Deterding conducts his business like a soldier. He accepts or refuses a proposition once and for all. It is often dangerous not to fall in with his wishes. The _New Schibaïeff Petroleum Corporation_ has had experience of this. Reconstituted in 1913, with a capital of £1,150,000, it set itself against the will of Deterding. He fought, and at the end of the struggle the £1 shares were worth 6-1/2d., at which price the _Royal Dutch_ bought them up, at the same time condescending to accept control of the company. The establishment of close relations between the _Royal Dutch-Shell_ and the British Government was one of the most noticeable activities of the oil-world. It has not been proved that the British Government really controls the _Royal Dutch_, although well-informed people believe it. If there has been any change in the direction of the _Royal Dutch_, which, according to the constitution of the company, should remain in Dutch hands, it must have been effected as a result of agreements between the Dutch and British Governments, for the shares of the _Royal Dutch_ were held by interests closely connected with the Royal Family of the Netherlands. An alliance of this nature would have great advantages. Besides, since the British Government has purchased the control of the _Anglo-Persian_, Sir Marcus Samuel has made great efforts to induce it to take an interest in the _Royal Dutch-Shell_ group. The _Royal Dutch_ has become more British than ever since 1922, when it ceded the greater part of its share in the _Shell_ to the purely British consortium directed by the bank of _Cull and Company_. Deterding would find it difficult to do without the support of British foreign policy. He knew this very well when he transferred his offices from The Hague to London. The most striking proof of the alliance between the British Government and the _Royal Dutch_ is the course of events in India, where the oil situation is peculiar. In 1905, in exchange for certain exclusive rights and for a protective tariff granted by the State, the _Burmah Oil Company_ consented to maintain a fixed price for kerosene. In India, in an open market, kerosene would cost £25,000,000 sterling instead of £11,000,000 annually. Such, at least, is the opinion of Sir John Cargill, Chairman of the _Burmah Oil_. Before the War, there was overproduction of kerosene in India; this surplus has since been transformed into a veritable dearth. The _Royal Dutch_ supplied the _Burmah Oil_ with the petroleum that was needed to satisfy the Indian market. Thanks to Deterding, India will continue to get its oil cheaper than other countries. Without his help there would have been a considerable rise in price, and the _Burmah Oil_, in which the British Admiralty is interested, would have been weakened, and would have fallen into the hands of other companies.