EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Corporations and Cooperative Associations: A total of 123 domestic corporations was registered during the year, 19 more than the previous year. Of the 56 which were dissolved, 26 of them were effected by the usual procedure and the remainder by legis lative action. Three foreign corporations qualified themselves to conduct business in the Island and three foreign corporations withdrew. Three cooperative associations of producers or consumers were organized, four less than in 1943-44. Two of these associations operate in the mercantile field, and one in tobacco. Six cooperatives were dissolved during the year. Three cooperative marketing associations were organized.

A total of 77 domestic, non-profit associations were registered, five more than in 1943-44. Six were dissolved in accordance with the law, and 30 by legislative action.

Passports: A total of 2,180 passports was issued during the year, and 72 passports were renewed. The Office also investigated and reported the birth records of 300 merchant seamen, who, claiming to have been born in Puerto Rico, had applied to the State Department for seamen's passports.

Exit Permits: Exit permits were issued to 158 persons in 1944-45 as compared with 135 during the previous year.

Trade Marks: A total of 236 domestic trade marks were registered as compared with 135 in 1943-44.

Fees: Fees collected by the Executive Secretary's Office amounted to $17,292.68.

OFFICE OF INFORMATION FOR PUERTO RICO

The Office of Information for Puerto Rico, which, since June 1942 operated as a unit in the Governor's Office, was established as an independent agency of the Insular Government by Act No. 225 approved May 12, 1945. The principal duty of the Office of Infor mation for Puerto Rico, as defined in the Act, is "to carry out a wide program of information and publicity for Puerto Rico in the United States and other countries."

In the course of the year, the Office of Information launched its first major project for publicizing Puerto Rico on the Continent. This project was the production of six 15-minute documentary recordings designed specifically for circulation in continental schools. By arrangement with the Secretary of the Interior, the personnel and facilities of the Radio Section of the Department's Division of

Information were made available for this work. At the end of the year, the production of the recordings had been completed. Plans were well advanced for the preparation of supplementary informational material to be sent with them, and arrangements had been made for distribution by the Federal Radio Education Committee, an organization affiliated with U. S. Office of Education.

As of July 1, 1945, some 3,000 continental schools, with an enrollment of 6,000,000, had the professional play-back machines neccessary to reproduce the recordings. Many other schools will buy these machines as soon as they become available after the war. The potential school audience for the recordings within the next two years, therefore, will be not far from 10,000,000.

The campaign to introduce Puerto Rico to continental Americans is based on the assumption that Continentals generally know little or nothing about the Island-even such rudimentary points as its geographic location and approximate population. This assumption is supported by the evidence of those who have had occasion to sample a cross-section of continental knowledge of the Island. The object of the campaign, illustrated by the "This is Puerto Rico" series, is simply to acquaint audiences on the Continent with the basic facts concerning the Island.

The visit of the Legislative Commission on Political Status to Washington in May, 1945, resulted in considerable special publicity. on the Continent. News commentators and columnists, including Raymond Swing and Lowell Mellet, took notice of the Commission's program. Editorials and special articles appeared in various newspapers including the Washington Post, and the Commission's Chairman, Mr. Luis Muñoz Marín, spoke to a nation-wide audience in a talk over the Columbia Broadcasting System. The Office of Information worked closely with the Commission in connection with public relation matters.

In Puerto Rico, the Office of Information took the first steps in the development of a campaign designed to acquaint Puerto Ricans with the functions and activities of the Insular Government. Arrangements were made to obtain the services of Francisco Acevedo, one of the Island's leading news commentators, to produce a series of 15-minute semi-weekly programs, to be broadcast over three stations, under the title "Reportajes Oficiales". Everything was in readiness for the inauguration of this series at the close of the fiscal year.

During the year the Office of Information continued to handle public relations for the Office of the Governor. A total of 697 press

releases was issued to newspapers, radio stations and news services. An illustrated booklet describing war activities in Puerto Rico, entitled "Puerto Rico in the War", was published in both English and Spanish and distributed on the Continent and in Puerto Rico. Reprints of an article entitled "Let's Begin with Puerto Rico", published in the May 1944 issue of Fortune Magazine were also distributed in the States. As part of its routine duties, the Office of Information rendered editorial assistance in the preparation of the Governor's Annual Report, and advised with various Insular Government agencies on special public relations problems.

OFFICE OF STATISTICS

The Office of Statistics continued to expand its activities during the past year although unable to replace the trained statisticians lost to the armed forces in 1943-44.

A monograph entitled "The Balance of External Payments of Puerto Rico" was published jointly by the Office and the University of Puerto Rico. This study covered the period 1941-43 and will be brought up to date in the near future.

A special study, including statistical data on various phases of the economy of the Island, was made for presentation at the hearings on the Tydings Bill for independence.

