The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-03-04
INQUIRIES INTO
GASOLINE COST
Corporation Commission Hears
Witnesses In Investigation
Being Made.
LOOK FOR DISCRIMINATION

Prices at which gasoline is bought
aud sold to dealers by the Texas, Mag
nolla and the oklahoma Refining com
pany. aud the retail prices, were
brought out today In an investigation
before the corporation commission un-
der the authority Of senate resOlu
tiOn to Inquire II there IL any dis
elimination In the price of gasoline In
Oklahoma, as between Kansas, Texas
and other bordering states.
While the prevailing retail price Of
gasoline Is 10 cents In Oklahoma, 1t
Is 10 cents In Texas, at the present
time, although II has gone TO II cents
The Texas prices, however, are too
low according to the statement Of A.
{. Eby general manager Of the sales
department Of the Magnolia company
with headquarters at Dallas. The Mag.
u0lia sells gasoline In Oklahoma at
10 cents wholesale and 10 cents re.
tail
Relative to the cost OF marketing
gasoline, Mr. Eby said that 1 to l15
cents should be the outside; that they
were now paying 0hl cents for the gas
ollne at the refinery aud that figuring
all other costs In the selling aud dis
trIbuung 1t the amount would be at
least 1886 cents gallon The mar
gin OF profit would be between this
amount and II cents to the whole
saler. He said. however that the mar
ketlng cost AZ given was little above
normal lie said that gasoline was de
livered to the retailer at cents lcss
than the retail price.
Cheaper In Tanks.
r. c. Galbraith, superintendent OF
the Texas company, headquarters at
Oklahoma City, said that the com
pany gets It's gasoline from a refinery
at West Tulsa They have three re
flneries I'm Texas and one in Illinois
Asked as to the price Of gasoline In
tank cars MIR Galhralth did not know
why It was that they did not buy that
way At suggestion from Commls
siuner Henshaw that he thought II
was on cents, Mr. Galbraith said that
was extremely low The Texas com
pany has eleven tank stations In Ok
| lahOma and the company does not sell
! gasoline Mt any point for less than 10
cents except In places wherein the
| schedule has been modified to meet
competitive conditions These condi.
tlons are to be found In Enid, whore
the company Is selling gasoline TO
dealers at l2la cents, Guthrie, III;
| Hobart If Oklahoma city, II; Tulsa,
/ II and Ada. H. Mr. Galbruith did not
| know what the garage man was Charg-
ing for the gasoline He stated, In
answer to question, that the grocery
store man handled very little gasoline
al any place, that II is mostly bought
| by garages and general dealers The
company has no filling stations, he
said. He said he sold to garages In
Oklahoma CITY In tank cars at II
cents
Modified BY Competition.
Assistant Manager Converse " the
sales department " the Magnolia said
/ they had number NJ stations In the
state, and that they sold gasoline to
garages at ~ cents and the retail
price was 10 cents These prices pre-
vail except Hs modified by competi.
tiun. These conditions obtained at
| Oklahoma city, where the price to the
garage is II cents Enid l2nC; Guth-
| rle. II; Tulsa, 10 cents tO the dealer
and Y cents 10 the garage Woodward,
l3. with II cents to the consumer
Ardmore, II 10 the dealer 10 10 the
garage and IL retail At Bartlesyille
the price II H. wholesale
q. L. CordelI, secretary treasurer OF
the oklahoma Refining company To-
Gated In oklahoma city. charges l3
cents gallon tu garages and mer-
chants and II cents retail They have
several stations throughout the state
tive conditions us are the others lie
estimated the marketing cost of gaso-
line to be- about cents gallon.
Ed g. cline q garage man. living In
/. oklahoma CITY buys gasoline from the
Oklahoma Refining company, cents n
gallon us u carload price He retails
II fur 10 cents M his pump. He did
NOT know what IL cost to operate u sell
ing station although he said that he
was not making any money out " the
business. Tie said that on account of
a system In vogue In oklahoma City
.m vhlrh oil companies sold coupon
hooks II brought the price Of gasoline
down tn f. cents
Ruys II At Nine Cents.
4 / Nlms operates two selling sta
tlnus I'M oklahoma city and buys his
lrasolmc from the oklahoma Refining
company NJ cents a gallon. He sells
n Tor l9 cents, aud for - In the cou-
non hooks. He said gasoline could
not be- handled on Il margin " , cents
unless the dealer had u garage In con
nection where the same employees and
equipment In running the garage could
hc used In operating the oil station
Asked hy Commissioner Henshaw II
there was any loss on accounts I'm III,
business, MIR Minis replied that ther,
was about 10 per cent
According to the instructions Of the
resolution under which the commission
ia conducting the investigation, the
prices of gasoline n the refinery 10
marketing cost, and for what II is be-
INK sold In Kansas, Texas aud Other
bordering states must be asCertained
This information, 80 far IN oklahoma
is concerned was pretty well covered
nj the session today Other wltnessRs
will come later and II Is possible IN,
hearing will continue for several days
! Al