The record-union., 1899-06-09

WASHINGTON, June S.-Ine 1nOuS-
trial Commission resumed its invest1-
CATION of trusts, the Standard Oil Com
pany receiving especial attention W..
H. Clark of Ohio, who until last Feb
ruary was employed by the Standard
Oil Company in various towns in that
State, but was then suspended, testified
that while employed at Marietta the
Standard had ousted other companies
from the business by competition 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 directions for
different grades. This was done, he
said; under instructions from the man :
ayers of the Standard Company,
Messrs. Matthews and Hollingsworth.
Mr. Clark also said that the company
bought and sold turpentine, but before
selling it would put six or seven gallons
of gasoline in each barrel of turpentine.
At Columbus Mr.. Clark was the CASH
Ter of the Standard Company. At that
point he said much of it was adulter-
ated. For instance, miners oil was
made by mixing in a little cottonseed
OIL Here the Standard Company
started with what is called the Shoe
maker Oil Company. This was a
purely Standard establishment he testi-
fed, it's men being paid by the Stand
ard Company, but it was made to APP
pear to be an independent concern, and
was used as blind. &c..
At Springfield Mr.. Clark said he was
a. wagon salesman. and the instructions
there were to get trade regardless of
the price Some refined Oil was sold
as low as 4 cents, and here also as
many as four nominal grades of oil
were taken from Ole 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 for him to
say about such matters, but to do what
he was told.
At Urbana he said he was manager
for the Standard Company. Here
competitor was driven out by threat
to force the price down to one cent
gallon. The competitor afterward went
to the poorhouse.
Witness for time was manager in
Newark. Here the work was very hard
because of the great range Of prices.
There were twenty-five different figures
used there. One man would get oil
for Z cents. while his next door neigh
Dor would pay 911h cents. Rebates also
were given to especially favored pat
Irons These were made under the in
structions of B. A. Matthews, as were
all changes in price or terms.
The witness testified that at Newark
the company bought building from
leaser's head who was doing COM
petitive business, and Mr.. Clark with
other men went into the building in
the absence of the competitor, loaded
the building on carts and carried it
away. For this he (Mr. Clark was
complimented, and was to have been
rewarded with a two weeks vacation.
that he went out of the business This
was not accomplished, however, until
all his customers had been located by
a boy hired to follow his wagon on
bicycle. At Newark customer wanted
oil from Cleveland He was satisfied
by supplying him out of a barrel paint
ed red and marked as if from Cleve-
land. He received the same oil, how
ever, that other people got.
The witness said laborers for the
Standard Company were generally paid
70 cents a day, and that they worked
on an average of twelve hours a day.
There was, he said, often difference
of cents a gallon in the price of oil
in places where there was competition
and places where there was none.