New-York tribune., 1872-12-09
PROBLEMS IN LIGHTS.

ANOTHER CORNER IN OLA COMBINATION
AGAINST CONSUMERS.
The oil regions are again III state OF com
mercia agitation Tie refining and producing interests
which, scarcely year ago, were antagonstlc, have
now united against all Of petroleum through
out tho world. The meeting Of the Refners' AS
soc atlon which occurred Friday night, in the OF
gons was held Il s generally believed. for the purpose
Of completing the union which creates monopoly moro
exacting than was the South Improvement Company"
which 10 was the province II TIE TRIBUNE TO expose
Iu that instance there was union OF tho railroad
companies with the refners, against the producers aud
the consumers The present coalition OF the retncrs and
producers against the trade and the actual consumers Is
however, OF alarming character, as It Is monop-
oily which cannot bo broken unless tho OF petroleum
Is discontinued tho railroad companies decline to
transport the OIL The former expedent IT, perhaps ont
Of the question: while the latter course on the port OF
railroad corporations Is not to be expected by the
public
The present close corporation, formed by the Pro-
ducers and Eenners A. oeiation, which opposed each
other last Winter ha3it within its power 10 hX price
upon crude and refined oils. lower than which it shall
not he sold fact worthy of rctnlrk thar for the
past five years the rcDOrs have not realized any appre
cbe margin from their business ana this movement IS
made in their interest rather th1n that OF
the producers. The price which they have
been forced TO pay for crudo of in Ttusvillo
or OIL CITY has been 10 cents per gallon; the
transportation TO NcwYork, Cleveland or PITTSBURGH
has added cents and the cost OF refining 10 cents per
gallon This gives total cost Of 90 cens per gallon for
refined oil which has sold to tho trade at FROM 27 to
ga cents After allowance has been made for the dan
gerous nature OF the business the high rates Of insurance
and leakages, this profit has not been adequate
During the last six months however great advance IN
the price OF naphtha has enabled the Tedners TO
make a handsome profit from a branch OF the bu-
sness which in former times did not yield any revenue
The many aud varied uses TO which this product OF
petroleum Is now applied have increased the demand
as TO advance the price from TO SO 40 per barrel This
advance it Is claimed by the obbng trade, yields su
fcien profit to the without any further advance
In kerosene
The compact which is consummated leaves both
tho trade and the individual consumers without any
remedy and they will have TO submit TO the advance
The next thing anticipated by the oil men OF NewYork
is that the corporation will get control of the railroads
The union OF the Producers aud Reners Associations
In close corporation virtually excludes all outsiders
whether large capitalists small dealers The former
viii certainly desire 10 enter the trade when tho
price OF both crude and refined article entirely be-
yond their control
GAS TROUBLES IN BROOKLYN.
Gas consumers ia Brooklyn are much ex
cited at present over the largely increased gas bills
which the companies call upon themto for an article
which becoming gradually poorer, and, In some sec
ons Of the city, u not equal 10 its Illuminating power
to kerosene the antquated talow candle The info
ror quality OF the gas has become apparent since
the reduction OF cents 1000 feet on account OF the
canceling OF the Government tax, which the companies
had pay previously. During the past three months
the complaints Of the have been loud and
frequent and every II Is charged that while they
do not burn much gas their bills have been larger
The companies representative say that complaints
usual at this but that they not TO blame, the
fault really being that something wrong in the meters
and that gasburners out As 10 the quality OF the
gas the companies claim that IL good usual and
equa 70 1Et candles The photometers they cain new
err show less than a. nor more candles, and the
average Is little over I5 They also assert that the
Is made from the best bltuminous COAL aud that no
adulteratiOns nsed