The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-11

cars to the places the oil was shipped from.
Whenever an iudependent oil-dealer shipped
oil out IN cyllndeT-car he had to pay sos
for its haulage back again. This discrim-
lnatlon and the difference Of AZ = cents
hundred pounds in favor of the company
gave il tremendous advantage over all its
competitors. That was what ran so many
Of them out OF the business. Favored by the
railroads, the Standard could sell oil in this
market at the same price that il cost other
shippers to lay il down here. Ii was dis
elimination Of the rankeSt sort.
wren the interstate commerce law went
into effect the Standard began TO cease
shipping In cylinder-caTs aud to build tank
cars. constructed like a boxcar, with O.
tank in each end over the trucks, aud
in this at first, but gradually ii dawned upon
US. The railroads were becoming tired of
changing their rates so often TO suit the
Standard. 1t was nuisance, as notice had
To be given to the Interstate Comm cree
Commissioners each time, and there was
lot OF red tape to 60 through. Then, too, il
the cyllnder-cars were kept In use. under
the new law everybody must be given the
same privileges. There must be no free
haulage OF cyiinder-cars for the Standard
and Big charge for everybody else. The
companies could not risk that sort of thing
So in the course of time the Union
Tank Line, controlled by the Standard, had
large number Of these double-tank cars IN
use and there was patent On them, so
that nobody else could use them without
running the risk of a lawsuit Then the
railroads made a fixed set of rates open to
everybody, and its agents now smile be-
nlgnly whenever the word Discrimination ,
is mentioned.
Discrimination they now say; why.
You can charge US with discrimination or
OF manipulating rates up and down to SUIT
the Standard. Rates are firm, and YOU can
nave the same Tariff to work on that the
Standard does And then they smile again.
Now the reason for that smile is TINS :
They know ii Is true that rates are firm, but
they haul the Standards tankcars for moth
Ing each way, while they make charge Of
800 for hauling our cylinder-cars. They
know we can't use tankcars without risking
lawsuit. SO they have the dead wool on
us. The railroad people claim that they can
use the tankcars back again for freight, but
they won't d. il.
p" How is it that we can't get at them
through the interstate commerce law? Be-
cause that law declares that rates and priyi-
leges shall be the same to all, under like
circumstances and conditions And, you
see, the Interpretation put upon the law is
tnat the conditions are different when oil Is
shipped in tanKcars from what they are
when 1t is shipped in our cylnder-cars.
his Is now the only advantage eHjoyed
by the Standard over the other oil compa-
MES. but II iS great one. IL other people
couln saIeiy use t1nkcars there would be
no advantage at all, and the Standards
monopoly on this Coast could be broken In
The course of time. But they cannot do 90.
One firm that has attempted it has been
beset by lawsuits al every term.
Now let me show you how the rates ran
M and down TO suit the Standard before IL
came to rely on this means of shipment
Here are some of the figures, from June.
1887, to the present time, the rates being
given from PIttsburg and Buffalo. from the
common points of which places most of the
oil has come until recently: