The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-04-24
DOMINATION OIL INDUSTRY

DOMINATION OIL lNOOS1NI
Washington, April 24.-Domina-
ton of the gasoline industry by
Standard interest, the Federal
Trade Commission reported to the
Senate today, has been largely re-
sponsible for the high gasoline prices
of the last two years. The Report
declares interlocking stock owner
ship prevents any real competition
among the various Standard Oil
Companies, and the Commission
recommends legislation to permit re-
opening of the Oil trusts case to OBJ
tain notifications Of the Supreme
Courts dissolution decree.
No conclusive evidence was found
it is stated, hat collision exists
among the Standard Companies in
violation of the decree, hut the Com
missions findings have .een trans
r.H.. TO the '..:o'..y General.
Prices are declared to have bee,
raised Arbitrarily, although, national
causes contributed. Pronounced
price inequalities were found in diff
ferent parts of the country. The
principal findings of the Commission
are:
That in most marketing territories
the Standard Companies are domi-
nant.
That the Standard Companies
have maintained a distribution of
territory in marketing gasoline and
the. no substantial competition in
the chief petroleum products exists
among the Standard Companies.
That the absence of competition is
due to community of stock owner
ship.
That the facts disclose advances
in the price of gasoline and differ
ences in prices, corresponding to
Standard marketing territories
which could not be explained except
under conditions charged.
That the combination of pipe lines
with other branches Of the industry
have tended to establish and per-
petuate monopoly.
| That there is no conclusive evil
dence of collision among the Stand
ard Companies in violation of the
dissolution decree.
/ The Commission recommended
these measures as necessary to
remedy conditions:
A law providing for re-opening OF
antitrust cases on the application
of the Attorney General by a bill Of
Review for the purpose of obtaining
such modification of DEGREES as are
required by new conditions.
LEGISLATION to abolish in certain
cases, common stock ownership in
corporation formerly members of
combinations dissolved under the
Sherman Law.
Effective limitation Of common
ownership of stock in potentially
competitive corporations by with
drawing the power of voting and
control.
Legislation, which, while recogniz-
ing common ownership, would fix
upon such common owners the res
possibility for the acts Of such of
the several subsidiary companies
which prevent competition.
Segregation of ownership of pipe
lines from the other branches of the
petroleum industry.
Congressional enactment to fix
standards for gasoline.
II Federal collection and publication
Of accurate statistics and information
concerning the industry.
Conditions in the gasoline industry
as uncovered by the investigation
are declared to be:
/ Gasoline marketing is divided into
eleven territorial divisions, at Least
nine of which are said to be under
Standard oil domination.
Stockholders Of the Standard
Companies to a great degree are the
same individuals or interests witt
more than half of the stock of the
various companies in their hands.
Leading officers of the Standard
Company hold considerable stock il
two or more companies.
Standard Oil refineries produced
more than sixty per cent of the gas
oline output in 1915, sold abont
sixty-five per cent of the total mar
keted and held more than seventy
!! per cent of gasoline stock.
correspondence Of the different
prices in 1915 with Standard mar
keting territory" says the report
''itself points to arbitrary price fix