Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-04-24
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
REPORTS STANDARD cVMPA.
MES DOMINATE INDUSTRY.
LARGELY RESPONSIBLE
FOR INCREASED PRICES
Recommends Legislation
to Permit Reopenins Of Anti Trust
Suit-Pronounoed Price Inequalities
Alleged - Report Filed With Senate
For Its Confederation.

Washington, April -, - Domination
Of the gasolene Industry by Standard
Oil interests, the federal trade COM
mission reported to the senate today.
has been largely responsible for high
gasolene prices of the last two years.
The report written after an eXhaus-
tive investigation into the entire pc
troleum industry declares interlockinS
stock ownership prevents any real
competition among the various Stand
ard Oil companies and the commission
recommends legislation to permit re-
opening of the oil trust case to obtain
dissolution decree.
No conclusive evidence was found, It
is stated, that collision exists among
the Standard companies in violation
of the decree, but the commissions
findings have been transmitted to the
attorney general.
Prices are\ declared to have been
raised arbitrarily, altho natural causes
contributed. Pronounced price in
equalities were found in different parts
OF the country.
Findings Of Commission.
The principal findings of the COM
mission are:
Ths, in most marketing territories
the Standard companies are dominant,
That the Standard companies have
maintained distribution OF territory
in marketing gasolene and that no
substantial competition in the chief
petroleum. products exists among the
Standard companies.
That the absence of competition is
due to a community Of stock owner
ship.
That the facts disclose advances in
prices OF gasoene and differences in
price, corresponding 10 Standard mar
keting territories. which could not be
explained except under the conditions
charged.
That the combination of pipe lines
with other branches of the industry
has tended to establish and perpe,uate
monopoly.
That there is no conclusive evidence
OF collision among the STANDARD COM
panies in violation of the dissolution
decree
The commission recommended these
measures as necessary to remedy con-
ditions;
Would Reopen Trust Case.
A law providing for the reopening
OF antitrust cases on the application
of the attorney general by bill of re-
view for the purpose Of obtaining such
notifications Of decrees as are re-
CURED by new conditions.
Legislation TO abolish In certain
cases common stock ownership in cor
pcrations formerly members OF COM
binations dissolved under the Sherman
law.
Effective Limitation of common own
ership OF stock In potentially competi-
I've corporations by withdrawing the
power OF voting and controi.
Legislation, which while recogniz
ing common ownership would fix upon
such common owners the responsibility
for the acts Of each of tine several SUBJ
sidiary companies which prevent com
petition.
Segregation Of ownership OF pipe
lines from the other branches Of the
petroleum industry.
Congressional enactment TO fix
standards FOR gasolene.
Federal collection and publication of
accurate statistics and information
concerning the industry.
Conditions in the sasolene industry
as uncovered by the investigation are
declared TO be:
Gasolene marketing is divided into
eleven territorial divisions at least nine
of which are said to be Under Stand
ard Oil domination.
Stock holders of the Standard rom
panies to-a great degree are the same
individuals or interests. with more
than half of the stock of the various
companies in their hands.
Leading officers of the Standard
companies hold considerable in two or
more companies.
Refineries Produce so Per Cent.
Standard Oil refineries produced