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Show NEW RECORD MADE J IN COLONIAL TRADE! United States Enjoys Ninety-one Per Cent of Business Transacted hy j Island of Porto Rico. j 1 SAX JUAX, Porto Rico, Fob. 23. ' i Ninety-cue P?r cent of the -jJ-i.51'5.-141 tiri'le of Porto Pi-:o for The past 't'is-al year was with The United Tatr. I making a new re-orl bora for total vol-; vol-; u'n ot buJUcss enjoyed by the island ami in pTontae Transacted with the nifUn!a.'ol. The increase id ?ros volume or biirirji'ss was approximately .u.0dn,- ! (.".m.i, whiie t.be island increase. 1 its pur-1 chase? of good? iq the VnitC'l Elates by! 57m.iO.OOij over l'j!6. I The island was more prosperous than pvpr before, according to tjio an- i nual report of Governor Arthur Yeager. j for the fiscal year. 917, winch has just ! been made public. Since the firt year of annexation The island "s external commerce com-merce has increased $5o,000,0L'd. and this growth, judged from the report, is not due to direct war business or war j values, although sugar is the island's: chief product. Say? the povernor's report: "S'ot only figures as to Trade and in-1 dustry, but all The surface indications of the commercial life of the island show tinniiTakabiy that the prosperity has reached a higher level ami is more General than ever before. Ihere has been a general though varying increase of wag? and there is less unemployment unemploy-ment than at any time in recent years. There is more money in circulation, more activity in general business, more confidence in the strength and stability of the business situation than the island has ever known. : ' The island sold to or purchased from the United States goods of the value of $122,654,473. Sugar exports totaled 4SS943 tons, valued at $34,010,903, a gain of 6o.9SS tons, or 3S' per cent in volume, and $S.00.000, or 1?. per cent, in value over T 913. Total , exports amounted to $0.97'.V 917. while imports totaled ?o 0.0 45. "2 '2 4. Bank deposits showed a gain of j?3.0Ud,-Oi'O j?3.0Ud,-Oi'O for the vear. and reached a total of $20.X'0.0u0. |