municipal centers. Of these buildings, 501 are public property and 1,165 are rented. During the year 32 school buildings were completed and 49 were begun and are in course of construction. Also 55 new sites for school buildings were acquired during the year, a considerable number of them by donation on the part of public-spirited citizens.

The total expenditures for educational purposes was $2,106,389.18, of which $1,518,321.68 was from insular funds and $588,067.50 was from school board funds. The total expenditures the year previous were $1,840,016, an increase of $266,373.

The main efforts of the department of education during the past year were directed toward increasing the efficiency of the educational army as a whole, both individually and collectively, the idea being to raise the standard of teaching, to adopt the course of instruction more nearly to the actual needs and abilities of the pupils, and by closer supervision of instruction and better grading pupils to make the schools we already have better schools and more useful to the pupils.

Efforts have also been made to bring the education department into more harmonious relations with the other departments of the Government and to secure more interest and support from the general public.

Much progress has been made in all of these directions during the year under review. Especially worthy of note is the real advance that has been made in the quality of the teaching as evidenced by the increase of the percentage of promotions of pupils to the next higher grade and also the interest that has been created in the more practical kinds of education, such as agriculture, industrial arts, native industries, etc. These forms of scholastic training were not at first understood in Porto Rico, and therefore naturally not appreciated by many of the people, as has been the case elsewhere, but they have now become firmly established. In agriculture especially, during this year of crisis, the rural schools came to the rescue and contributed their share to the success of the food-production campaign. In the year just closed instruction in agriculture was given in 1,248 rural schools; about 300 acres of land were under cultivation and 15,869 home gardens were reported by supervisors.

A full discussion of the educational work of the year will be found in the departmental report published elsewhere in this volume.

CHARITY SCHOOLS.

Girls' Charity School.-There were at the end of the fiscal year 175 inmates, which is the maximum capacity of the building now used by this institution. Thirty-two girls were admitted and 32 discharged during the period of this report.

The health of the inmates has been excellent throughout the year. Morbidity averaged 7 per cent and only one death was reported.

Every inmate was enrolled in some grade of school work. The millinery and sewing class was attended by 40 girls; the domestic science class by girls from the sixth grade upward; the embroidery and drawn work by all; physical culture by all.

Every Saturday about 60 of the older girls are trained to laundry work.

Of the inmates attending school, 154 completed their work and were promoted, making an average of 89.53 per cent of promotion. Boys Charity School.-On June 30, 1916, there were 273 boys in the school. During the period of this report 45 were admitted and 48 were discharged, leaving 270 inmates on June 30, 1917.

Of the 253 enrolled, 237 passed the course of study, making an average of promotion of 93.67 per cent. In addition four inmates attended the Central High School, three of whom were promoted to the second and one to the third year. Thirteen pupils attended trade school classes only.

The receipts from concerts by the band of the school amounted to $790.

Thirty pupils took lessons in plumbing and of these two have passed the examination before the board of plumbing examiners. Thirty took work in masonry and cement construction. Thirty-six attended the carpentry shop and 48 took shoemaking.

All of the shoes of the institution were made by the inmates at a cost of $1.81 per pair. Three hundred and ninety-six pairs were half soled at an average price of 21 cents per pair.

A library has been established. It contains at present 125 books which have been donated by friends.

AGRICULTURE AND LABOR.

Upon the abolition of the department of labor, charities and correction, there was immediately assigned to the department of agriculture and labor, the bureau of labor and also the work hitherto directed by the commissioners of agriculture including the experiment station at Rio Piedras.

The bureau of agriculture was immediately formed and the board of commissioners of agriculture discontinued, its work being carried on without interruption under the new organization. It is evident already that greater unity of action and closer cooperation of the various agencies for agricultural development can be brought about by the new organization.

AGRICULTURE.

The work started several years ago under the board of commissioners has been continued along the same lines with variations of emphasis as indicated by new conditions. The quarantine service has kept vigilant guard against the introduction of plant diseases and pests from without the island.

The entomological department has made various investigations of grubs and insects affecting citrus fruits, tobacco and vegetables. The plant-breeding work has now reached a point where several new varieties of sugar cane have been developed, which give promise of being superior for conditions in Porto Rico. Sixty-eight new varieties of plants of various sorts were received for testing or breeding purposes. In the sphere of pathology, the most important phase of the year's activities was the studies made of the new cane disease epidemic. This is a mysterious and destructive malady which has attacked the cane fields in the western end of the island, especially in the rich sugar lands on the north coast. It is popularly known

as the "mottling disease" from the appearance of the canes affected. It has caused great anxiety not only because of its destructive effects, but also because of its baffling nature. The pathological department, the experiment station and several private sugar mill owners have all cooperated in serious efforts to discover its origin, cause, as well as some method by which it can be controlled, but thus far little progress seems to have been made.

The insular experiment station at Rio Piedras has continued its work with vigor and enthusiasm. In order to prevent duplication of work with the Federal station at Mayaguez, this station devotes its energies especially to sugar cane and fruits, and during the past. year a great deal of attention was given to the new cane disease. It has also taken a leading part through its laboratories and field experiments in all the activities above described.

There is a growing interest in Porto Rico in the cultivation of rice. Upon the invitation of the director of the Federal station, the United States Department of Agriculture sent a rice expert, Mr. Charles E. Chambless, to the island to make a survey of the conditions and possibilities of rice culture for supplying the large local market. His report was so hopeful that efforts will be steadily continued to develop this great industry.

LABOR.

