Sept 1941

were built at Aruba and Curacao. The amazed islanders found their rocky and lonely lands transformed into acres of oiltanks and forests of chimneystacks and their countryside overrun by an army of feverishly active white men.

They must have felt as we would if the earth were suddenly invaded by the men from Mars.

Approaching Aruba from the sea the eye is repelled by a barren coastline, unrelieved by green—not even a palm tree. A reef standing off shore about 300 yards encloses a stretch of calm blue water, edged at one point by a strip of white sand. This lagoon forms the bathing place for the white population, while the reef-protected water is an ideal place for small yachts which can cruise in safety in the strongest wind.

Sailing lacks variety, however, as the wind blows eternally from the north-east, changing only in strength.

The current flows with the wind and never changes direction, but this combination has two great advantages. Smoke and fumes are blown clear of the residential areas, and oil and rubbish, which would ruin the beach for swimmers, is carried clear of the bathing and yachting centre. These considerations are, in fact, directly responsible for the building of the residential area at the eastern end of the island. Rows of bungalows house the married men and their families, and a touch of colour has rewarded the strenuous efforts made to maintain a few flower beds. Single men live in large, square, barrack-like buildings and are content without flowers.

Native employees, shopkeepers and others who obtain a living indirectly from the oil business, live to the north and north-west of the installation. This district is clear of smoke and fumes but has no beach or clear view of the sea.

The small town of San Nicholas huddles round the main gate of the refinery. It has two shops which approach western European standards. The rest consist of the usual rooms full of junk, with, of course, a large number of hairdressing saloons and a still larger number of saloons where beer and ice-cream may be bought—if not enjoyed. Dutch police, assisted by native constables, are responsible for law and order, but few Dutchmen have other interests there.

The population as a whole is made up of British and American employees of the installation, and a large number of West Indian natives, who were brought in to do the manual work. In addition to these there is a small number of olive-skinned descendants of the original inhabitants.

They are a well-educated, smilingly courteous people, and both sexes are employed in departmental offices at the installation.

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