“The Great Oil Octopus.”

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 53, 15 March 1912, Page 3

“The Great Oil Octopus.”

Story of the Development, Methods, Men, and

Results of " Standard Oil."

By London "Truth's" Investigator.

(Copyright. All

RighU Heserccd.)

THE ROCKEFELLERS AND THE HOME OFFICE. CHAPTER XlV.—Continued. The Home Office. No doubt Ministers have been hampered by the obstruction of the Home Office bureaucracy. Before even the Select Committee had reported, the late Dr. Dupre, chemical adviser to the Home Office, said at Sutton {.iv A'ovomlier, 18U7):— If people thought they would get legislation on tho subject to raise the tlash-point they would he very much mistaken, for legislation would not so upset tho trade. What was wanted was education and butter lamps. AVo have seen how Colonel Jlajendie was constantly sitting ab the feet of Mr. Hoverton Redwood on this question, and his influence, was steadily against the flash-point being raised. His successor, the late Captain-Thomson, followed the same tradition, and actually published with Air. Redwood a "Handbook on Petroleum." This volume, which is ostensibly a guide to local petroleum inspectors iv carrying out their duties, branches off into a defence of the 73 deg. flash-point, and contains all the old Standard Oil tags. One, of its points is that more people are, killed by falling downstairs.than by lamp accidents —I only cite- that absurdity to show the boldness which the Home Office stall' have shown in their determination to obstruct thtj recommendation of the Petroleum Committee. The final climax has been the appointment of Sir Boverton Redwood as Homo Ofliee Adviser on Petroleum. Nobody questions for an instant the great scientific abilities of Sir Uoverton Redwood, or his thorough acquaintance witli the petroleum industry, but he has taken too long and too active a part in opposing tho raising of the Hasli-poinl for his advice to be a safe guide on the question. It would bo exactly like appointing; Mr. Protyman to advise the Inland Revenue on Ao drafting and circulating of Form IV.

Tho Home Office has made another attempt to divert public attention from the Hash-point of kerosene by appointing a departmental committee to consider the storage and transit of petroleum spirit, which boily lias just published its report and evidence. The fact is, of course, that this is a difficult and complicated subject, affecting large numbers of small oil and spirit dealers, on which it will bo almost impossible to come to an agreement. Tho raising of the flash-point of kerosene is a simple, clear issue, which can be done by a Bill of one clause, and the only people who will really bo affected by it will be the Standard Oil Trust. At the same time the Oil Trust, with its vast capital, does not greatly object to restrictions on the storage and transit of either oil or spirit, because these mean capital expenditure which it can easily defray, and they will at the same time'hamper all its smaller competitors. Now in a time of congestion of Parliamentary business, when it is admittedly difficult to drive oven a wheelbarrow though the House, the Homo Office bureaucracy deliberately selects tho long and "complicated subject for its artivitv, and ignores the simple one. Why?' The Naphtha. It is instructive to note that during the years that have elapsed since tho Flash-point Bill was rejected in 1899, half the Standard's argument against raising the flash-point has been killed by itself. It asserted that it could not take out that proportion of naphtha which made its 73 deg. oil so explosive and dangerous without adding to the cost to the consumer. Since then there has arisen the demand for benzine or petrol for the motor industry, and the Standard finds that it can take out that naphtha. Accordingly a friend of mine who lias studied this subject as a chemist tells mc that whereas the "Tea Rose." oil used to have a flashpoint nearly down to the legal minimum of 73 deg., samples recently tested have a flash-point of 78 deg. or 79 deg. The Trust have made their oil to that extent safer to suit themselves, and it is notable that side T oy side with this the number of petroleum lamp accidents has been falling. What is now wanted is that they shall be forced by Parliament to make it safer still. As Lord Kelvin, said to the Select Committee in 189G :—

Tho principle, of safety is that oil should never in a lamp reach tho temperature of the close test flashpoint. I advise tho Committee to fix a flash-point which shall be higher than oil is likely to reach under ordinary conditions of ordinary use. One of the achievements of the Home Office during the controversy was the cooking of a list of legal flash-points in American State 3 by which, it wa« sought to discredit the statement thrtt this country is a dumping-ground for American low-flash oils that the Rockefellers cannot Pell at homo. Although Mr. Jesse Collinga has denied that statement in the House ef Commons, it is perfectly true. A conclusive proof of its truth is furnished by that interview with Mr. \V. H. Libby, the Standard's foreign marketing' agent: (to which. I referred in a former chapter), appearing ia the "New York Herald" of September 3. 1905. After describing

in Mr. Libby's words their struggles with Russia tor the European oil market, the interviewer goes on tlius: —

