The herald., 1895-04-06
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The Story of the Oil Combine Is
Confirmed
A BIG INCREASE IN REVENUES
The Standard VIII Hereafter Supply the
Whittier Concern
Local Produce nsrkets Generally Unchanged
Except Eggs, Which Registered
Another Drop
A BIG INCREASE IN REVENUES

The oil com bine was the principal topic
,pl talk in local trade circles yesterday,
and the advance in price was generally
attributed to this influence, despite the
emphatic denial OF Mr.. Lothian, the local
partner of W. 7. Fuller ~ Co. In line
with the He,ald's remarks on the same
subject yesterday the following from the
San Francisco Examiner OF Thursday will
be found of special interest at this time,
in view of the increase in prices noted:
wv. P. Fuller & Co. have gone over to
the Standard Oil trust and coal oil has
advanced cent agallon.
THE old firm of Whittier Fuller Co.,
which was succeeded by W. p. Fuller ~
Co., waged for years bitter war with
the monopoly, and managed to holu up
its end against the big combine.
.'.All that is ended, and although W. +.
Fuller & Co. will nominaly maintain
distinct existence, the bulk OF their sup.
niles of petroleum and its products Will
come from Standard Oil sources.
II. NJ. Telford OF New Nork, president
of the Standard Oil company, has been here
for a week, and to him is attributed the
successful absorption OF the local flrm.
'W p. Miller, the manager OF the coast
brancn of the Standard Oil business, ad-
mittcd yesterday that while W. L. fuiler
d Co. would continue in business ana
their men still have charge of their ware
houses. the company he represented prac,,
tically controlled the same and would
know their exact output and, 1urther-
more, that the S andard Oi! company
would hereafter sell to w. p. Fuller d Co..
q greater proportion OF the oil than III the
mast if not all that they require.
Mr. Miller however. asserted that the
recent rise IN the prices OF oils was not
occasioned by any particular combination,
but rather by the scarcity ol crude petro,
lcum. The prices in New York city had
been raised more on export oil than they
had ON this coast.
He claims thai in the past five years,
since he has been managing the affairs OF
the Standard in San Franc SEQ, they have
furnished W. z. Fuller IL Co. over one
half of their oil This the latter firm de-
mics. placing the amount at less than
one third
"The consumption of coal oil, gasoline
and other similar products on the coast
is about 20, 900, 900 gallons year, and the
increase in the revenues at the advance
OF only a cent a gallon can be easily es-
timated
"T. +. Littlefield secretary of W. P.
Fuller & Co., was found at the office OF
the company, corner of Pine and Front
streets. but was inclined to be reticent in
regard to the com bination. He was sur
prsed to learn that the Standard Oil COM
pany had gone so lar as to admit that
they practically controlled the Ware
houses of his company, but would neither
affirm nor deny the truth of the state
ment. He added that they were obliged
to advance the prices of coal oil and
other products OF petroleum in order to
make fair profit, and intended to con-
tinue in business the same as ever.
i-s.Tho Fl RIM yesterday iesued confidcn-
tia circular to the trade, quoting the adj
vance in coal oil and gasoline effective
from that date.
The orange situation remains practic-
ally unchanged. The action OF the fruit
exchange in suspending quotations on
seedlings is having a beneficial effect, but
80 far it has not relieved the pressure.
The freight rate of 80 cents a box on the
California fruit is virtually prohibitlve so
far as competition with the foreign pro-
duct is concerned, as Messina oranges
can be laid on the docks in New York at
"a cents a box, freight and duty, which
leaves a margin which the home grower
finds 1t hard to overcome Holders Of
Navels so far have no uneasness, as it is
believed that the variety will be able to
hold its own. The amount of foreign
stock in sight at the present time is just
about the same as the California stock
now on hand, anu the grower can draw
his own conclusions as to the final result.
In the meantime the exchange is steadily
refusing all offers of consignment, and is
holding out for t. o. b. contracts, quota
TiOnS being giVen on request,