The sun., 1919-05-04

, win not be questioned that in future.
II wars shall continue. they will be |
Just that, even to a greater extent !
than was the last war
Putting on one side a great number |
or great but yet smaller concerns and |
combinations 1t can be said that the
international oil trade is dominated BY
and is the object OF acute competition
between the Standard Oil and the
Royal Dutch Shell concerns. The
Royal Dutch group Is credited with
the most widely distributed produc-
ton; 1t has holdings in we'll nigh all
the fields OF the world, sells It's prod
ucts everywhere and has now the
backing, II highly circumstantial re-
port Is correct, Of the British Govern
! ment; perhaps indirectly. but appar-
emily very concretely. Originally a |
Holland concern. Its supplies repre-
scented the fabulously rich fields Of the
Dutch East Indies. 1t has expanded
| into India, Mexico. about all the North
| American fields. South America, and
| is strong in Mexico. 1t far surpasses
, any other interest in its holdings in
Rumania, the status Of which Is now.
| however, very uncertain as a result of
| the war. 1t is reaching for the fields
| OF Mesopotamia, which promise to be
| OF great Importance. and of Persia. In
fact. wherever is oil there is the Dutch
Shell.
Great Britain in Business.
During the war it was we'll under
! stood In England that the Dutch Shell
| maintained relations with the British
| Government that, despite its rating as
I Dutch interest, made II for British
| purposes almost an auxiliary of the
Government. A few months ago a
I. modest cable despatch OF a few lines
told rather graphically that tho British
| Government had taken control OF the
system. Exactly what the new re-
! lationship is never has been explained
fully; but it Is obvious that the Brit
ish Government. peculiarly dependent
| on Oil because there is no worth while
production in Britain, and the British
| shipping position must in future de-
pend largely on control Of Oil for fuel.
long has been giving most important
support to British interests seeking
Oil control in various parts OF the
world. The intimacies Of the Cowdray
group In Mexico and Colombia, with
the British Foreign Office, have not
escaped observation.
Oil is one Of the first objects OF in
ternauonal political and colonizing in
terest in every important chancellery
or the world. Oil men take little stock
In the notion that the British Govern
| ment has bought into the Dutch Shell
group In the outright fashion in which
Disraeli bought the Khedive holdings
In the Suez Canal That would be
offensive to minor sovereignties which
would see foreign government Sc
curing title to some OF their most
valuable natural resources. But that
the influence, power and interest of
his MaJesty's Government has been
placed at the shoulder OF the Dutch
Shell organization is not to be seri-
ously doubted.
Hollands Wise Foresight.
Next to steel the oil business of this
country is now regarded by people In
Innate with its development as leading
the industrials. Down to the begin
ming OF the war we produced here
about go per cent. OF the worlds petro-
leum--and had wasted 1t in a scan
dalous fashion to boot. Its importance
has moved governments to establish
various degrees OF control over IT,
Holland having even set aside great
area of the richest oil lands in the
Dutch East indies as a sort of Gov
eminent reserve. much as the United
States has done with the naval oil re-
serves in California.
The Dutch Shell group and the
Standard Oil system are tho great
rivals for leadership in the oil world.
The Dutch interest has devoted itself
to widespread development; the
Standard confined itself largely to in
tensive operations in the United
States; has been more largely in
terested in refining and marketing,
while the Dutch combination has been
IL diEsct producer ~ weii - rshnsrI