The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-21
CHARGES AGAINST HALL
ALLEGED ACTS OF STATE OIL IN
sPECTOR CRITICISED.
Claimed that He Has Been Charging
ExOrbitant Fees-Mr. BIatch-
ley Declines to Talk.

COmpia lntS are being made by the whole
sale oil companies that State Oil Inspector
Chester L. Hall is charging them exorbitant
fees for inspecting the oil shipped to them
1t is rumored that action against him is
about to be begun, and it was said yester-
day that Attorney General Taylor had been
Informed of the matter and would investi-
gate it. The attorney general said last
night that this report was not true II
have heard lie said. that there was some
question as to the amount of fees Hall
should charge, but the matter has not been
brought to my notice officially
j. Francis Burt, president of the Brooks
Oil Company. said last night that State Oil
Inspector Hall charged his company $l2 a
tank for inspecting oil shipped to it.
What is the fee fixed by law" he was
asked.
The legal fee is sS.15 tank" he replied.
Mr.. Burt said that in his opinion the Office
of state oil inspector was "a farce and he
laughed all through the interview. "The
office is the latest one in the State" he
said, ''and l estimate the income from it is
from $4,000 to $4,000 a year. The law itself
is lame, because it permits the companies to
handle oil of the poorest grade and keeps
some really good grades of oil out of the
State"
Mr.. Burt was asked why the oil companies
had not reported the matter to the Governor
if the inspector demanded illegal fees.
Its not always profitable to do that" he
replied, smiling.
DO you mean that the Inspector might
hurt your business? DO you mean that
something in the nature of blackmail has
been practiced ON the oil companies?" was
asked.
We'll, l don't know what else you would
call it," was the answer
4 do not care to talk about this thing"
continued Mr.. Burt eve will begin i'm
mediately to go over our books and state
ment of the amount of fees collected from
us by the oil inspector VIII be prepared
our attorney is familiar with the matter.
Ontu we prepare this statement / cannot
say anything definite about our dealings
with the oil inspector I do know that ne
mas been holding up the oil companies /
nave never seen the inspectors reports"
after further conversation, Mr.. Burt was
induced To talk more freely about his deal
hgs with Inspector Hall.
Since he was appointed four years ago"
MI. burt said, i have seen him only four
or five times Our custom is to notify his
once when we receive a shipment of oil.
lie sends his son to our office with several
empty bottles. Some of the men around
the place fill the bottles with oil from the
tank cars and the boy goes away. In
Few minutes, possibly half an hour he tele-
phones that the oil is all right. When Hall
wants his money he sends us q bill for so
many tanks of oil at $12 tank We pay it,
ana that's the end. / don't know whether
or not Halls son throws the bottles of oil
into fence corner Hall is q hale fellow
well met, and he knows absolutely nothing
about the oil business. He is supposed
TO test the oil in various ways, discover its
specific gravity, give it the fire test and so
iorth. Whether he does or not l do not
know"
THOUGHT 1T A RARE JOKE.
Here Mr.. Burt stopped and laughed
heartily, as if he were telling a rare joke
Before Hall was appointed" he contin-
ued, Il went to Geologist Blatchley and
asked that Dr. Youncy, who is an honest
man and an oil expert be appointed Mr..
Blatchley said he had already decided to APP
point his relative, Mr.. Hail."
Mr.. Burt was not at all bitter toward
Hall. he only laughed. He did not say that
the oil companies intended taking action
against Hall.
Inspector Hail was seen last evening and
denied that he had collected exorbitant
fees. Said he: so far as I know there have
been no complaints, either written or verbal
made about fees / collect. ! have not seen
heard nothing of 1t since then nor did L
hear anything of it before / have followed
the law strictly in all my collections and
have collected the same fees as were col
lected by my predecessors in office. The
fees | collect now are the same as 1 have
collected for four years past and there has
been nothing exorbitant in them. If any
complaint has been made this is the first
l have heard of it."
w. s. Blatchley, state geologist, left the
city Monday and was located last night at
West Baden. An effort was made to talk
with him by telephone, but it was not
crowned with success. The sanitariam at
West Baden was asked if w. S. Blatchley
was there and the reply came that he was
Mr.. Blatchley was then requested to come
to the telephone, but he first asked who
wanted him. He was informed that it was
the Journal and promptly stated that he was
not the man wanted and refused to come
10 the phone. An attempt to identify him
by asking If he was the state geologist
brought the reply from a third person that
although Mr.. Blatchley was known he abb
solutely refused to come to the phone and
all efforts in that direction would be un-
availing, as he did not want to talk to the
Journal. That Mr.. Blatchley was at West
Baden was afterwards confirmed by a visit
to his home, 17OS Broadway. A young man
opened the door and said that he did not
know where Mr.. Bletchley was but he was
out OF the city: When asked if he was at
West Baden, Mrs. Blatchley, who was
standing within the adjoining room, replied