The bureau of labor continued its work along all the usual lines, the enforcement of the labor laws, intervention in the settlement of industrial disputes, and the recommendation of labor legislation needed for the protection of laborers. During the year under review, the bureau was unusually active and useful in aiding in the settlement of strikes brought about chiefly by the increase in the cost of living. The most important of these strikes was that of the longshoremen, which was strongly contested and lasted from September till November, 1916. In its final settlement, the laborers secured a substantial increase in their wages.

The bureau has recommended some important laws and amendments to existing laws for the improvement of labor conditions, some of which at least, it is hoped, may be enacted.

AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING.

The new organic act has made some far-reaching and important changes in the position, work, and influence of this department. It has been in a sense set apart from the other departments and has been given increased power to check and control all of them in the expenditure of public funds. In order still further to increase and insure his independence, the auditor is one of the four executive officials whose appointment is reserved to the President of the United States. In accordance with the provisions of the new law, examinations and audit of the accounts of the municipalities and school boards, as well as other public offices, has been undertaken by the auditor's office. There has been during the fiscal year no changes of importance in the general system of accounting or in the organization of the auditor's department.

The report of the auditor with all necessary tables and exhibits will be found in Appendix IV.

ROADS.

The weather conditions during the year just ended have been worse from the standpoint of damage done to the public works than for many years past. Unusually heavy rains fell over the island during the first half of the fiscal year, causing great damage to the roads through landslides and the destruction of culverts and bridges. The serious hurricane which occurred in August, 1916, also injured the roads and public buildings considerably, and the expenses for maintenance were thereby increased.

During the year 15.7 kilometers of new road were built, bringing the total of completed macadamized insular government roads on the island up to 1,178.6 kilometers, of which 903.6 were built under the American administration.

The total expenditure for maintenance, repair, and construction of insular roads and bridges during the year was $493,428.85. Of this amount there was expended on road construction $43,847; on bridge construction $100,523; and on road surveys $46,925; and on the maintenance and repair of roads and bridges, $302,132. The expenditure on road surveys was made in preparation for the new road-building program provided for in the bond issue of $2,000,000 authorized by the legislature in 1916. Of this bond issue authorized $500,000 have already been sold and the proceeds will be expended in the construction of the new roads during the next fiscal year.

BUILDINGS.

One of the most important duties of this division is the maintenance and repair of the present public buildings belonging to and used by the insular government through its various departments. These buildings are from 60 to 300 years old and have an approximate value estimated at $2,000,000, but the appropriations for their maintenance for the last few years have been so meager that it has been impossible to keep them in good condition..

In addition to the work upon the insular public buildings, the municipalities have required a large amount of assistance from the division of public buildings in the preparation of plans for the construction of many municipal buildings of all sorts, ranging in cost from $500 to $12,000 each. Many school buildings are in process of construction throughout the island, especially in San Juan, where a longdelayed program of providing adequate school buildings has at last been undertaken. The work in actual process of construction and completed during the past fiscal year represents a total expenditure of $914,790. The projects in various stages of progress involve in addition an estimated expenditure of $704,726.

PUBLIC LANDS.

The most important single item of work done by the division of public lands during the year was the survey of Mona Island.

This island, belonging to the insular government and situated in the Mona Passage about half way between Porto Rico and Santo Domingo, had never been surveyed or thoroughly explored. The island

is uninhabited and has generally been considered practically worthless, except for some so-called phosphate caves which have been leased. to a corporation for operation.

In the latter part of the year a surveying party was sent to this island who completed the work of ascertaining its area and the general character of its service in a little more than four months. They found the area to be 13,125 acres, mostly so rocky and destitute of soil and water as to be of no agricultural value. There is, however, one area of about 800 acres which seems to be fairly good land, judging from the growth of trees and grasses which cover it. This portion seems from the same evidence to have sufficient rain fall for the production of coconuts, grasses, and other minor crops. There are no harbors or safe landing places for boats of any considerable size, no streams or running water, and no animals except a few wild cattle and a large number of pigs and goats.

This island has never been put to any use except as a lighthouse station. Its resources are slight but the small area above mentioned might be used for growing sisal, or other crop requiring little rain.

The general work of surveying the public lands is progressing so slowly for lack of adequate appropriations that many years must pass before this work can be completed. More vigorous prosecution of this important task is urgently recommended and greatly needed.

INSULAR TELEGRAPH.

In the administration and operation of the insular telegraph and telephone service during the past year, increased attention has been given to the betterment and extension of its offices and lines; added facilities have been afforded the public for the use of these means of rapid communication, and rules and regulations have been put into effect in order to secure a greater degree of efficiency in the personnel.

At the close of the year 1916-17 there were 14 telegraph and 16 telephone lines in operation, 30 in all with a total mileage of 1,544.75, or over 200 miles more than the previous year.

The total cash receipts for the year show an increase of $15,281.44 over 1915-16; and while the net profits show an increase of only $2,237.72, they would have been much larger but for the heavy and unforeseen cost of repairing the damage done by the cyclone and for the construction of a joint pole line between San Juan and Martin Peña.

A night-letter service was established at the beginning of the fiscal year and 1,025 messages of this sort were sent over the wires during the year. The total number of messages transmitted was 252,920, or 45,399 more than in 1915-16.

A full account of the operations of the insular telegraph and telephone system will be found in the report of the commissioner of the interior printed elsewhere herein.

HARBORS AND DOCKS.

Notwithstanding the great foreign demand for vessels due to the war, the total tonnage of vessels entering the ports of Porto Rico increased 9.6 per cent over that of the previous year. All of the ports