A list of Insular government publications was prepared upon request and a directory of Federal agencies stationed in Puerto Rico was published. A similar directory of Insular agencies is in preparation.

The regular work of the Office continued to be the publication and distribution of a monthly statistical report for circulation in continental United States, neighboring Caribbean countries, South America, Central America and Canada. To keep the Division of Territories and Island Possessions of the Department of the Interior informed each month of the economic activities of the Island, the Office of Statistics furnished it with special compilations of statistical data and various publications of other Insular agencies.

DEPARTMENTS

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE

During the last legislative session about 30 laws relating directly or indirectly to agriculture were approved, and a total of $1,196,600 was appropriated for special purposes, such as improvement of roads, purchase of lands and increased reforestation projects, in addition to a general appropriation of $1,036,230. The Department was

also authorized by the Legislature to conduct a survey of the sugar industry of the Island with the purpose of obtaining first hand information on the economic, technical and labor problems appertaining to it.

Sugar and Rum: Despite a prolonged strike that involved the entire industry for 36 days and delayed the harvest for more than a month, the sugar yield was better than that of 1943-44. Up to June 30, 1945, production reached 886,000 tons, but 40 mills continued their grinding season, and at the end of August actual production amounted to 963,775 tons—a gain of 240,164 tons over the preceding year. Value of rum exports declined from about $35,000,000 to $14,000,000.

Tobacco: This industry has been considerably stimulated by the tobacco shortage in the United States and the accompanying rise in price. This year's crop amounted to an estimated 400,000 quintals which is 115,000 more than was harvested in 1943-44. The cigar industry was also given a great impetus by the emergencies of war. A monthly average of 12,000,000 cigars was manufactured, half of which were exported to the States.

Coffee: Although coffee cultivation on the Island has been declining for some years, the 304,556 quintals harvested in 1944 45 represent a gain of more than 114,000 quintals over the 1943-44 crop. A cooperative association, the "Cafeteros de Puerto Rico", assisted in the marketing of this product. Of importance to the strengthening of coffee production is the appropriation by the last Legislature of $5,000,000 for the establishment of a corporation, within the Department of Agriculture and Commerce, to insure the coffee crop against hurricane damage.

Pineapples: Exports of fresh pineapple were made possible for the first time in two years by improvements in shipping facilities. Of the estimated 550,000 crates of pineapple produced, 10,000 crates were shipped to the Continent as fresh fruit, while 335,000 of the 350,000 cases of the canned product were also exported.

Coconuts: This crop has shown little change in production for the past five years, although exports increased by almost 3,000,000 nuts over that of 1943-44. In all, 24,000,000 nuts were harvested in 1944-45, a decline of 1,000,000 from the previous year.

Food Crops: Most food crops continued to register a decided increase over pre-war years, although the total food crop production during the fiscal year was 21.4 per cent less than during the preceding year. Vegetables were the only food that showed a gain (9.7 per

cent) over the production of 1943-44. Ninety-two per cent of all vegetables consumed in the Island in 1944–45 were grown locally.

The Department distributed $104,215 worth of seed and fertilizer to 21,314 farmers. A total of 21,000 acres was utilized in the planting program.

Fertilizer: One of the great handicaps to the crop-raising program since 1942 was removed this year with the resumption of shipping services and the attendant increase in importation of essential fertilizer materials. The pre-war level of imports of this commodity was surpassed, with a total of 168,757 tons being received. This figure is significant, when compared with the 150,000 tons received in 1940-41, and the 59,399 tons imported in 1942-43.

Animal Husbandry: The work of this division was centered around six different lines of activity; (1) the eradication of bovine tuberculosis; (2) eradication of contagious abortion; (3) calfhood vaccination with "strain 18"; (4) vaccination against epizootic diseases; (5) diagnosis and treatment of common ailments and surgical operations; and (6) inspection of imported cattle.

The campaign against bovine tuberculosis continues to show gratifying results, and the records for the past 10 years indicate a steady and persistent reduction in the number of positive reactors. The tick eradication program, on the other hand, was hampered by insufficient veterinary personnel.

Soil Conservation: The Committee on Conservation of Agricultural Wealth, working by cooperative agreement with individual farmers, reported a favorable year in which contour farming was applied to a total of 12,743 acres, 53,500 terraces were built on 475 acres and conservation practices were applied on 12,000 acres of land under agreements made during the previous year. Application of these methods resulted in substantial increases in sugar cane production, coffee, food and forage crops.

Forestry: The forestry services received increased financial assistance from the Insular Government. The Puerto Rico Planning Board approved a six-year public works program relating to forestry which was to start on July 1, 1945. This new program will include the reforestation of public lands, the establishment of four new massproduction nurseries, the purchase of new lands, the extension of soil conservation practices on tillable lands, and the construction of new roads and foot and horse trails within the Insular forests. The Legislature appropriated $1,000,000 in 1945 for the first year of this program.