The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-10-06
DUST HOLDS UP
BILLS FOR OIL,
PENDING PROBE
Standard Company of Indiana
Alleged To Have Given City
Short Measure
STATE AND FEDERAL
OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE
Park Department Secretary Be
lieves Company WI Have
Satisfactory Explanation

Park Commissioner Dust will hold
up bills for two carloads Of road oil
shipped by the Standard OH Co.. Of
Indiana, until a complete investigation
is made Of revelations which indicate
that the city has been systematically
over-charged on oil shipments
James w. Helme, state dairy and
food commissioner. VINO 10 also at the
head Of the state department on
weights and measures, IL investigating
the matter, and. Saturday morning,
District Attorney Clyde l. Webster
addressed letter TO the interstate
commerce commission calling atten-
ton to the allegations made against
the Standard Oil GO.
There Is no specific federal law
covering a charge OF this kind. and II
the matter il made a subject Of fed
eral investigation 1t will have to be
by the interstate commerce commis-
sion under the interstate commerce
act" said Mr.. Webster. III the COM
mission desires to take action In this
matter, q federal investigator will
likely be sent to Detroit"
The allegation made against the
company 10 that several barrels Of
low grade oil used by the city for road
sprinkling were found to contain sew
had certified. The cfty's present con-
tract with the company IL for 63-4
cents . gallon.
estimated that the city has purchased
Oh AA - N&l a
Standard company. The oil IL shipped
In carload lots, about o6 barrels to a
car.
The discovery that the barrels did
not contain the required number or
gallons was accidental. The Krell Co.,
Detroit concern, has been purchas-
ing the empty oil barrels from the city
and reselling them. A prospective
customer doubted the stamped capac-
ity Of q barrel, and Krell agreed to
gauge It for him. The barrel did not
measure up. Twenty other barrels
were examined and I'm each instance
the capacity marked on the barrels
was greater than actual measurement
showed. Its claimed.
The attention OF Lieut. Austin, of
the police department, was called to
the oil barrels and he verified the ind
ings Of Mr.. Krell
II think that the oil shortage can
be explained by the Standard Oil Co.
OF Indiana, because 1t does not seem
possible to me that q concern the
size Of the Standard would engage In
such petty graft tactics" said Henry
Busch. secretary of the park and
boulevard department.
I'VE have been buying road oil In
quantity for about Ave years and dur
ing that time the price has advanced
from ga cents to 634. We used
to sell the empty barrels hack to the
company, but 1t kept lowering the
price on 'empties' until l began to
sell the barrels to outside firms for
from 80 to 20 cents more each than
the company had been giving US. A
barrel Of oil averages about 80 gal
Ions.
I'VE have no way Of gauging the
barrels because the stun Is dumped
into tanks as fast as we use 1t, and 1t
would hardly pay to employ q man
to measure up the oil barrels as they
are unloaded. On account Of the
change In the character OF the pave
ments In the last few years, we are
using less oil each year. The depart
ment purchased about 1,434 barrels of
oil this season. The last carload was
shipped several days ago. In Septem-
Der we received one carload. in August
seven, and eleven In July
E. c. Conkling. Michigan manager
of the Standard OIL Co., refused to
make statement, Saturday morning.
II have absolutely nothing to say
about the matter" he declared over
the telephone.