The Mallorcan oil tanker that rivaled the powerful Joan March

When talking about great magnates in Spanish history, the figure of Juan March Ordinas inevitably comes to mind, the Mallorcan who was described as the last pirate of the Mediterranean and who was a key figure in the victory of Franco's army during the Civil War. It is said that, at his peak, he was one of the richest men in the world, so much so that the fortune he bequeathed to future generations remains one of Spain's greatest assets. But when he was trying to become a millionaire businessman through a pig farm and tobacco smuggling, both activities undertaken by his father, the Salas family was already a well-established fortune that had dominated Mallorca for generations. The Salas son, who, curiously, was born the same year as March, would be the main enemy of this rising magnate, and the clashes between the two would often be public and notorious. Our protagonist was part of that local aristocracy that March considered lazy.

When Manuel Salas was born, his family was already well-known as one of the island's largest landowners. They weren't content with simply receiving the land rents; they also invested in highly lucrative industrial businesses. Coinciding with his birth, they launched one of the first oil refineries in the entire state, La Petrolera, which rivals La Pensilvania owned by the Vilella family of Reus as a pioneer. They later created La Salinera Española, a highly successful sea salt extraction plant, as well as shipping businesses. At just eighteen years old, Salas began managing this empire following the premature death of his father. During this youth, the heir relied on the executives of each of the family businesses, who had been his father's most trusted confidants. In 1905, he joined the board of directors of Banc de Crèdit Balear, the most important financial institution in the region.

At the turn of the century, one of the young Salas's first initiatives was to invest in the booming automobile sector, which was about to lead to an exponential increase in fuel demand. In 1910, he created the first gas station network in Mallorca and one of the first in Spain, where he marketed the product under the Águila brand. He was also a distributor for the British oil company Shell. Regarding rural properties, through Agrícola Mallorquina, he began direct exploitation without sharecropping, introducing innovative methods based on the use of chemical fertilizers and new cultivation techniques. He also boosted the shipping business with the creation of La Naviera Mallorquina in 1924. A decade later, he collaborated in the establishment of Banesto on the island. He also directed Compraflet, a central oil purchasing company that the various state refinery owners had already launched during his father's time. Salas's frenetic business activity was highly praiseworthy considering the obsessive-compulsive disorder he suffered from, which severely limited his social life: he was unable to shake anyone's hand and delegated most relationships to trusted employees. He also refused to touch physical money or have direct contact with a door lock.

Salas's political involvement was profound, always alongside fellow Majorcan Antoni Maura, founder of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister on five occasions between 1903 and 1922. He himself served as a councilor on Palma City Council for this party.

Returning to his business, the rise of Primo de Rivera's dictatorship brought about a momentous change, with the creation of a state-owned oil monopoly managed by Campsa. Companies like the Catalan company Sabadell & Henry lost their businesses and became shareholders in this new monopoly, in which the state held a third of the capital. In Salas's case, his refinery was so important that he became the second largest private shareholder in Campsa, behind only Banesto.

Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of his death, the book was published Manuel Salas Sureda, Spain's largest oil refiner, written by her cleaner, Sofia Rotger Salas, and where much emphasis is placed on the constant attacks she received from March.