Rocky Ford enterprise., 1905-12-01
OIL TRUST FRAUD
USED FALSE GAUGES ON COM,
PETiko OIL.
FORMER MANAGERS STORY
Says Standard Oil Supplied Gauges to
piseredit Measure OF Other Com
panies-Desisned to Show Shortage
Of Four or Five Gallons to the
Barrel.

Barrel.
ST. l.ouis.--InluiTy into methods uI
the Standard. Republic and Waters
Pierce oil companies in Missouri ~aR
resumed Thursday b"i1r" SPECIAL Com
missioner II. \. Anthony. This VIII lie
the last hearing conducted IH 81. Louis
until after tn. Suprcm" c0uTt has DE-
ciicu whether Attorney General Had
ley has III" right TO compc! the "il
companies To produce their books az
make their officers testify.
William \. Morgan. former manager
Of tn. Standard oiI Company at = dn'
lin. Missouri. I.S,iIyimE. said that the
Standard oil Company issued orders
to Its agents 10 und-rS"ll competitors
at all hazards. II. asserted that upon
one OCCASION he WIS supplied with
falls" gauges tu h" used In the attempt
to ''driV" the enemy from the n"ld.
MoTsan's testimony created u E"nNar
tion and III. Standard oil nttn,nryr ni-
f'r-d frequent AMI vigorous objections.
Morgan testified that h" went in'I
the employ Of the STANDARD oii Com
pany January -. 1895. an salesman.
soon after he WIS made resident mHns
aE"T Of the company, with h"ndlunI
I"TS nt S"dnlia. In his Jurisdiction was
included Randolph. sheridan. Howard.
Cooper and il"nton counties. II" was
not permitted To sell oil outEid" uf this
territory.
His reports were scnt too. ". Mayer
who had chaIs. of the standard oil IN
I.T"StS IN Missouri.
when took chaTR" nf the Sc'lnlia
Office" said the witness. ''th" Stand
ard oil Company controlled my Og
sixty per cent. Of the business In Ihh,
territory. Inside of short tim" ! had
taken the business away Irum cump"ii'
] tors ani III" Standard b"iUT" ! severed
my connection with II In 1901. con
, Irollcd ninety per cent, Of tn" trad" ~
the Scdalin territory.
Il was told iu go into III" field nI
our enemy ana destroy our comp"ii'
tors" continued Morgan. Il wlE or
d-rcd to sell all goods I,Ossiblc-io cut
] prices wherever necessary. The Wa
tcTs.Picrcc company sold within eight.
cen miles Of Scdalia. and was not al
lowed 20 go Into their territory.
/ MIR. Morgan was then asked To tell II
I he knew of other methods rcSort"d Ia
| by the STANDARD besides cutting prices
to get business or XIII on competition.
He said that the company supplied him
with barrel gauges by which h" was
enabled to show that competitor
sold short" barrels.
Did you us" this gauge"
Il did not
Why
We'll. didn't think 1t was proper to
use them"
What were your Instructions
II was told by Mr.. Mayer to use the
gauges only In extreme cascs-that Is.
where a competitor could not be driven
out by ether methods or where other
arguments failed TO induce the mcr.
| chants to buy from us
TO what extent would these gauges
| indicate n barrel of oil was short when
applied to n barrel sold by II compcti
/ tori"
From four to five gallons?'
why did you refuse to carry out in
structions sent TO you in regard to
/ these gauges"
Il had personal reasons
. What were they
| We'll. because | thought these
gauges were being used with frnudu-
| lent intent. In the first place. good
statesmen could show by sharp manipu.
! lation that barrels were short"