River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-11-22

T.
through secret and unpublished rates,
both interstate and intrastate, and by,
rebates, concessions, and preferences
granted to the Standard Oil company
and its subsidiary corporations.
:. The bill goes into the details Of
many of these rates, and shows sys-
tematic discrimination, substantially
all over the United States, so that
rates from Standard shipping points
are much lower, for the same distance
proportionately and per ton per mile,
than from shipping points of indie
pendent competing concerns. These
differences in most instances amount
to more than a reasonable profit upon
the oil.
Some Sample Determinations.
The regular published rate from
Whiting, Ind, to Evansville, Ind,
through Illinois, for instance, was IL
cents per hundred pounds. Most of
the oil shipped by the Standard COM
pany was shipped at 8A cents and
cents per hundred pounds. The
Standard had a rate from Whiting,
Ind, to Grand Junction, Tenn, of 10
cents per hundred pounds, and large
quantities of oil were distributed from
Grand Junction all over this southern
territory on secret rates which never
were published, as required by law,
or filed with the interstate commerce
commission.
The petition alleges that for about
ten years prior to 1905 secret and I'M
published rates were made from
Whiting, Ind, to East St Louis, of 6,
6A and 61a cents on the various rail-
roads, which oil was destined to st.
Louis and to a large territory south
and southwest of those points, while
the regular published rate was Is
cents per hundred pounds.
How They Control Railroads.
It is alleged that the individual de-
PENDANTS and other individuals associa.
ted with them and interested with
them in the Standard Oil trust have
acquired large interests in the stocks
of the principal railroads of the
United States and have caused them
selves to be elected or have caused
other persons acting in their interest
to be elected as members of the boards
of directors of such railroads. By rea-
son of such ownership and representa-
| ton on the boards of directors OF
such railroads the individual defend
ants have influenced the railroads to
establish and maintain the discrimina-
| tory rates.
| Among the railroads in which the
defendants are interested and upon
the boards of directors of which they
have representation together with
the names of directors) are the fol
| lowing:
| William Rockefeller - Central New
England; Chicago, Milwaukee & St
Paul; Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western; Lake Shore and Michigan
Southern; Michigan Central; New
York Central; New York, Chicago
| and ST. Louis; New York, New
| Haven and Hartford; New York
Ontario and Western; New York
and Ottawa; Pittsburg and Lake
| Erie; Rutland.
Henry n. Rogers Santa Fe, Chicago
Milwaukee and st. Paul; Union
Pacific.
Charles M. Pratt-Boston and Maine
Evansville and Terre Haute; Long
Island
Henry M. Fiager-Florida East Coast
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.-Delaware
Lackawanna and Western; Missouri
| Pacific.
| William G. RockefeIler-Union Pacific
n. Clay Pierce-Kansas City Southern
st. Louis and San Francisco.
c. w. Hardness Chicago, Milwaukee
and st. Paul.
r. T. Gates-Missouri Pacific, Wiscon
sin Central.
The petition then recites the Stand
ard trusts monopoly of the sale OF
lubricating oils to railroads, its unfair
| methods of competition in the cutting
of local prices, the formation of bogus
| independent companies, the payment
of rebates on oil prices, and the divis
ion of territory.
Tells of Stupendous Profits.
It is alleged that by reason of its
monopoly the Standard Oil company
| has made enormous and unreasonable
profits on the actual value of it's prop
erty: that the trustees valuation OF
all the property and stocks placed in
their hands in 1882 was $55, ITO, 1884
The additional property purchased OF
acquired by the issue of trust certifi-
Gates was $13,310, 100, so that the total
value of all property controlled by the
Standard Oil company of New Jersey
except such as may have been pur
chased from earnings, is $69,020, 1924
according to their own valuation.
Upon this capital the Standard has
from 1882 to 1895, Inclusive paid
$512, 94O,OS45O of dividends, and has
created a large surp1us-the exact sur
plus the petitioner is unable to state,
/ because the Standard has not pub
lished any statements since 1896. But
| from 1882 to 1896 its surplus, accord
ing to it's own statements, was $79,.
$50, 02514, and it is alleged that its
property at the present time exceeds
the value of $2OO,000,00O. Its annual
rdividends during the last nine years
have run from 39 to 4S per cent per
annum, in addition to this large sur
plus.