Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-21

The witness said he had no doubt
the Independent companies had other
terminals in New York than those con-
trolled by the Standard Oil company.
But you assessed the warehouse and
freight charges against all the inde-
pendents using your terminals y
Probably we did"
Mr., Kellogg asked whether the STAN
dard did not buy twenty independent
refineries prior to 1874 and dismantle
many of them.
Hardly as Many"
"I should think hardly as many as
that. We used the best of the re-
fineries and dismantled the others"
Mr.. Rockefeller said the Standard
had little to saw about the South I'M
provement company, but participated
in the meeting when it was organized
He did not think it was organized
before he had purchased any rehneries
in Cleveland, and he said he did not
think that all of the stock in that com
pany was acquired by men who were
later associated with him.
Mr.. Kellogg then read the list OF
stockholders of the South Improvement
company and asked N1r. Rockefeller
about the agitation which followed the
organization of this company.
Il can hardly explain the reason for
the excitement of those gentlemen,
replied Mr.. Rockefeller.
"Was it not the enormous rebates
that the railroads were to pay?'
1T was probably due to m1sappre-
hension on the part of the independent
shipper"
Mr.. Rockefeller's attention was
called to the agreement with the South
Improvement company and the rates
provided therein for rebates on oil.
us it not fact that all other parties,
according to this agreement, were to
be charged the full gross rate?'
Probably So"
''Was it not that feature which Gre
ated the excitement among the inde-
pendents?"
1t Might Have Been
ut might have been one of the causes
but [ could hardly recOllect after forty
years all the causes"
''You saw the Standard did not agree
with the propositions of the South I'M
provement company, but is 1t not a
fact that the Standard signed mani
fest supporting the South Improvement
company"
1T may have been. rather think it
must have been the Standard Oil COM
pany of Pittsburg. l have no recol-
lection of the Standard Oil company OF
Cleveland signing it.
"Were you a stockholder of the
South Improvement company?
"T never received the certificate, as
far as l can recollect.
do you remember that in March,
1872. there was a Standard Oil company
of Pittsburg? ?"
II think so; I think that it was
living concern"
"Would it be natural that COM
pany like yours would join in the mani
fest?"
''Well. it is likely that Mr.. Warden
who had many interests in the region
would have issued the circular"
what understanding did you have
of the agreement?
"I should say the agreement would
have been to help the business or the
producer, refiner and transporter
"That is all who came in would proht,
but how about those who did not
come in?"
Says Doors Were Open
.sThe doors were OPEN"
How did you know the doors were
open?"
men who organized 1t. All the re-
finers were expected to come into II.
ssWhat communication was made to
the Independents that they could come
into this agreement?
II could not say"
"Was not the contract kept secret
for some timer
eft may have been"
oil Ita Ian g