Fish, preserved, and 189,864 237,695 206,287 United States products of Glassware Hats and caps Iron and steel, manu- 1,626,800 1,345,899 37,648 United States, Germany 72,207 United States 72,932 Italy 839,325 United States, United 95,771 113,199 27,098 Germany 228,716 RETURN of Shipping of all Nationalities which Entered and Cleared in the Foreign Trade of the Port of Santo Domingo during the Year 1914.* (a) STEAM Vessels. Nationality. With Cargo. In Ballast. Total. Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. British ... United States... German French ... Norwegian Cuban ... Dominican Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. 3 2,661 4 4,349 2 1,824 32 68,781 11,758 4 4,366 16 16,124 3,803 15 14,044 19 17,847 17,384 11 8,675 36 26,059 Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage 544 Venezuelan Dominican Dutch 6 8 680 14 1,224 Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. * See remarks at bottom of page 7 regarding these statistics. RETURN of British Shipping which Entered and Cleared in the Foreign Trade of the Port of Santo Domingo during the Year 1914. (a) STEAM Vessels. ENTERED. From Vessels. Tonnage. Vessel. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. Vessels. Tonnage. ENTERED (with Cargo) and Cleared (in Ballast). Mr. Vice-Consul M. Doorly reports as follows: General remarks.-In giving the statistics of the commercial movement of this port in 1914, I am compelled to draw attention to the fact that, owing to the siege and blockade of this port, railway communication with the interior was cut off during the months of March to August, 1914. The statistics therefore cannot possibly be said to represent anything like the normal annual commercial movement of Puerto Plata, as large quantities of tobacco and other export produce belonging to the 1914 crops are still in the interior and cannot reach the ports before the year 1915 is well advanced; and as the railway connecting this port with the centres of production in the interior is in a most deplorable condition, one foresees the possibility of an accumulation of the 1915 crops being blocked in the same manner at the end of the year to give way to the transport of the balance of those of 1914. The outbreak of war in Europe in August last has also hampered the shipping operations of this port, as no German steamers have arrived here to discharge or take cargo, and, as at present there are no other markets than Hamburg and Bremen for the sale of Dominican tobacco, the portion of the crop which has already been transported from the interior has been stowed in deposit awaiting indefinitely the cessation of the causes which prevent its shipment. Opening for British trade. In this connection I would like to point out that this district being deprived of important quantities of rice and other provisions which have hitherto arrived from Hamburg in regular monthly shipments by German steamers, an opportunity appears to exist for opening a market for the sale of Dominican tobacco on consignment in British ports, and for the transportation of this tobacco in British ships which could return here freighting out the rice and other supplies referred to, but purchased from British instead of German firms. Table 1 of this report shows the imports and exports at the port of Puerto Plata during the two years 1909 and 1914. At the moment of writing it is impossible to get any reliable statistics as to the exact quantities of imports originating from or exports destined to, specified countries, with their corresponding values, as those details can only be obtained when the general annual report of the Receivership is made up and published, or when the Minister of Finance publishes his annual report to Congress. Neither of these reports is at present available. Exports. Tobacco.-Comparisons of figures referred to are very misleading, as will be seen at a glance at Table 2, which would make it appear for instance that 3,500,000 kilos. of tobacco were exported in 1914 and that that quantity represented the 1914 crop. The facts, however, are that only 177,000 kilos. of tobacco of the 1914 crop have been exported during the year; the balance represents tobacco of the 1913 crop, which could not be shipped in time owing to the blocking of all railway connections with the interior due to revolutionary movements. As stated in the first paragraph of this report, the bulk of the 1914 crop is still in the interior or stowed in deposit at this port awaiting an opportunity for shipment. Cotton and cotton seed.-The export of these products, which may be considered at present to be in an experimental stage, seems to be little by little gaining ground, and there is no doubt that, with the employment of good and selected seed in planting, there will be a sustained demand for all the cotton the locality can produce. Exports in general.—The falling-off of exports in general is due more to the want of markets caused by the European war and to the scarcity of ships touching at this port bound for Europe than to any very perceptible falling-off in production, although at the same time it must be said that the continued revolutions in this country and the consequent blocking of railway connections with the interior towns, embarrasses commercial operations to a great extent, and reacts upon the mercantile credit of the locality. Table 3 shows the movement of British shipping at this port, and Table 4 is a return of the shipping of all nationalities which entered and cleared at this port during the year 1914. The falling-off of German tonnage needs no explanation. Freight rates have been maintained as previously reported, and |