802 in the cor- 

 responding months of 1897, or practically four times as much in 1900 

 as in 1896 or 1897. 



These figures are especially interesting because of the fact that it 

 was supposed when the act went into effect, that the commerce of the 

 first year would be very small by reason of the hurricane of last year 

 which proved so damaging to the chief industries that it was thought 

 the island would in the present year have little to sell and conse- 

 quently little with which to buy. Yet the figures given below show 

 that it has sent to the United States in the five months from May 

 1, 1900, to October 1, 1900, twice as much in value as in the corres- 

 ponding months of 1899 and three times as much 'as in the same months 

 of 1897, and that it has bought from the United States more than 

 twice as much as in the corresponding months of 1899 and practically 

 four times as much as in the corresponding months of 1896 or 1897. 



The table which follows shows the imports from, and exports to 

 Porto Rico in its commerce with the United States during May, June, 

 July, August and September of 1896, 1897, 1899 and 1900, respectively, 

 and the total for each period, and thus enables a comparison by months 

 and by the entire period both with 1899, when the island was under 

 the American flag but subject to the general customs laws of- the 

 United States, and with 1896 and 1897, when it was Spanish territory. 

 It will be seen that every month since the enactment of the new law 

 shows a marked increase over 1899 and a still greater increase as com- 

 pared with 1897 and 1896; while the total imports from the island in 

 the five months of 1900 show an increase of 62 per cent, over 1898 and 

 172 per cent, over 1897, and the exports to the island show an increase 

 of 104 per cent, over 1899 and 265 per cent, over 1897. 



IMPORTS FROM PORTO RICO INTO THE UNITED STATES. 



Month of 1896 . 1897 1899 1900 



May $430,821 $553,938 $647,1791, $103,867 



June 516,746 361,328 814,803 1,218,257 



July . . .254,676 145,373 448,267 . 640,023 



August 107,880 72,625 74,323 281,903 



September 125, 369 35, 864 56, 167 72, 284 



Total, 5 months... .$1,485, 492 $1,169,128 $2,040,739 $3,316,334 



