o expense in utilizing
the best and most efficient method of manufacture. It has sought for
the best superintendents and workmen and paid the best wages. It has
not hesitated to sacrifice old machinery and old plants for new and
better ones. It has placed its manufactories at the points where they
could supply markets at the least expense. It has not only sought
markets for its principal products, but for all possible by-products,
sparing no expense in introducing them to the public in every nook and
corner of the world. It has not hesitated to invest millions of
dollars in methods for cheapening the gathering and distribution of
oils by pipe-lines, special cars, tank-steamers, and tank-wagons. It
has erected tank-stations at railroad centres in every part of the
country to cheapen the storage and delivery of oil. It has had faith
in American oil and has brought together vast sums of money for the
purpose of making it what it is, and for holding its market against
the competition of Russia and all the countries which are producers of
oil and competitors against American products.

THE INSURANCE PLANS

Here is an example of one of the ways in which we achieved certain
economies and gained real advantage. Fires are always to be reckoned
with in oil refining and storage, as we learned by dear experience,
but in having our plants distributed all over the country the unit of
risk and possible loss was minimized. No one fire could ruin us, and
we were able thus to establish a system of insuring ourselves. Our
reserve fund which provided for this insurance could not be wiped out
all at once, as might be the case with a concern having its plants
together or near each other. Then we studied and perfected our
organization to prevent fires, improving our appliances and plans year
after year until the profit on this insurance feature became a very
considerable item in the Standard earnings.

It can easily be seen that this saving in insurance, and minimizing
the loss by fire affected the profits, not only in refining, but
touched many other associated enterprises: the manufacture of
by-products, the tanks and steamers, the pumping-stations, etc.

We devoted ourselves exclusively to the oil business and its products.
The company never went into outside ventures, but kept to the enormous
task of perfecting its own organization. We educated our own men; we
trained many of them from boyhood; we strove to keep them loyal by
provi