Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-10
REBATE INDICTMENTS
Standard in Trouble in New
York State.
REPORT OF JAMESTOWN JURY
Cases Are Similar to Those Before
Judge Lands. :,
RAILROADS ARE INVOLVED, TOO
There Is Possible Total Fine of Over
$1s,OOo,OOO in the
Four Cases.

JAMESTOWN, N. Y, August 10.-Four
more or less famous corporations were
given opportunity to sit up and take notice
when the federal grand jury for the west
ern district of New York reported to Judge
Hazel late yesterday.
The report was only a partial one, but
it included ten Indictments Two of these
were against the Standard Oil Company
of New York, one of them containing 1873
counts and the other 40 counts; two were
against the Vacuum Oil Company of Roch-
ester, and these contained 1SS and 40
counts, respectively; two were against the
New York Central and the Pennsylvania
railroad companies, jointly, and two more
were against these two companies sepa-
rately, and in each the counts were SIM
ilar-1SS and 40
The indictments against the oil COM
panies charge receiving and accepting H.
legal concessions in the shipment of Oil
and those against the railway companies
charge illegally giving and granting such
concessions. All of the counts in all the
indictments pertain to the shipment Of
petroleum and Its products by the Vacuum
Oil Company from Olean, N. Y, to the
Standard Oil Company at different points
in Vermont between August 1, 1904 and
June l, 1905. total of 22s cars, each car
beng regarded as separate count.
Indictments All Alike.
The indictments are all similar, the spe-
cial difference being that while the rail-
road companies granted concessions, the
oil companies received the money. All
the shipments complained Of were made
from Clean by the Pennsylvania railroad
to Rochester: from Rochester to Norwood,
n. Y, by the New York Central, and from
Norwood to Burlington, Bellows Falls and
Rutland. Vt. by either the Vermont Cen
r..l hnI ttf1n pi1yr-ny
They charge that the lawful shipping
rate from Olean to the points of destination
of these shipments was made up of the
legally filed schedule of rates, one from
Clean to Norwood, the other from Norwood
to point of destination. The rate from
Norwood to the Vermont towns was faith
fully lived up to by the Vermont roads. the
concessions being entirely in the shipments
on the New York Central from Rochester
to Norwood.
Penalty in the Case.
The schedule of rates as filed with the
interstate commeEce commission showed
the rate from Olean to Burlington, VT. to
be 261a cents a hundredweight, while the
Standard OIL Company and the Vacuum
Oil Company were given rate of IL $40
cents a hundredweight Independent ship
pers, therefore, were obliged to pay more
than double for their transportation than
was charged to the Standard and its SUBJ
sidiary organizations.
The law provides a penalty of $4,000 for
each violation, each count in each indict-
ment being separate offense. Therefore,
if convictions are made in all of the counts
specified in the two indictments against
each company, the Standard Oil Company
will be assessed S4.560, 600. the Vacuum
Oil Company a similar amount and the
New York Central and Pennsylvania roads
like amount, or a total Of $1S24O,OOO for
the four concerns
The indictments were drawn by w. S.
Wallace Dempsey of Lockport, who has
conducted the Investigations before the
grand jury. He was assisted by Oliver E.
Pagin of Washington. a special repre-
sentative Of the Attorney Generals depart
ment who has had much experience along
similar lines