NationStates Jolt Archive

The Royal Dutch company has announced that it has discovered a sizeable oil deposit on the island of Aruba, formerly of little value to the Netherlands. The Royal Dutch company, which is dominated by British shareholders has already started plans to build oil refineries on Aruba and begin searching for more such petroleum on nearby islands, such as Curacao.

Wall Street Journal
With the discovery of oil in the Caribbean, the price of Standard Oils stocks are expected to climb in value. The only potential danger is if the supply of oil becomes a glut, dropping the price too steeply.

Washington Post
US Navy expands Caribbean squadron (story headline)

(story)
The US Navy has upgraded its Caribbean squadron with a pair of armored cruisers, plus some protected cruisers to reinforce the collection of gunboats and torpedo boats already in the area. The completion of the new base in Cuba, and a good working relationship with the British at Jamaica, and the Texans at Galveston allows the US to maintain a larger force in the region to protect US trade and American lives and property in Latin America and the Caribbean.

A navy spokesman denied concerns about the Colombians and Colombian expansion even though only a few years ago the very same Colombians defeated the Spanish and seized Puerto Rico, a few short miles from the American Virgin Islands and not far from Cuba.

The Netherlands has opted to station a few extra gunboats in the region to increase security around Aruba. The vulnerability of the small island is a point of some concern for Dutch legislators. It is hoped that the extra gunboats will help provide security for the ill-defended island that is now shown to be rich in oil.

National Mercantile Incorporated and various other companies, with offices on Martinique and other French Indies islands, wish to soon do business with Aruba and her mother country.