The Ladysmith news and Ingram news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1905-1906, 1906-05-12

ton Of it's refinerleS and the use Of
pipe lines are natural advantages to
which it is justly entitled by reason of
the energy and foresight of it's man
ayers. While in a measure this is
true, it must not be forgotten that
these advantages were in obtained
by means of unfair competitive meth
DDS after years of fierce industrial
strife.
'The development of the pipe line
system by the Standard Oil company
was the result of special agreements
with railroad companies.
Monopoistic Control.
Furthermore, those so-called natural
advantages have been and are being
greatly increased by discrimination in
freight rates, both published and Sc
cret, interstate and state, which give
the standard monopolistic control in
the greater portion of the country, and
which SO limit competition as to prac-
tically prevent the extension of the
business of any Independent to point
which even remotely endangers the
supremacy of the Standard.
Exorbitant Profits.
can immediate result of this delim-
itation of the competitive area is
shown by the prices Of ordinary IL
Illuminating oil throughout the country.
After deducting the freight rate the
price Of such oil is usually from 2 to
5 cents gallon higher in the non-com-
petitive than in the competitive fields.
A reasonable profit upon refined oil is
about one-half cent per gallon. It is
clear that exorbitant profits are OBJ
tanned in the non-competitive fields.
This monopolistic control extends from
the well Of the producer to the door
step of the consumer"
Nails Lie.
Mr.. Garfield cites the fact that only
the New York Central Railroad com
pany refused for itself and affiliated
lines to give access to records of state
rates.
At the beginning Of the investiga-
ton, he says, "the Standard Oil COM
pany denied that it had obtained in re-
cent years, or is now obtaining, any re-
bate or other transportation discrim-
ination, and yet careful review of the
facts and the explanations leads to the
conclusion that the Standard Oil com
pany has habitually received from the
railroads, and is now receiving, secret
rates and other unjust and illegal dis
examinations"
Save $4,000 a Year.
In 1904 these secret rates saved to
the Standard Oil company three-Quar-
tiers Of million dollars, representing
the difference between the open rates
and the rates actually paid.
These determinations, he says,
"have been so long continued, so Sc
cret, so ingeniously applied to new con-
ditions of trade and so large in amount
as to make it certain that they were
due to concerted action by the Stand
ard and the railroads.
He says further, that the Standard
Oil company is receiving unjust dis
ordinations in the matter or open
rates, the published rates from the
leading Standard shipping points being
relatively much lower than rates from
the shipping points of it's competitors
Mr.. Garfield then refers to seven IN
stances of important determinations in
favor of the Standard Oil company IN
various parts of the country and says
that most of the secret rates and some
of the open determinations discovered
by the bureau were abolished by the
railroads shortly after such discovery.
After calling attention to the good
which already has resulted from the
investigation, Mr.. Garfield says that
the changes effected have put the indie
pendents upon fairer footing and
make competition possible in terri
tories heretofore inaccessible.