The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-02-29
PURCHASING MEN
ATTACK BROKERS
Attempts to Justify Pipe
"Profiteers" Is Charge
Made.
A WORDY STATEMENT
Resent Action of Brokers in
Assessing an Extra Tax
for Delivery.

APA - VI ~ y
Tulsa purchuAiug agents resent al
legged attempts TO Juanfy proitDwinE
an tubular products as taken IRON
an interview In last Tucoday H
World according tO a lengthy Jtato-
mont ieiwu Out Following Wtir
meeting Tuesday night iu tho Ken
ncdy restaurant 1hCy are especially
antaEonistic toward paying ot
premiums 10 oil pipe proiitcoih,' the
sEltegn mt suFscr,s purchasing agtuia
have Deen uctvc recently I'm de-
nOunCing brokers who sell pipo WIN
quick deliveries FOR the payment ol
"A sum slightly greater tnln tho
rated pipe prices uf the mhnui1'
turcrs.
Tho statement follows:
AT tho regular semi monthly
meaiinR OF the TuAa Purchasing
Agents association, held on lunedjy
evening, tho Interview that ap
pearcd iu 1ucsday.s world relating
10 p1pc brokerage waa brought 10
the aIteulon Of the association ana
1t was suggested that tho purchasing
association Of Tulsa arrange for "a
similar interview with the World
regarding conditions in tho pip"
market. with especial reference to
thnt part of the interview relating
TO tho payment Of premiums to
brokers for pipe.
I'm 80 far az the published inter
view related to legitimate branches
of the oil industry there was uu
criticism, but tho opinion generally
expressed ht the meeting was that
the interview as whole waA uoth
ing more nor lo,s1 than a Nfcu3e of
and a justification Tor protitcering
IN pipe,
"Of all the questions now agitatiuB
the public mind. socially or eco
npmically, none rs the subject OF
such severe and iustifiablc criticlEni
as that Of prufitoering. aud this rs
equally true Of the pipe profitccr HH
Of uhe prufltecr In food, CLOTHES or
any other Nncrchantable commodity
The man who deals In plpc at
prices In excess OF the regular Hat
price, as quoted 10y the reOrgauized
supply houses, IL a profitcCr "A dotri-
Incnt to the oil business ana of no
benefit to the community His line
of business is I'm no sense an indus
try. lie employs few, II any mCu,
pays little or no ront and IN In no
sensc "a factor In building up the
city. on the contrary. he lives solely
upon tho necessities of another. ana
lecch- like hangs on until the last
FfiHA ihN b'tll ihtAtl puts
Considering thcsc facts In general
and the particular manner In which
many pipe brokers obtain their sup
ply of pipe. the Tulsa Purchasing
Agents association feels that the in
tcrvicw In Tuesdays World is mis-
leading and unfair to the oil pro-
ducer, both large and small.
1T Is true II pipe sh hortage may DE
.velop. which Is exceedingly apt to
not detrimChtally to the producer
who IL contemplating much devcl-
oDment but can this condition be
rcmedied any by permitting Pipe to
20 mlt from the legitimate chanpel1
OF the trade and fan into the hands
OF brokers who will hold II for a
premium?
1T matters not how n pipe broker
obtains his pipc--wheuhcr by order.
ing for himself, In anticipation of the
difficulties of the producer. or
Whether 10y devious methods he sue
cceds In getting an employe to hc
dishonest ana disloyal to his en-
ployeri by turning from legitimate
channels, the object sought * always
the same. namely, to force the oil
producer into "a corner and compel
MIN to pay an excess price FOR his
pipe.
Tine Tulsa Purchasing Agents as
SotHltlOn dlSputcS the assertion thut
practically all of the tubular mills OF
the country were closed down from
the middle Of September until after
January /, but even II t.hds were so.
1t would be still further condcmna-
tion OF the pipe proftteer for at
tempting to secure the reduced sup
ply and sell Il at a premium when
the regular, legitimate supply houses
took no such action with tho pipe
they received
THE interview also says II would
he more to the advantage OF the pro,
ducer to pay tribute to the prufitecr
get the oil at the advanced price and
that "A buy at at any price TX "a good
buy Clearly this is the attitude OF the
nrofftecr, tho man who is not a leg,
itimate factor In the great oil indus,
try. hut strives only TO live off IN,
man who is honestly and legitimate.
ly producing oil--buy at any prce
so long ~ | can name the price.
What becomes of fhe small pro,
ducer I'm the shuttle? The man who's,
needs were not great enough for hin
60 anticipate any shortage and order
by the carload in advance? lie (,
solely at the mercy uf the pipe boot,
logger
"hpe brokers sometimes attemp
N Justify their business by asserting
that they are not charging excessive
premiums. In order that the public
may know lust what prices they DC
do ask, the following figures are sub.
miticd.
'rhrc-inch line pipe, list pricc