The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-06-09
STANDARD
OIA METHODS
As Revealed by a Former Servant
of the Trust.
THE CRUSHING OF COMPETITION.

Four Nominal Grades OF OIL Taken
From the Same Tank aud Several
Different Prices Charged For the
Same Grade.
Washington. June 9.-The Industrial
commission yesterday resumed its in
vostigation of trusts, the Standard Oil
company receiving especial attention.
Mr.. w. II. Clark, of Ohio, who until
last February was employed by the
Standard Oil company in various towns
in that state, but was then suspended,
testified that while employed at Mari
etta the Standard ousted other COM
panies from the business by competi-
tion and then put up the price of oil.
He said that eight nominal grades OF
oil were sold out OF only two tanks,
the faucet being turned in different di-
rections for different grades. This
was done. ne said under instructions
from the managers for the Standard
company, Messrs Matthews and Hol-
llngsworth. Mr., Clark also said that
the company bought and sold turpen-
tine, but before selling It would put
six or seven gallons Of gasoline in each
barrel Of turpentine
At Columbus Mr.. Clark was the
cashier of the Standard company. At
that point. he said, much OF II was
adulterated. For instance. miners oil
was made by mixing in a little cot
tonseed oil. Here the Standard com
pany started what was called the
Shoemaker OIL company This was a
purely Standard establishment. he tes-
titled, it's men being paid by the Stand
ard company, but It was made to ap-
pear to be an Independent concern, and
was used as a blind.
At Springfield, Mr.. Clark said, he
was wagon salesman, and the in
structions there were to get trade re-
gardless Of the price. Some refined oil
was sold as low as four cents, and
here also as many as four nominal
grades of oil were taken from one
tank. Rebates were made when neces-
sary. When he had spoken to tho
management Of the dishonesty Of these
practices he had been told that II was
not for him to say about such mat
ters, but to do what he was told.
AT Urbana, he said, he was manager
for the Standard company. Here a
competitor was driven out by threat
to force the price down to one cent a
gallon. The competitor afterward went
to the pooFhouse. Witness for a time
was manager at Newark. Here the
work was very hard, because of the
great range of prices. mere were 20
different figures used there. One man
would get OIL for seven cents, while
his next door neighbor would pay nine
and one-half cents. Rebates also were
given TO especially favored patrons.
These were made under the instruc-
tions of Mr.. B. A. Matthews, as were
all changes in price or terms.
The witness testified that at Newark
the company bought a building from
over leaser's head, who was doing a
competitive business, and Mr.. Clark,
with other men, went into the building
In the absence of the competitor, load
ed the building on carts and carried it
away. For this he (Mr. Clark was
complimented, and was to have been
rewarded with two weeks vacation,
while the competitor was so frightened
that he went out of business. This
was not accomplished, however, until
all his customers had been located by
a boy employed to follow his wagon on
a bicycle. At Newark a customer
wanted oil from Cleveland. He was
satisfied by supplying him cut of a
barrel painted and marked as II 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 a day, and that they
worked on an average of IL hours a
day.
There was, he said, often difference
of two cents a gallon in the prices Of
oil between places where there was
competition and places where there
was none.