-THE ROYAL DUTCH IN THE BRITISH GROUP.
Scarcely had the Armistice been signed when Britain resumed her silent labour towards monopoly, and straight way delivered a master-stroke by bringing the Royal Dutch within her grip. This enterprise, thanks to the wealth of its fields in the Sunda Islands (Java, Sumatra, Timor, etc.), its powerful financial organisation and its fleet of tank steamers, was by far the most important of the European trusts. To be frank, it had lately been suspected of a certain sympathy with Germany, whose market it used to supply. But when war supervened, the British navy, by its command of the seas, was in a position to hold up its traffic completely. And, therefore, it prudently placed its resources at the disposal of the Allies, gaining thereby a huge increase of business and of profits. The downfall of the German Empire and the Draconian clauses of the Treaty of Versailles which spell the ruin of German shipping and industry for ten years, convinced it that it could only enjoy security through an understanding with Britain.
As early as 1907 an association had been formed between the Shell Transport and the Royal Dutch. Each of the two companies kept its separate financial organisation, but each agreed to grant to the other participation to the extent of 4o per cent. in all new subsidiaries, and a most comprehensive commercial understanding was reached upon all questions concerning markets, prices, freights, etc. Henceforward, the Dutch trust, whose enormous interests scattered all over the world little Holland was quite incap able of defending, enjoyed the protection of the British Government. The latter, in return, has obtained an
associate whose contribution is represented by a production of 10 million tons a year, a fleet of tankers of 600,000 tons (ten times that of France), enormous concessions in the East Indies, Rumania, the United States, and Central America, and a system of affiliated companies with a total capital of over 200 millions sterling.
By the side of this formidable trust is ranged the Shell Transport with a fleet almost as large (554,609 tons, with out counting chartered or controlled ships or the monitors bought from the Government and adapted for the transport of oil), with a production of 2,092,907 tons in the Dutch East Indies and 2,880,00o barrels in the United States, and a system of affiliated companies with a total capital also running into many millions of pounds.
The Mexican Eagle, belonging to the Pearson group, passed in its turn under the control of Sir Marcus Samuel.
As for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Burmah Oil Company, half of whose capital is held by the Admiralty, they are only light cruisers which naturally sail in company with the three great battleships.
This formidable combination was engineered with great rapidity during the months immediately following the Armistice. For Britain it was the first and not the least savoury of the fruits of victory.