The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-14
Gives Standard Oil MiniOn Piece
Of His Mind for Re-
fusing 10 Talk
SAYS EVERYBODY KNOWS
THE ANSWER ANYWAY
DepIorable State of Affairs In Kansas
Is Brought Out at the Hearing
Now In Progress In
Kansas City.

Kansas City, Mo-, March 13.-Francis
NJ. Cockrell of the interstate commerce
commission severely reprimanded q. w.
Mayer Kansas City manager of the
Standard Oil company, today, during the
investigation into the alleged methods of
railroads and the Standard Oil company
in discriminating against independent oil
men hereabouts. The lawyers for the
commission and the lawyers for the inde-
pendent oil producers had been trying to
get from Mayer an admission that there
was connection between the Standard Oil
company. the Union Tank Line company,
the Republic Oil company, the Waters
Pierce Oil company and other companies.
To all questions Mr.. Mayer answered:
Il do not know"
At the close of his testimony Mr. Cock
rell asked him.
Point Blank Question.
Tell this commission are the Republic
Oil company and the Waters-Pierce Oil
company part of the Standard Oil COM
pany?'
Il do not know, SIR
what is your best impression about
it?"
Il have none"
Don't you feel and know in your heart
that they are all part and parcel of the
same oompany?'
II do not know
Don't you feel in your heart it is so?'
II don't know sir"
Then the veteran secretary slapped the
desk with his fist and said severely:
af ma
by the Standard Oil people to conceal
this fact when every man, woman and
child knows it is so. Now everybody
wants the truth to be told here, and why
don't YOU tell? Every tub ought to stand
on its own bottom, and you folks ought
not to dodge this question further
Several witnesses testified today to dis
elimination by railroads against independ-
ent producers.
The hearing will be concluded tomor-
row.
Two Letters Produced.
The testimony of E. T. Mccarthy Oh
the Mission Mining company of Quapaw'
T., brought forth two letters on oil
rates one from the Standard Oil conf
pany's office at 26 Broadway, New York,
and the other from st. Louis and San
Franciseo's general office Mr.. Mccarthy
said that his mine was built over the
Kansas line, six miles from Baxter
Springs, Kas. He told of an effort on
his part to use oil from the Kansas field
instead of coal at his mines. He had, he
said, on February 27 last, written to e.
X. voorhees,, general freight agent of the
st. Louis and San Francisco railroad,
and requested rate on oil from the Kan
sas field to Quapaw. In letter written
in reply by Mr.. Voorhees, and Whlch was
introduced the latter quoted a rate or
II cents per 100 pounds on crude Oil ana
fuel from Neodosha, Kas., to Baxter
Springs, and of "a cents to Quapaw. AT
about the same time, witness said he had
written similar letter to the Standard
Oil company and he received reply from
G. w. Ouston, manager of the fuel de-
nartnent. of the Standard. Mr.. Customs
letter. which was presented as evidence,
read follows;
Use of Oil Not Profitable.
s.Replying to your favor of the 18th inst,
while the rate of freight from Neodosha,
Kans., to Baxter Springs is only 61s cents
per 100 pounds, it is "a cents per 100 to
Ouapaw station, /. T., which would make
the price of oil delivered there 3A cents
a gallon, at which figure we do not think
could use OIL ecOHOHlCdlly as against
the low priced coal you could probably
purchase OF course the amount of oil
required to equal a ton of coal would
depend on the quantity of coal used, but
with an ordinary grade of run of mine
coal, it would take about three barrels of
oil, AZ gallons to the barrel, to equal a,
ton of coal.
1--WE fear YOU will find the price we
name too high to enable you to use oil
to advantage as against the cheap coal
that you can probably purchase
These letters were introduced in an
attempt to prove that while the railway
company charged all others Il cents for
transporting oil from Neodosha to Baxter
Springs, 1t charged the Standard Oil COM
pany only 61a cents for the same haul.
The correspondence also was introduced
to prove that while the Standard secured
rate of 6ia cents for transporting Oil
from Neodosha to Baxter Springs, dis
tance approximately of Sc miles, the rail-
roads charged in effect 171A cents for
haul of six miles further beyond the Kan
line.
Line Laid Under River.
E. L. Willhoyt, formerly an agent at
Topeka, kans., for the Standard Oil COM
pany, but now an independent dealer with
offices at Joplin and Springfield, Mo-, tes
titled:
THE Standard Oil company, when
was with them, was charged s. a car by
the terminal company in st. Louis for
transferring a car from East st. Louis,
ILL.,, to st. Louis, Mo. To save this IS
the Standard laid a pipe line under the
river and every car of oil bound westward
would be pumped out in East st. Louis
and pumped into another car in St. Louis.
This five dollars car saved was that
much off the ability of the independent
dealer to live in competition with the
Standard"
us.t1s
''aince have been in business for my