Milford chronicle., 1907-02-01
STANDARD OIL
SECRETS EXPOSED
MOnOpOly's Policy is to Ruin It's
Competitors.
BRIBED RAILROAD employees

Washington, Jan 90 - The inter
state commerce commission sent to
congress a report of the investigations
made by it under the Tillman-Gillespie
resolution approved March last con-
corning the relations of common car
riers by rail to the production and dis
aTibution of oil. The report covers the
distribution of petroleum and its pro-
ducts east of the Mississippi river,
and. incidentally, the Kansas and
Texas fields.
It points out generally the methods
by Whi~h the Standard Oil company
has built up and perpetuated its mo-
nopoly and the relations of transpor-
cation agencies to that monopoly" 1t
as asserted that the ruin of its COM
petitors has been a distinct part of the
policy of the Standard Oil company in
the past, systematically and persist
emily pursued" Considerable of the
ground covered has been gone into
fully in the report on oil and its dis
Gribution made public by the bureau OF
corporations.
mo instance" the report says, "is
FOUND where any railway company has
been interested in oil lands or in pc
troleum production, and only one in
stance is shown where officials Of a
railway company were interested in
the production and sale of oil.
"The Standard Oil company largely
,Enopopolizes the handling of petroleum
from the mouth of the well until it is
sold to the retailer, and sometimes to
The consumer. and under ordinary cir
,cumstances it's margin of profits is
very large. Estimates made in the re-
port show a profit on refined oil from
the Sugar Greek refinery at Kansas
City of from five to eight cents per
gallon. A much higher profit is indi- |
Gated for gasoline The sale of refined
oil from the large Standard refinery at
Whiting is correspondingly profitable. 1
1.-THE evidence shows little basis for
the contention that the enormous
dividends of the Standard Oil com
pany are the legitimate result of its
economies. Except for it's pipe lines, /
the Standard has but little legitimate
advantage over the Independent re.
fner
Ordinarily, it is said, the Standard
has not received rebates in recent /
years, so far as has been discovered, |
but it nevertheless enjoyed secret
rates possessing all of the elements OF |
allegal rates, and the advantages so OBJ.
tanned over Independent shippers have
Deen of very great value to that COM ]
pany-
THE Standard has sold different |
grades of oil at different prices from |
the same barrel. It has paid employees /
of independent oil companies for infor
mation as to the business of those |
competitors and has paid employees OF /
industrial companies to secure the |
adoption of its oil in preference. to that
of it's competitors.
at has followed every barrel of in
dependent oil to destination. It's agents
are instructed to secure customers at /
any sacrifice. 1t has tempered with the
oil inspectors in different states. The
laws of several states concerning the .
inspection of oil are singularly defec-
live, and this has been turned to profit
by the Standard.
"The commissions only knowledge
Of the competitive methods of the
STANDARD Oil company is obtained
from evidence taken under oath in
this investigation. The Standard was
given permission to explain or rebut
the facts
"This evidence. if true, demon
strates that the competitive methods
of the company in tire past have been
unfair and disreputable.'