The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-10
THE OIL STEAL.
Perfect IdiOcy and Rascality Of
the Oil
Inspection Law Shown Up So
That the DulIest
CAN UNDERSTAND 1T.
Gov. Stanley Lends His Aid to
the Farce
By Recently Appointing an coil
Inspector.
Why Appoint Anyone to an Of
flee Like This?
Joplin. No, Feb. 9. 1899

Joplin, Mo-, Feb. 9. 1899.
To the Editor of the Topeka State
Journals:
1 notice an article in your paper of
the 9Th, headed Working on a Bad
Job" which states that the senate took
up the matter pertaining to the inspec-
ton of oils. I notice that the bill was
so amended that In case it became a
law it would do away with the deputy
inspectors and provide district inspec-
tors. Now, after spending ten years in
the oil business in your state, 1 assure
you that district inspectors in each and
every district where there are oil dis
tributing stations is the only system
of inspection whereby the oil can all be
inspected.
An inspector at each point where
there is an oil distributing station on a
commission basis, is under bond to re-
port to the governor, also to the auditor
of the county in which he is located.
the inspection of all oils that are in
spected in his district. There should
also be a restriction whereby they
would be compelled to inspect local lots
as well as car lots that may arrive in
the territory. For example, as the law
now stands, in case the merchant in
any town should buy a. barrel of Oil
from parties located outside the state,
after it was received by him he would
be compelled to hold that barrel until
an inspector would pass upon it, and as
there are only three of them in numb Der,
they could compel him to hold that
package thirty days, If they SO desired
on the ground that they were inspect
ing oils at other points in the state.
Again, the fee for inspecting on single
barrel is 40 cents, while on larger guam
titles it is 10 cents. In this way the
merchant who might ship in larger
quantities would get his oils inspected
for 10 cents a barrel while the dealer
buying single barrels or in a small way
would have to pay 40 cents a barrel.
AS to the law that now exists in that
state on inspection, it has been great
protection to the oil dealers in the state
who desire to sell low grade oils. as the
requirements in it, even though the oils
are tested, did not signify anything as
to it's quality, as the lowest oils pro-
duced would very often pass the re-
quirements of the law much easier than
the highest grades. OF course it states
the amount of heat the oils will stand
before exploding, but as to the inn
purities it has no restriction. AS to
the manner oils have been inspected in
the past, will say that with one in
Spector and two deputies, they could
by travelling every day in the week visit
all the distributing points about once
month, while at a great many points
there are cars of oil being unloaded
daily. A great many of the deputies
would call, say, once a month, and ask
the oil company's agent to get him
sample of oil, which he would do, or
nave some eInplOye uOs anu lhe lIlSpeC-
tor would depart with the sample as
though he himself had taken It from the
car or container, and that would often
be the last seen of them for thirty days.
Again. they would often request a sam
pie left at some frequent stopping place
of theirs, where they might get it when
they were in. Yet in every case L assure
you that the parties offering their oils
fer sale always added one-quarter of
cent to their selling price for inspection,
and the consumer paid 1t, for the great
protection he was getting through an
oil inspector. Then, at the end of the
month the inspector would either call
or write to know the number of cars re-