Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1906-11-22

natory against the competitors of the
Standard Oil company, both in open
and published tariffs and by and
through secret and unpublished rates.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 81 cents and
cents per hundred pounds. The
Standard had a rate from Whiting,
Ind, to Grand Junction, Tenn, of ID
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.
1t 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
| ia h. 1c 70
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 tie 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 II. Roqers-Santa Fe, Chicago,
Milwaukee and st. Paul; Union
Pacific.
Charles M. Pratt-Boston and Maine,
Evansville and Terre Haute; Long
Island.
Henry M. FlagIcr-Florida Easi Coast
| IoL L.. ~ 1or
Lackawanna and Western; Missouri
Pacific.
William G. Rockefeiler-Union Pacific
II. Clay Pierce-Kansas City Southern,
St. Louis and San Francisco,
C. w. Observation-Disclosures, Mi waukee
and st. Paul.
F. 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.
1t is alleged that by reason of its
monopoly the Standard Oil company
has made enormous and unreasonable
profits on the actual value of its prop
erty; that the trustees valuation OF
all the property and stocks placed in
their hands in 1882 was s55, 0,69S.24
The additional property purchased or
acquired by the issue of trust certifi
Gates was s1S,310,10O, 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 500 ,020, 1924
according to their own valuation.
Upon this capital the Standard has
from 1882 to 1895, inclusive, paid
$512 ,S40,0S4.50 of dividends, and has
created large surplus-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 it's surplus, accord
ing to it's own statements, was S79,
536, 025.14. and it is alleged that its
property at the present time exceeds
the value of s200000,000. Its annual
dividends during the last nine years
have run from 80 to As per cent per