Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-02-04
CHEAP OIL AND RAILWAY MONOPOLY

The Pennsylvania Pipe Laying scheme as
it has come to be called-the project which pur-
poses to make Pittsburg rather than Philadel-
phia the main refining centre of crude petroleum,
and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad rather than
the Pennsylvania Central the principal carrier of
the great products one of the most interest
ing and important inter State questions of the
day. 1t is interesting from its industrial and
economic aspects, and it is particularly import
ant as illustrating anew the tendency of modern
railway monopoly. Precisely as the giant
" Reading overlays and sutrocates the antlra-
cite coal region of Pennsylvania, so does Col.
Scott's railway rule the other natural products
and industries of that State,-and with rod
which it scarcely seems possible to break. Mo-
nopoly is opposed to cheapness, and that should
be--all considerations of fairness apart-suf-
fcient reason why the citizen should desire to
see unwhoesome barriers stricken down. The
poor man should get his light cheaply but that
is matter of no consequence to the carrier,
whose interest it il to convey the oil out of the
direct path, thus adding to the cost of every
gallon.
before proceeding to other points in this do
nonstraton it may be well to inform the reader
that the system of underground pipes for the
conveyance of crude oil from the wells to the
refneries is no new thing. Coincident with the
discovery of oil it was seen That such method
of transportation was the cheapest and most
convenient that could be devised. The first cost
of apparatus by this system might be considera-
BILE, but after that the expense would be merely
nominal. II oil can carry itself what need of
expensive railway service? The case is much
t1,a in, mil Iiar
service. The convenient and reasonable system
in use would scarcely be exchanged for a cum
brous and expensive carting of the vital element
The advantage of the oil pipes was seen i'll the
beginning of the petroleum production, and this
method of carriage is common throughout But
ier county, Pa, and surrounding sections. But
Allegheny Co. was exempted by special lcgala-
tive enactment from such privilege and the de-
sign thereof il clear. The Pennsylvania Central
desired the profit of transporting the oil for as
great distance possible. The present agita-
tion arises solely from the effort making to re-
move the restriction against the pipe system in
Allegheny Co. thus allowing oil to be carried in-
to pittsburg by the underground method.
Now what are the simple rights of this mat
ter +! The question is not, what il the interest
of the Pennsylvania Central, but what conduces
to the greatest good of the greatest number
The public does not care how the oil il eonveyed
it is only concerned in getting it as cheaply as
possible, and it has right to demand that the
minimum of cost should be reached i'll an article
of such prime necessity. Philadelphia is more
than fifteen times further from the oil regions
than Pittsburgh fact which demonstrates the
question of cheapness without any further ar
ffpn, All; 10 h. nail ~, /;
for the supply of Philadelphia and Eastern
Pennsylvania would still have to come back by
railway the reply is evident that this is not To-
cal question but general one. The demand
just indicated is tritling compared with the
whole demand for coal oil. Sufficient of the
crude article for the supply OF Philadelphia and
surrounding parts might if desirable still be
shipped in the old way, but the question is
where can the supply for the world be refined
most cheaply, and how most directly exported :?
and it is question that carries its answer with
it.
Ii, now, AZ extensive p!pe-syatcn as one
stretching from Butler county to tho Delaware
were practicable Pittsburg would have no special
claim. There is no desire to rob phlladclphia OF
any source of leyenue, but only the wish to deal
fairly with the people at large Bat, as we say
conduts of 800 miles in length are not praetica-
ble-they are only servecabe in tue short dis.
tances obtaining in the oil regions, and that
consideration removes from tho opponent of the
railway monopoly any suspicion Of partially.
Another point, relative to the disturbance of
capital at Philadelphia by the new rule, can be
dismissed easily. Capital was either drawn
thither by the opportunity offered or is part OF
the. railway speculation Men WHO want to enter
the business of refining will follow the source
oil supply, and it IL all one to them whether thcy
locate in Philadelphia, Plttsburg or Cleveland
Very little of philadelphia's distinctive wealth is
in the business and the parties now engaged in
it in our neighborng cty-where not railway
men-would willingly move their works to Pitts
burg where they could operate more directly and
inexpensively.
The unprejudiced person can have no difficult
tyin arriving at the conclusion that the ban
against the oil conduits in Allegheny county
should be removed, Sach an act would not only
make oil cheaper but 1t would be IA reminder to
Colonel Scott that he does not yet entirely own
the State Of Pennsylvania.