The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-07
MIR. BOYLE TALKS Oil
AUToCRAT of THE OIL CITY DER
RICK TELLS OF WORKINGS
OF BIG MONOPOLY
THERE ARE MILLIONS IN 1T

Figures Showing the Enormous Out
put of thei OH Countryside. Boyle
Rather Leans to the Side of the
Standard 7Oi Company, and Says
There reFOthers Who Are Worse
-IndustriaI. Commission Plans.
= WASHINGTON rs Sept. 6-The INDUS
trial commission resumed Its sitting in
this city today. r. c. Boyle, editor of
the Oil City Derrick, said. in reply to
questions, that he owned the majority Of
the stock OF the paper, and that 1t was
the organ Of oil producers generally. He
said that the Standard Oil company had
afforded no occasion for criticism for the
past ten years. He had come before the
commission upon his own initiative and
not In response to the solicitation of the
Standard company. Mr.. Boyle read a
prepared statement of great length. 1t
was general review of the history Of
oil production In the United States
AT the afternoon session Mr.. Boyle
gave history of the construction of the
various pipe lines connected wi h the oil
industry, for the purpose. as he said, OF
showing how consolidation was ulti-
mately reached.
Mr. Livingston urged that the history
be omitted. saying that If each witness
was to be prepared to enter upon such
detail, 1000 volumes would be requ.r. d to
print the proceedings. The commission
decided, however, to hear Mr.. Boyle in
his own way. Originally, he said, the
pipe lines were merely transporters OF
oil, but later they. became buyers. Each
paid it's own prices, so that by 1877 the
competition had become so sharp that
none Of them were able to sustain them
selves. To save themselves they then be-
gan to consolidate under the name of
the United Line company, with capital
of $3,O00000. There was no doubt that the
competition had been the cause of this
consolidation. The business could not
have existed long If the companies had
not united their interests.
In reply to a question he said that the
United Pipe Line company was part
of the Standard Oil companys system.
Mr.. Boyle said that while he had heard
a great deal Of the reduction Of prices
by the Standard Oil company, to destroy
competition, he knew nothing of any such
listed in the oil country, and he knew
nothing about operations elsewhere. He
thought 1t probable that low prices had
been made in order to dispose Of surplus
stock at different times.
MILLIONS IN IT
Giving the statistics of oil production
TO the present time, Mr.. Boyle said that
in the thirty-eight years of the history
IL i,,I, Tic hod
sunk, at cost of 1922, 121 900, .the value
of the crude oil product being $77S,771, o0o
Of this amount he estimated that 1884,
900 went to the land owners. Deduct
ing all expenses, the profits of the pro-
ducers for the entire period amounted to
1858 0O0, 900. He introduced facts. to show
that since 1870 the production Of oil had
increased to the extent of 400 per cent,
while the price had deprecated rs per
cent.
Speaking of the Pure Oil company, Mr..
Boyle said it had become a veritable
trust, being in reality the only oil trust.
It was he said, far more secretfve in It's
methods than til Standard. He declared
that the independent movement had had
no effect in the way Of reducing the
prices of oil 1T had, however. resulted
In improving the fortunes of some of the
refiners, who were making a great deal
of money. Mr.. Boyle reflected rather Sc
verely upon the Independent companies.
When the commission adjourned for
the day Mr. Boyle had not concluded his
testimony He will continue, his state
ment tomorrow.
The Industrial commission will send its
sub-commissions on manufactures, on
transportation and on agriculture to Chi
cago, ST. Paul., and other points west
some time during the autumn to eonduct
Inquiries as to the conditions that sew
orally interest them in that section OF
the country The sub-comm's len on ag-
riculture found at it's sitting in the West
that the agricultural Ills in that section
are largely associated with the transpor-
tation problem, and that there Is work
for the transportation sub-commission TO
attend to there.