St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-22
No Inspection Taking Place
and Oil Companies Ruling
the State.
An Intimation That a Diserep.
ency May Exist in the
Accounts.
Plan to Turn Over the Oil In
spection to the Dairy
Department.

passed Without Just a little tinge of eX
element or a sensational incident or
two. Yesterdays session was no eXcep-
ton to this rule. except that the sensa-
ton of the day came in the shape of
report from the committee on illuminate
ing oils, in which the results Of their
investigation of the state oil inspectors
office are given. Along with the
voluminous testimony of the witnesses
examined was comprehensive review
OF the whole matter, together with
bill prepared by Chairman March, and
designed to rectify the evils of the pres
ent system.
The report, however, is terrible ar
raignment of the present state govern
ment, which seems to have surrendered
itself wholly to the oil companies in
consideration of these companies con-
Senting to pay the salary Of the present
oil inspector and his son, who is his
deputy. The report, signed by Senators
March, Dedon and Mayo, follows:
The KepOrt.
The senate committee on Illuminating
oils, having investigated the conduct of
the office of the present oil Inspector of
this state, reports as follows:
At the time the present inspector.
Samuel Nichols, assumed the duties of
state oil Inspector about March l, 1889,
the law of 1876 relating to state oil in
spectlon was in force. Under this law
the compensation of the inspector was
dependent upon the number of barrels
inspected, the fee being 40 cents for
testing and marking a single barrel,
cask or package; 80 cents when not eX-
ceeding five in number; % cents when
not exceeding ten i'll number, and 20
cents when Ill packages greater than
ten submitted at one time for inSpec-
ton. Under this law the inspector was
entitled to receive all such fees and paid
his deputies certain salaries.
On March %. 1889, the law of 1889
with regard to state OIL inspection went
into effect, under which the state in
spector was to receive salary of S2.400
per annum. There should be but one
deputy in any county. and the compen-
sation of the deputies was TO be a certain
commission on oil inspected by them.
About the latter part of the year 1899.
certain suits were brought i'll the dis
trict court for Hennepin county by oil
companies doing business in the state
against the OIL inspector, it being the
purpose of such suits to obtain the con-
structiOn of the court on that part of
the law of 1889 relating TO the amount
of fees. to be paid for the inspection of
oil, with the Intention that such fees be
reduced.
About Feb. 1, 1890, a decision was filed
in said suits, in which the court held
that as basis of inspection fees under
tne iaw' tank car or storage tank con.
Stituted single package. The effect of
this decision was that thereafter all
compensation for inspection was prac-
tically abolished, since almost the entire
amount of oil inspected in the cities of
Minneapolis, St.-Paul and Duluth was
submitted by the oil companies for in
specton in tank cars or storage tanks.
and the fees for such inspection, accord
ing to the decision, were not sufficient to
pay the expenses of the deputies, and
since there was no provision in the law
for the payment of the salary of the
state Inspector except from the commits
sionS received, the compensation of the
Inspector and deputies practically
failed. Preparations were made TO ap-
peal from this decision, but an appeal
was never taken, and private arrange
mentS having been made between the
different oil companies and the inspector
for the payment of salaries to the in
spector and deputies.
Oil Companies Take Charge.
Immediately after the decision of the
court, the Inspector and deputies being
unwilling to serve for the reduced COM
pensation, threatened to resign, and.
since it was obligatory upon the oil
companies. under the law. that their oil
be inspected under state supervision,
an arrangement was entered into with
the advice of the governor and attorney
general, whereby the Standard Oil com
pany was to pay the state inspector
salary OF $3.50 per month, and the .Inde-
pendent, Excelsior, Chester and North
western Star Oil companies were to pay
together S100 per month as the salary of
a deputy inspector, such payments
being i'll lieu of all tees for state inspec-
tion OF oil in this state.
The evidence adduced at the investi-
CATION shows that about June /, 1890.
the deputy inspector for Hennepin
county, Mr.. Lane, resigned, and that
since that time W. A. Nichols has been
the deputy inspector for the counties of
Hennepin, Ramsey and st. Louis.
The evidence further shows that since
the arrangement above referred to went
into effect, about February or March,
1890, and more particularly since June
l, 1890, there has been practically no in
spection of illuminating oils in this state
by state officials, but that whatever in
spection has been made has been by
the different Oil companies, and only
for their own satisfaction. Thus it ap-
pears that since about the 1st Of June,
1890, the people of this state have been
protected only in very slight degree
from the dangers of using impure oils.
The testimony further shows that
stencils were left with the different oil
companies by the state inspector or his
deputy. by which the companies caused
their barrels containing oil to be
branded by their own employees without
the supervision of any state official. 1t
appears that after the arrangement for
the payment of the inspector and dep
uties' salaries by the oil companies was
made, the attitude of the inspector to-
ward his duties may be summed up in
a few words of his testimony: 81 am
under no obligations to the state of
Minnesota. The Standard Oil company
paid me-" There seems to be some rea-
son, however, for the
Lack of Inspection.
since the arrangement for salaries to be
paid by the oil companies provided
simply for the salary of one deputy at
500 per month, and the testimony show
ed that a thorough inspection would re-
quire at least one deputy in each of the
counties of Hennepin, Ramsey and st.
Louis; but this is hardly sufficient
excuse for the almost entire absence of
as shown by the testimony.
The committee further reports that
certain evidence was adduced at the in