St. Tammany farmer., 1906-12-08

natory against the competitors Of ne
Standard Oil company. both IN opes
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through secret and unpublished rates.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 O1l 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 po',
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 . reasonable profit upon
the oil.
Some Sample Determinations.
The regular published rate from
Whiting, Ind. to Evansville, Ind,
through Illinois, for instance, was II
cents per hundred pounds. Most OF
the oil shipped by the Standard com.
pany was shipped at sA cents and
6 cents per hundred pounds. The
Standard had a rate from Whiting.
Ind, to Grand Junction, Tenn, OF Is
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 un.
published rates were made from
Whiting, Ind, to East st. Louis, OF 6,
6A and 61k cents on the various rail.
roads, which oil was destined to st.
Louis and to large territory south
and southwest of those points, while
the regular published rate was 1S
cents per hundred pounds.
How They Control Railroads.
It is alleged that the individual de.
PENDANTS and other individuals associa-
ted with them a1d 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 az 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 II. Roaers-Santa Fe, Chicago
Milwaukee and st. Paul; Union
Pacific.
Charles M. Pratt-Boston and Maine
Evansville and Terre Haute; Long
Island,
Henry N. Flasler-Flori East Coast
John q. Rockefeller, Jr.-Delaware
Lackawanna and Western; Missouri
! Pacific.
William G. Roekefeiler-Union Pacific
II. Clay Pierce-Kansas City Southern,
st. Louis and San Francisco. ssy
c. w. 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 o1
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, aud the divis
ion Of territory.
Tells Of stupendous Profits.
| It is alleged that by reason Of ita
monopoly the Standard Oil company
has made enormous and unreasonable
profits on the actual value Of its prop
erty; that the trustees valuation ol
all the property and stocks placed in
their hands in 1882 was SIS, TO, ,69S.24
The additional property purchased ol
acquired by the issue Of trust certfn
Gates was $13.310,1 100, so that the total
value of all property controlled by the
Standard Oil company OF New Jersey
except such az 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. 2.940,0S4.50 Of dividends. and ha.
created large surplus-the exact sur
plus the petitioner is unable to state
because the Standard has not pub
lished any statements since 1898. Bu'
from 1882 to 1896 its surplus, accord
ing to its own statements, was $79.
536, 6,025.14, and 1t is alleged that iti
property at the present time exceed,