The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-11
STANDARD BUYS.
Prairie Oil and Gas Company
Has One Purchaser.
Officers in Both Companies Are
Identical.
YOUNG'S ADMISSIONS.
Pipe Lines Were Built With
Standards Funds.
President of Prairie Company
Owns Standard Stock.
ADMISSIONS.

Independence, Kan, March 1.-THE
taking of testimony in the proceeding
taken in Sedan against the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa F'e and other roads for
alleged violation of the antitrust law
began here Friday. John Aber OF
Moran said the Moran Gas and Crude
| Oil company had built up a fuel oil
trade in Kansas City, but when the
advance in rates came last fall it was
compelled to shut down its plant and
to let its tank cars remain idle He
said the company owned two tank cars
and that when they were in service the
Missouri Pacific paid mileage on them
but he could not not say how much.
w. J. Young. of Pittsburg, Pa, presi-
dent of the Prairie Oil & Gas company,
said he owned all except four shares of
the stock of the company-the other
shares being held by the directors.
There has been issued by the company
234 million of debenture bonds and these
are held by the National Transit COM
pany of Pennsylvania. He said ne
owned 100 shares in the Standard Oil
company of New Jersey. He admitted
that the Prairie's controller is John
Buschnell of 26 Broadway New York,
head of the Standard Oil He also ad-
mitted Theodore N. TOwl, the well
known taxing agent for the Union Tank
company, the Buckeye Pipe Line com
pany and of the various Standard Oil
companies OF the states as Wen DIS lAAc
holding company was also the taxing
agent of the Prairie. He admitted that
the entire stock together with S2,5OO,o0O
OF the debenture bonds of the Prairie
were all turned over to the National
Transit company, one of the Standards
federated and working companies. In
other words the entire corporate body
save the necessary five shares to hold
nominal residence in Kansas was own
ed by the National Transit company in
Pittsburg. Mr.. Young further admitted
that he himself owned 100 Standard Oil
certificates of the par value of 500 each
that represented interest in 19 federated
Standard Oil companies which certih-
Gates he had exchanged for the trusts
successor, towit: the one hundred mil
lion dollar New Jersey Standard Oil
company.
No other witness in the west could
have supplied this missing link with the
original or competent and satisfactory
evidence.
He did not know there had been an
advance in freight rates on crude Pc
troIeum last fall.
the successor of Forest Oil company.
The Forest Oil company sold to the
South Pennsylvania company. Mr..
Young did not know anything about the
South Pennsylvania Oil company ex-
cept that it has an Office in Pittsburg,
Pa, he knew the Prairie Oil and Gas
company had been constructing some
pipe lines in the state and one to Whit
ing Ind. He did not know what pipe
lines terminated at Whiting. Mr. Young
was examined by F. S. Monett He
brought no books nor papers with him.
Mr.. Young was on the stand for
more than four hours and to Kansas
people who are perfectly familiar with
the relationship between the Prairie
Oil and Gas company and the Standard
Oil company his ignorance was appaI-
ling. Mr. Young was a very unWil-
ling witness. He was caught on the
fly by a deputy sheriff a few days ago.
The attorneys were able, however, to-
get some admissions from him which
will make a strong record in the case
against the Standard in the case now
pending in the state supreme court
Mr. Young admitted that the Stand
ard Oil company is doing business in
Kansas and that it is buying oil. This
fact came out in the following ques-
tfons and answers during the exami-
q. VIII YOU kindly state to whom
Won sell your crude petroleum or have
been selling it from the various points
in Kansas?
A. To the standard Oil company of
Kansas at Neodesha and the Sugar
Creek refinery. Most of the oil on
board cars has been sold to the Stand
ard Oil company of Chicago.
@. You speak of the Standard Oil /
company of Kansas with headquarters
at what point?
A. Their head office is at Wichita
think.
Q. Who is the man to whom you
sell your oil in Kansas if you know?
A. Don't sell to any one in Kansas.
@. To whom do you deliver it?
A. Deliver it to the refinery at Neo-
desha. to the refinery at Sugar Greek.
and what fuel oil is sold deliver on
board cars at the points where our
tanIage is located.
Q. What do You receive in vouch-
ers for pay for runs through your pipe
line?
A. Get checks from George w.
Stahl. treasurer at Chicago.
O. And you sell to no other pur-
chasing agency but the Standard Oil
company2
A. we have never had any other
purchaser. If anybody else wanted to
buy we would sell
In regard to the recent order of the
Prairie Oil and Gas company that it
would take no more oil in Kansas be-
low the gravity of 80 degrees, Mr..
Young appeared very ignorant but fin
ally it developed after the attorneys
had put him through the PAGES that
the order was issued at the instgation
of J. A. Moffat the superintendent of
ref1neries of the Standard Oil company
During the cross examination of Mr. I
Young by Mr. Dunlap there was an
adroit attempt made by the latter to
show that the enforcement of the pro-
vision of the new common carrier law
would be impossible because the var
ious GRADES of oil would mix when
running them through the pipelines
unless the different grades were run at
different times. Mr.. Dunlap was ask
ed this question:
O. IF put in the pipe line oils of
different specific gravfties they would
be ant to mix when running through
the pipeline2
A Well that
Here Mr. Dunlap saw that the ans
wer was liable TO lead the witness intot