The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-09

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of His Employers-SmalI Oil
Dealer Driven to the Poor House.
WASHINGTON, June 8.-The industrial
commission resumed it's investigation Of
trusts, the Standard Oil company receiv
ing especial attention. w. H. Clark, of
Ohio who, until last February was en-
ployed 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 direc-
lions for different grades. This was done,
he said, under instructions from the man
ayers of the Standard company, Messrs.
Matthews & Hollingsworth. Mr.. Clark
also said that the company bought and
sold turpentine, but before selling it
would put six or seven gallons of gaso-
line in each barrel of turpentine.
At Columbus Mr. Clark was the cashier
Of the Standard company. At that point
he said much oil was adulterated. For
instance, miners oil was made by mixing
in little cottonseed oil. Here the Stan
dard company started what was called
the Shoemaker Oil company. 1t was
purely Standard establishment, he testi-
fed, its men being paid by the Standard
company, but it was made to appear to
be an Independent concern, and was used
as blind.
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 four 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 for him to say about such matters,
but to &c what he was told.
DRIVEN TO THE POOR HOUSE.
At Urbana he said, he was manager
for the Standard company. Here a COM
petitor was driven out by threat to
force the price down to one cent gal
lon The competitor afterwards went to
the poor house. Witness for a time was
manager at 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 cents, while his next door neigh
Dor would pay 91H cents. Rebates also
were given to especially favored patrons.
These were made under the instructions
of Mr.. B. A. Matthews, as were all
changes in prices or terms
The witness testified that at Newark
the company bought building from over
leaser's head, who was doing q 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 1t away.
For this he (Mr. Clark was compli-
mented and was to have been rewarded
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 GUS
toners had been located by boy hired
to follow his wagon on bicycle. At
Newark customer wanted oil from
Cleveland. He was satisfied by supply
ing him out of a barrel painted red and
marked as If from Cleveland. He re-
ceived the same OIL however, that other
people got.
The witness said that laborers for the
Standard company were paid 70 cents a
day, and that they worked on an aver
age twelve hours day.
There was, he said, often a difference
Of two cents a gallon in the price of oil
in places where there was competition
and places where there was none.