The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-04-24
PRICES RAISED BY
STANDARD OIL CO.
|InterlOcking Stock Owner
ship Prevents Any Real
Competition
TO
REOPEN TRUST CASES
Pronounced Price Inequalities Are
Found in Different Parts of the Coun-
try - Federal Trade Commission
Makes Interesting Report.


WASHINGTON, April 24.-Domina
ticn of the gasoline industry by Stan
dard Oil interests, the federal trade
commission reported to the senate to
dar, has been largely responsible for
high gasoline prices of the last two
years.
The report written after an eXhaus-
tive investigation into the entire pctro-
leum industry, declares intcrlocking
stock ownership prevents any real COM
petition among the various Standard
oil companies aud the commission rec
ommcnds legislation to permit reopen
ing Of the oil trust ease to obtain modi-
fcation Of the supreme court : dissolu
ton decree
No conclusive evidence was found,
it is stated, that collusion exists among
the standard companies in violation OF
the decree, but the commission : find
ings have been transmitted to the at
toraoy general.
I4ices arc declared to have been
EalStu aFbltIdI4lN dltHouzH HdtuIai
causes contributed. Pronounced price
| inequalities were found in different
lparts Of the country.
The principal findings Of the com
mission are:
| That III most marketing territories
/ the Standard companies are dominant
| That the Standard companies have
maintained a distribution Of territory
III marketing gasoline. and that no sub
stantial competition in the chief petro
leum products exists among the stand
| ard companies.
! That the absence Of competition is
due to a community of stock owner
ship.
That the facts disclose advances il
prices of gasoline and differences il
Iprice, corresponding to Standard mar
keting territories, which could not b,
Ioxplained except under the condition:
charged.
! That The combination Of PIPE line
with other branches Of the industry
has tended to establish and perpetuat'
monopoly.
| That there is no conclusive evidence
Of collision among the Standard com
Ipanies III violation Of the dissolution
. decree.
j The commission recommended thes
measures rs necessary to remedy condi
tons:
\ law providing for the re-openini
of antitrust eases on the application
Of the attorncr general by bill of re
view for the purpose Of obtaining sue
notifications of DEGREES as are require
by new conditions.
: Legislation to abolish in ccrtai
!, eases common stock ownership in col
. operations formerly members Of comb
nations dissolved under the Sherma
law.
Effective limitation Of common owl
: eFsiip Of stock in potentially compel
! tive corporations by Withdrawing til
. lpowcr OF voting and control.
Legislation, which while recognizin
z common ownership, would fix upon sue
: common owners the responsibility IL
! the acts Of each Of the several SUI
7 sidiaiy companies which prevent con
!, petition.
9 Segregation Of ownership of PHI
lines from the other branches of I'll
!. petroleum industry.
! Congressional enactment to fix stan
: ards for gasoline.
Federal collection and publication
n accurate statistics and information co
d corning the industry.
Conditions in the gasoline industl
4. rs uncovered by the investigation a
4 declared to be:
= Gasoline marketing is divided in
e, eleven territorial divisions at least MI
u Of which are said TO be under Standa
r Oil domination.
3, Stockholders of the Standard col
D. panies to a great degree are the sar
tf individuals or interests, with mo