The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-13
.K'ANSAN.S' EXPOSE p J J.
OF TRUST W'lLEs
Rate Discrimination and Other
Schemes to Crush Rivals
Are Detailed.

rs Kansas City, March lS.-Rhe lnCer-
state commerce commission resumed Its
hearing here today in the stigatlon
rates on oil, fled by the Kansas Oil Pro
ducers association.
The testimony Of p. T. Mccarthy Of
the Mission Mining company Of Quapaw,
Indian territory brought forth two let
tiers on oil rates, one from the Standard
Oil company's offices at 26 Broadway,
New York, and the other from the
Frisco railroad s genera, offices. Nc
Kansas line, six miles from Baxter
Springs, Kansas. He told of an effort
to use oil from the Kansas field instead
of coal at his mines. He had, he said,
on Nov. 81 last, written E. X. Voorhees,,
general freight agent Of the Frisco,
requesting a rate on oil from the Kan
sas fields to Quapaw. In letter writ
ten in reply by Mr.. Voorhees,, which
was introduced, the latter quoted rate
on crude oil and fuel oil from ,Neodsha,
Kan, to Baxter Springs, and of "a
cents to Quapaw.
From the OIL Trust. s,
At about the same time, witness said,
he had written a similar letter to the
Standard Oil company, and he received
a reply from G. w. Custom, manager Of
the fuel department Of the Standard.
Mr.. Custom $ letter read as follows:
"While the rate Of freight from
only 65a cents per hundred pounds, it is
"a cents per hundred to Quapaw Sta
ton, I. r., which would make the price
Of oil delivered there 81 cents gallon,
at which figure we do not think you
could use oil economically, as against
tho low-priced coal you could probably
purchase. Of course, the amount Of oil
| required to equal a ton Of coal would de-
| pend on the quantity of coal used, but
| coal, it would take about three barrels
of oil, forty-two gallons to the barrel, to
| equal a ton Of coal, z
"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 al
attempt to prove that, while the rail
way company charged all others i
cents for transporting oil from Neode
sha TO- Ba1 d;3 Springs, it charged tn
for the same haul. a..z
The correspondence also was intro
duced to prove that, while the Stand
ard secured rate Of 611A cents TO
transporting oil from Neodesha to Bax
! ter Springs, distance approximately
| ffty-six miles, the railroads charged ii
| effect l711a cents for haul Of six miles
| further beyond the Kansas line.
The Trusts Methods.
E. L. Willhoyt, formerly an agent a
pany, but now an independent dealer
with offices at Joplin and Springfield
4 Mo-, was placed on the stand. Mr.. Will
hoyt e said: i
was with them, was charged SIS ca
by the terminal company in st. Loui
! for transporting a car from East Isl
Louis, Ill, to st. Louis, Mo- To saw
/ this s., the Standard laid a pipe lin
under the river and every car of Of
westward would be pumped out in Eas
St. Louis and pumped into another ca
in St. Louis. This SIS car saved wa
that much taken from the ability Of tn
| independent dealer to live in competj
ton with the Standard. s.... #
"Since l have .een in business 70
myself, [ have had much trouble i
getting my tank cars transhipped a
St. Louis. This generally happens whe
; am low on oil. Once I had tankca
Of oil drift off from East ST. Louis t
|, Alabama. At the time I was out q
: oil and I lost customers on account 9
! it. The Standard Oil company, my con
> petitor in Springfield, had plenty Of o
; and got the customers lost. ~
Mr.. Willhoyt said that while ager
a structed to watch all shipments Of o
q to that point and to ascertain II
:, name of the shirner and the point {
q distribution 49,. T. =. t.*'s.-. --.' =.