Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-10
OIL TRUST METHODS.
Ex-Employe's Charges Before
Industrial Commission.
KNOCKING our OF COMPETITORS.
Alleged One at Newark, ~, Was Landed
In the Poorhouse-Declired Alleged
Different Grades Of Oil Were Sold
From the same Tsuk.

WASHINGTON, June 9.-The industrial
commission resumed its investigation of
trusts, the Standard Oil company re-
ceiving especial attention. Mr.. w. h.
Clark o. Ohio, who until last February,
was employed by the Standard Oil
company in various towns i'll that state,
but was then suspended, testified that
while employed at Marietta the Stand
ard had ousted other companies from
BUSINESS by competition and then put up
,he price of oil. He said that eight
nominal grades of oil We're sold out of
only two tanks. the faucet being turned
in different directions for different
grades. This WAS done, he said, under
instructions from the managers for the
Standard company, MessrS. Matthews
and Hollingsworth. Mr.. Clark also said
that the company bought and sold tur-
peutine, but before selling it would put
six or seven gallons of gasoline in each
barrel of turpentine.
At Columbus, Mr.. Clark was the cash
ier of the Standard company. At that
point, he said, much oil was adulter
ated. For instance, miners oil was
made bv mixing i'll u little cottonseed
oil. Here the Standard company started
what was called the Shoemaker Oil
company This was Il purely Standard
establishment, he testified, its men
being paid by the Standard company,
but it was made to appear to be an IN
dependent concern, and was used as
blind.
At Springfield, Mr.. Clark said, he was
4. wagon salesman and the instructions
there We're TO get trade regardless of
the price Some refined oil was sold
as low as cents and here also as many
as four nominal grades of oil were taken
from one tank Rebates were made
when necessary. When he had spoken
to the management of the dishonesty
of these practices, he had been told that
it Was not foi hun to say about such
matters. but to do what he was told
At Urbana, lie said, he was manager
for the Standard company. Here
competitor was driven out by a threat
to forcs the price down to / cent a gal
lon. The competitor afterward went
to the poorhouse. Witness for "A time
was manager ut Newark. Here the
work was very hard because of the
range of prices. There were 20 differ
ent figures used there. One man would
get oil for cents while his next door
neighbor would pay 9ls cents. Rebates
also We're given TO especially favored
patrons These We're made under the
instructions of Mr.. B. A. Mathews, as
were all changes i'll price or terms.
The witness testified that at Newark
tine company bought d building from
over leaser's head, who was doing
competitive business, and Mr.. Clark,
with other men, went into the building
i'll the absence of the competitor, loaded
the building on carts and carried it
away For this ne (Mr. Clark was
complimented and was to have been re-
warded with a two weeks vacation,
while the competitor was so frightened
that he went out of the business. This
was not accomplished, however, until
all his customers had been located by
boy employ ed to follow his wagon on u
bicycle.
At Newark a customer wanted oil
from Cleveland. He was satisfied by
supplying him out of barrel painted
red and marked as if from Cleveland.
He received the same oil, however. that
other people got.
The witness said that laborers for the
Standard company were generally paid
rs cents day, and that they worked on
an average of II hours day.
There was, he said, often difference
of cents gallon in the prices of oil
between places where there was compe-
tition and places where there was none.