It is an open secret among people* familiar with the oil business that ohe great and important reason lor Uio .Standard's activity in Europe is largely duo to the fact that the European tests on oil ore not as stringent as they are in the United States. In this country (U.S.A.) the first run of oil, or what is known as the flash-test at a high rate, Is the only oil that is allowed to be marketed. The second run of oil contains much more inflammable ingredients, and when tested with the Hash will explode at a much lower tenijierature. It is this oil that finds a market abroad, and the laws there do not demand the higher test of the product. To get rid of its second run, the Standard naturally has to look to other markets than the domestic, and that is why it is so anxious to extend its operations in Europe and Asia, ns otherwise the oil would bo a drug on its hands. The British Flash-point in India. The case against the Standard and it liquid death could not be more concisely put than in the foregoing passage, and so far as they arc concerned, 1 leave the case there. But with regard to the British officials, it should hero bo mentioned that the length to which they have gone in defence of the 73 dcg. flash-point was most conspicuously demonstrated in Jntim. When the flash-point of 73 deg. was legalised there difficulties arose with Burma petroleum which, owing to it.s large proportion of petroleum wax, became solid or viscid at CO deg. The ]n<l inn authorities wrote home for advice in this awkward situation, and Sir Frederick Abel was invited to solve the riddle. Sir Frederick actually recommended the Indian Government to melt the samples, then refrigerate them down below 73 deg., and then gradually beat' them up again to 73 deg. to test them! Here is the exact language of his letter:— For the above reasons, the application of the legal flashing-tost as prescribed by the Act to the examination of petroleum samples which are solid or vi.scid at a temperature about 60 deg. Fahr. must give entirely fallacious results. Then he goes on to suggest a "modification" of the system of testing, of which the material portion is as follows :— Tie oil-cup is then to be placed in a refrigerator, or plunged np to the projecting collar in water maintained at a sufficiently low temperature until both thermometers indicate the temperature at which the testing of petroleum is directed in the Act to be commenced. The oil-cup is then to bo removed, wiped dry, placed in the water-bath, and the testing effected in the manner prescribed in the Act. —Select Committee's report, 18!)(>, Appendix, p. 747. Of course, to the mind of any one but an official, it would be clear that when oil in a barrel or tank was itself normally at a temperature of between 80 deg. or 90 deg. it was a farce- to allow it to enter the- country on the theory that it would not give off explosive vapour below 73 deg. Fahr. ]Jut to admit that would have been too awkward for tho whole flash-point camarilla, and Sir Frederick Abel, in the "Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry," a few years before the safeoil agitation started, stated that oil which in New York was exported as 73 deg. oil was found in India to have a flash-point of 66 deg., a.nd advised that in order to take the flash-point in India it should be cooled down to 56 deg. Fahr. before- 'ftho testing was started. Yet tho Standard Oil agents in India successfully opposed any raising of the flash-point, and Sir Frederick Abel, in> the letter quoted in the 1896 Blue Book, stated that public safety did not require it. Later Agitations. Another Standard Oil agitation which waa run hero by the AngloAmerican was in February, 1900, when the railway companies issued an amended consignment note for benzine, petrol and all varieties of motor spirit, by which the consignor was required to indemnify tlio railway company against all claims for injury to person or property arising out of the "inflammable character" of tlio goods. The AngloAmerican Oil Company first threatened that it would abandon tho importation of petroleum spirit altogether, but as' that 'bluff" did not succeed it issued a circular to owners of motor-cars and users of petroleum spirit, signed by Mr. Frank E. Bliss, director. It contained this instructive paragraph:— There is more, likelihood of our protest being Jfeeded if it be supported by similar protests from all users of petroleum spirit. TV© ask, therefore, your co-operation in our endeavor to induce the railway companies to revert to their old form of consignment note, and wo shall bo glad if you will address a letter of protest to your local goods agent of tho railway company over whoso line you have been

accustomed to receive your traffic. That is tho way those spontaneous agitations (ire got up. Of late years the Anglo-American's public activities have boen chiefly concerned with its attempt to get tho

(To. be continued.)

Thnrr.-os Conservancy, and then the Port of London Authority, to sanction thi\ bringing of .petroleum spirit up the river in tank barges instead.of landing it at I'uitlccl. The Thames Conservancy, whose meetings are open fco the press,'steadily refused, but the Port of London Authority sits in secret, ajid it would not bo surprising if ono day the Standard's constant efforts succeeded in this most dangerous project. "Petroleum spirit." legally, consists of 'petroleum, which flashes below 73 deg. I'ahr. In fart, some of its products will."flash at zero, but all of it is fax nui re'dangerous than the petroleum iiii|ip,-'oil, jwhieli flashes at 73 deg. or above. ''