The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-26
STANDARD OIL HAS
TELEGRAPH LINES
More Interesting Disclosures
Made at Cleveland
COMPETITORS SILENCED
George Lane Says They Sometimes
Spent as Much as Six Dollars
Gallon to Give Oil
Away.

Cleveland, o., May PA total of nine-
teen witness were called by Interstate
Commerce Commissioners Prouty and
Clements in the Standard Oil inquiry here
today Everybody connected with the in
vestigation put in a hard day and the
two sessions gave substantial results.
The testimony of George Lane of Mans
field, O., a former employee of the Stand
ard Oil company was regarded as par
dence Lane was for about fourteen
months in 1901 and 1902 employed by the
Standard Oil company for the particular
purpose of driving all of the independent
peddlers in dozen or more of the prin-
cipal cities and towns of northern Ohio
out of business. He said he was EN-
ployed by C. M. Lyons of the Cleveland
office of the STANDARD Oil company to
go to certain designated places and use
every means fair or foul to force the
Independents to quit. He said:
"I succeeded in driving out all compete
ton in dozen different towns in north
ern Ohio and the only failure 1 made
name of Fahey stuck 1t out, notwith-
standing that we spent as high as SO
a gallon to give oil away. We represented
ourselves as independents, but we got
our supplies from the Standard"
Miss Elizabeth Protzman, a stenogra-
pher and bookkeeper In the Dayton office
of the Standard Oil company. testified
that information concerning shipments by
rivals was brought In by draymen and
that she made careful record of them.
Tells About Telegraph System.
John OBrien, general superintendent of
the Lima division Of the Buckeye Pipe
Line company, Standard concern, was
asked about the Standards telegraphic
system. The inquiries established that
the Standard has a Geographic system of
its own. extending to nearly every part
of the country.
The company has its own wires leased,
or otherwise operators, offices, regulations
and blanks and sometimes sends messages
for persons not connected with the COM
pany.
Among the other witnesses were d. Z.
Byles, secretary and treasurer of the In
dependent Refining company, Oil City,
the Hooking Valley railroad.
The last named when asked il he had
not said recently that his road would
lose from $4,000 to 100000 a year in
freightage if he bought lubricating oils
from any other company than the Stand
ard of Galena, replied that he might havs
made such a remark, but he had no posi-
tive recollection of it. He said he had no
instructions from his superiors to buy oils
from the Standard or Galena companies.
Enormous Increase In Rates.
ID. e. Byles testified as to increases In
freight rates on various roads during the
last twelve or fifteen years. In the In
diana territory he said the Standard
agents continually circulated reports that
the Independent oil refining company was
in reality controlled by the Standard
The railroads, he declared, had begun in
creasing the rates to New England in the
eighties and had been gradually cutting
out the through rates to nearly all points
and substituting an arbitrary rate which
was almost prohibitive These rates,
which were levied principally by the Lake
Shore and Pennsylvania roads. had prac-
tically driven his company out of the New
England field In trying to reach south
ern territory. as far as New Orleans, a
similar difficulty was met. All kinds OF
difficulties. the witness said we're being
continually thrown in their way by the
railroads. particularly the Penhsylvanie.