Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-11-21
KEROSENE KING
PROVES GOOD
WITNESS
FIVE HOUR ORDEAL FOR
JOHN D, ROCKEFELLER
Head of Standard Oil Gives De-
tails of COnpany'S Business
Covering Many Years. Vast
Earnings Revealed,

my Morning journal sDecraI x1sasee Hire
New York. Nov. 2O.-For over five
hours today John d. Rockefeller, wit
ness of the defense in the government
suit to dissolve the Standard Oil com
pany. faced an unceasing fire of ques-
tions from the federal counsel, FranR
h. Kellogg. and when adjournment
was taken until Monday the oil king
was still being cross examined on the
charge that the company in its early
days accepted rebates to the disad-
vantage of its rivals.
Mr. Rockefeller's cross examination
viii probably not be concluded until
late Tuesday, as Mr. Kellogg an
nouneed that he would question Mr.
Rockefeller on every detail of the
companys business
The enormous earning power OF the
oil combinat ton was sharply brought
out in todays hearing when Mr..
Rockefeller, after stating that the
Standard had paid dividends amount
ing to $4O.00O.OO0 in 1907, said it had
earned as much more, and that this
was added to the company's surplus,
which was stated by the governments
counsel to be $300,000,00O, 1t was
further declared by Mt Kellogg that
the company within the last eight
years had earned nearly half a billion
dollars.
The course of Mr.. Rockefellers tes-
timony in the hands of government
counsel ran not so smoothly as yes
terday when ne told his story under
the direction of friendly counsel, but
the rapid fire interroggtions Of the
prosecutor were always met with un-
shaken imperturbity and readiness to
answer, except when. as he explained
1T is quite Impossible for me to
Irmombcr after tnrty-tive years.
do not recall"
Mr Rockefeller was questioned
closely regarding rebates which the
Standard was accused Of accepting, but
with the exception of an agreement
with the Pennsylvania railroad, which
Mr. Rockefeller explained gave the
company a rebate in order to equalize
oil rates Mr.. Rockefeller could not
recall any other rate, although ne
thought it likely ne might have heard
of it at the time.
The president of the standard oil
company, when ne learned that the
government counsel would not be
able to conclude the cross -cXamina-
tion by tomorrow night. suggested an
adjournment until Monday, which was
agreed to. Es
Mr. Rockefeller was again on tho
witness stand when The hearing was
tion would not be confined to the pc
Rod between 1862 ana 1882, concern
ing which Mr.. Rockefeller gaNc cyi-
dence on his direct examination, butt
would cover also subsequent develop
mcnts which were connected directly
with those of the period described by
Mr. Rockefeller.
In response to questions about the
hazardous nature of the oil business
owing to the possibility of failure Of
supply, Mr. Rockefeller said that the
production Of crude oil in the Penn
sylyania field had steadily increased
from 1862 to 1900.
Mr.. Kellogg read figures from an
official report showing that the ,
Pennsylvania field reached its highest
point of production in 1900. Mr.. Rock !
eltller denied that the supplies Of |
crude oil had always been ample and |
asserted that it had fluCtuated. but
that tho summit. a. -. -. ~,
when he was acti,.l,. - =. ,,,''i ,'''''
ness. He was ,.l,od ,t,I,,,t /
"pmeht OF oil fields i'm Ohio and okla |
homa but said that he knew little
ABOUT them, as they had been actively /
worked since ne retired from business |
He described the drilling and r,ral,,,
tion of oil as of the character Of min
ing business. He said If was tho mol
icy of his company to pay for its OH |
at the wells and that The larger part |
of the oil it refined was purchased |
from the producer
He was then asked about the trust
a agreement of 1852, and whether the
trust certificates did not show a value .