The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-20
INQUIRY AS TO OIL
ORDERED BY INTERSTATE CON-
 MERGE COMMISSION.
Kansas Producers AssoeiatiOn Makes ChNr@ea and Hearing VIII Be Held At iSansas City, Mo- March
 

Washington, Feb. ls.--The Inter state Commerce Commission has order ed an investigation of the rates and practices of the railroad carriers en- raged ir transporting oil from Kansas and Indian Territory to interstate destinations. the hearing to be held at Kansas City, Mo, March 12, 1s0b. The investigation is based upon petition of the Kansas oil Producers Associa- tion embracing number of charges
 The following named carriers are re- quired to appear for investigation; Att chison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company, the Missouri Pacific Railway Company; the Missouri. Kansas and Texas Railway Company; the St Louis and San Francisco Railroad Company; the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Company; the Union Pacific Railroad Company; the Kansas City Southern Railroad Company; the St. Louis south western Railroad Company.
 All persons interested are also grant ed leave to appear and be heard The charges as filed by the Kansas oil Pro- ducers' Association on which the in- vestigation will be based, are as fol- lows:
 That the rates charged by railroad common carriers of petroleum and It's products from producing sections In inc State of Kansas and Indian Terri
 
 Nebraska. Illinois, Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Indian Territory and other Interstate destinations are unreason- able, unjust and unduly prejudiciaL
 That producers and shippers of pe- troleum and the products thereof In the State of Kansas. other than the Stand ard oil Company and the Prairie OH and Gas Com. any, and those controlled or afiliated with said companies are by of annRhln and n- duly prejudicial rates practically con- fined in the marketing of such trafhc to the state of Kansas.
 That the State of Kansas by act of Legislature established in the year 1905 a schedule of distance rates for the transportation by railroad of crude oil and the products thereof between points in that State, which Is reasonable and just has resulted in no loss of revenue to the carriers and has ope- rated to create markets for the sale of such traffic within that State and that such rates for extreme distances in Kansas are both approximately and in the aggregate far below the grossly excessive rates charged by said car riers to points located in the States or in the Territories near the boundary between such States or Territories ana the State of Kansas
 That the freight rates maintained by said carriers on petroleum and the products thereof shipped as interstate traffic from points in Kansas and from points in Indian Territory and the vari- ous changes made therein since the dts covery and development of the oil fields in Kansas and Indian Territory operate to restrict and prevent trafhc between numerous points and snow that said carriers, as the result or some unknown arran cement or agreement between them and some of said car riers and the Prairie oil and Gas Com many. or the Standard oil Company or companies or persons affiliated with said companies, or either of them, or for other reasons. have been and are caus- ing and fostering a monopoly in the control, handling and shipment of such trsfic in the said Prairie oil and Gas Company or the Standard oil Company or companies or persons affiliated with said companies. or either of them to the wrongful undue and unlawful pre- iudico and disadvantage of complain ants. members and other competitors of said oil companies.
 That the said carriers also wrong fully and unjustly discriminate against complRinants members and other pro- ducers and shippers of oil from the points from the state of Kansas and Indian Territory to Interstate designa- tions in favor of said prairie oil and gas company, or the Standard Oil Com pany and persops or companies con- trolled by said companies or affiliated herewith, in the provision of t&Ak cars. box cars, storage facilities e4 v@- rious points of destination and in tho return of tank cars and empty baF- rels to points of production.