Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-12-23
STANDARD MAKES GREAT
FITS ON PRICE AND MAR
KET MANIPULATIONS


From the Des Moines Evening Times
The standard Oil Company gets
the money any way you wish to fig-
ure it.
First-The Standard forced down
the price of gasoline in order TO
force down the price of crude oil.
Second-The standard purchased
the crude Oil on a low market at its
own prices.
ThIrd-The Standard raised the
price OF gasoline, renned from the
crude purchased at the low price.
As result the people, the con-
sumers, are today paying more Tor
gasoline refined from low priced
crude than they paid last summer
for gasoline renned from high priced
crude.
In addition to the great profits, the
Standard, by its price and market
manlpulations, has crippled the in
dependents, and, if it is allowed to
continue, will be able to force the
consumers to pay still higher prices,
because the consumers will have to
buy from the Standard owing to the
fact that there is no competition.
For instance
The Prairie Oil Company, a sub
sidiary of the Standard, managed to
buy up 57,000,000 barrels of surplus
crude oil when the market was low,
owing to the decline in the price of
gasoline.
An advance of 80 cents a barrel
enabled the Standard, through the
Prairie, to clean up $19,5OO,O0O.
Not so bad for John d.
And
Crude oil is still going up. Oil
men say the Standard, through the
Prairie, stands to clean up $4,000,
900 on this one deal.
The Carter Oil Company, another
Standard subsidiary, managed to hold
100000 barrels of surplus oil be-
fore the scheduled advance in the
price of crude took place.
The Ohio Oil Company, another
subsidiary fortified itself with IL,
100000 barrels of crude in order to
share the general prosperity that was
to come.
Many other subsidiaries seem to
be in business for the purpose of pick
ing up the crude when the word"
is passed AS a result they are en-
abled to make profits of from 100 to
200 per cent.
The public pays and pays.
To whom?
The Standard of course.
Every automobile owner, every
automobile dealer and every automo-
bile garage owner should realize that
the fight is not between the Standard
and its independent competitors so
much as il is between the Standard
and the man who uses gasoline.
For the consumer today and tomor
row will have to pay the Standard
just such profits as the Standard de-
sires in event the Standard is able
to force the independents to the wall
and thus gain full control of the mar
ket.
And
The independents of Iowa have
been facing ruin for months owing to
the price and market manipulations
which have made it next to impos-
sible TO obtain. gasoline at fair
price that it might sell to the public
at fair profit.
For instance
The wholesale price of gasoline in
Des MONIES yesterday was 1915 a gal
lon.
There are nine Independent COM
panies doing business in Des Moines.
The wholesale price of gasoline in
New York yesterday was 10 cents
gallon.
The freight excess to New York
from the Oklahoma fields is not over
2 cents.
The standard controls in New
York.
The wholesale price of gasoline in
Muskogee, Okla, is II cents.
Think of it.
The Standard controls the Okla
homa situation.
1t is selling gasoline right in Mus
kogee, in the heart of the oil country
for "A gallon more than IL is in
Des Moines, and 1t costs 1.6 a gal
Ion to ship. the gasoline from Okla
homa to Des Moines.
Why? Why?
Why, should the Standard charge
practically 6 cents gallon more for
gasoline in Oklahoma than in Des
Moines when the gasoline is produced
in Oklahoma?
There is but one answer
1t is
Competition.
In Oklahoma the Standard is in
control of the market-the people are
paying.
In Iowa the Standard must face the
competition of many, many independ-
ents.
With the independents put out of
business here through price and mar
ket manipulations, Is 1t not safe to
assume that the price will go up and
that the consumers will pay the bill?
Is 1t not? Adv.