The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-10-04
1HE STANDARD COMING
Great Oil Combination to
Bid for Crude Oil
POSITIVE Information RECEIVED
Operations Will Commence
Within Thirty Days
TANKS AND CARS ASSIGNED
Product Will Be Shipped to Points OF
Consumption
Some Local Oil Men Are Apparently
Doubters
Some Local Oil Men Are Apparently
Doubters
They Think That II the Standard People
Were Coming Here They Wonid Take
No Advance Announcements-lr-
terviews With Producers

Tho information received by James Z.
Harvey, the agent Of the Standard Oil
com pany in this city, is very direct and
to the point. 1t is to the effect that the
company will positively be in the mar
kst soon to buy crude oil for fuel pur-
poses and that it will furnish transpvrta-
ton for stho oil to points where it will
be consumed.
Mr.. Harvey has been very numerously
questioned during the past few days as
to whether or not the Standard people
intended to do just this very thing. So
he wired the San Francisco Office, which
is the headquarters for the Pacific coast
business of the Standard and asked for
Information. H got it.
Yesterday afternoon at 4:55 Mr.. Har-
vey received message in cipher which
when translated reao as follows:
Telegram received. Say to all inter-
ested that Standard Oil company will
positively be in the market soon to buy
crude oil for fuel purposes ana that 1t
will furnish transportation to points
where oil will be consumed "
This telegram comes from the Pacific
coast manager of the Standards interests
and he in turn ~eceives his instructions
from the New YORK Office at 26 Broad.
way.
"Ocr company has made straight,
open proposition, said Local Manager
Harvey last evening. THE tanks and
tank cars have already been detailed to
this coast and within thirty days we will
be ready to bid ftr oil here and to carry
it where it will he consumed.
''We were forced to make an early an
nour cement of Jur intentions, owing to
the fac. that contracts were dal'y being
made which would soon tie up uost OF
the oil produced here. Therefore infor-
nation as to what we will do has been
given to the producers that they may
prutt by it.
WHAT THE DOUBTERS SAY.
Despite this plain statement of Mana
ger Harvey there are some oil men who
doubt. They give their reasons for their
disbelefs and tell why they think the
Standard people will not inavde the Los
Angeles field. '"The Standard Oil COM
pany does not enter any oil field in any
part of the United States or elsewhere
until thu signal of distress is flung to the
breeze and mas been floating for some
time" This is what prominent local
oil operator said yesterday and the man
knew what he was talking about, for he
has had something like twentythree
years experience in observing the maneu-
vers of that gigantic corporation in the
oil fields of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"In the first place." said the old timer
at il hard enough to find out the moves
that the Standard Oil company maKes
after the play is completed, let alone as
certainIng what thev are going to do be-
fore their plans are consummated.
do you really suppose that for one
instant if the Standard people were going
to handle the Southern California oil
product they would have their agents
giving out their plans in advance of any
actual movement on their part to consum-
mate the deal it is reported they are 60
ing to carry through? Not for one
minute would such be the case.
LAS a matter of fact tho Standard Oil
company can enter the field here in Los
Angeles if 1t desires to do 30, but it has
no desire TO. the field is TOP small; tho
Industry is at present in no way interfer
ing with the monopoly and it Is in too
PROSPEROUS a condition-peerhapss not at
present. but in prospective-for the
Standard folks to desire to bother with
our oil affairs. They can raise the price
of illuminating oil a few cents and clean
up 500, 900, 900 rs they did last slring,
in very short time. Why, even if the
Los Angeles output was 1000 barrels of
fuel oil day they could not afford to
be both with 1T and would not be-. "
These sentiments expressed above
seemed to be generally indorsed by every
one in the city who knows anything
about the Standard Oil company. Never
theless there are quite number of pro-
ducers who seem TO think that it would
be a good thing if the Standard monop-
oly did enter the field here. They talk
about the competition that would there
by result. But these parties forget that
the Standard Oil company does not know
that such word as com petition has
definition in Webster's dictionary, and
at least no such word has over Deen used
as applied to their operations in any oil
field.
President r. II. Heron of the Oil ex-
change wires from San Francisco that
the agent OF the Standard monopoly there
informed him that his company did not
propose to purchase any fuel Oil on this
coast.
There is quite feeling among good
Standard Oil com pany entering the field
here is put forth by few who desire to
retard the growth of the oil exchange
and to ultimately break 1t up. There are
oil inen here who are trying to disrupt
the organization, out as yet they have
met with only nominal success.
The friends of the exchange claim that
it is steadily growing and that it Is today
in healthier statr than it has ever been
before Nevertheless some folks are in
dnstriousy peddling the story that the
oil exchange is on the verge of dissolu-
tiOn.
"Yes," said Secretary T. ]. Cochran
Of the exchange yesterday afternoon,
''There are some people who would like
to see the exchange 20 to pieces, but it
will not The exhange TO-DAY controls
more than two-thirds of all the oil land
in and around this city. We will soon
have it practically all in our hands'H