New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-29

10 20 per ION. Inc arguments by which the Officer
of the ice companies justify the advance are gver
below In conversations with reporters of rHE
TRIBUNE.
BOTH SIDES OF THE QUESTION.
TALKS WITH CONSUMERS, SHIPPERS AND DEALERS
HIGHER PRICES FOR FREIGHTs-THE ICE MA.
CHINE.
Family consumers of ice have received
notice that hereafter l cent per pound VIII
be charged for ice by the companies This is at the
rate of S22 10 ton. "A shipping merchsnts
yertising to deliver Ice from Maine upon New-York
piers at al per tOn much curiosity has expressed
by consumers as TO what makes great difference in
the retail and wholesale prices.
" IL looks like regular swindle," said prominent
resident OF Brooklyn and It to me that the
companies have made of the mid Winter here sim
ply 0s prctcXt When ice doesn't form the
Hudson River 1t doesn't form anywhere else,
according 70 the way NcwYork companies view the
! matter" In order TO obtain nm explanation from the
companies ana also for the purpose Of ascertaning the
effect OF the unusually mild Winter upon ice crop
TRIBUNE reporter visited several Of the leading
panies and shippers few days ago.
b. +. Me;calf, OF H. +. Metcalf Il Co., shipping
chants at M. 12O Front-st, sid " II true that we
are selling ice AT - per ton, but be remembered
thatIt is mt I'm take weight that Is, at tine weight
when shipped Maine, and does allow for shrinlHge
during the voyage. This difference is about 80 cent.
ton. That which getting comes directly
from ponds and the k"nnebcc and PenobscOt Rivers II
! is Just good rs Hudson River tee"
| Docs 1t coet the Ice companies any more than 1t
! costs You 10 get the ice here from M.inc!"
"It does not, and IN many cases much less Several
companies are getting it for 30 cenrs ton IN
Maine and the expense Of bringing it here be
over 81 so per At the outside. ice that they
are obtaining now ought not cost them 50 30 per
ton There Is plenty OF Ice In Maine the crop has
been very large At the present Time It Is shipped d
tf
Later when the housing begins, labor and re
shipping will be required, and TINS VIII increase the
price One great trouble j. the scarcity OF vessels for
the trade IDo Ncw-IOrk lee companies are charter
inS al The vessels they get for The season. Lake
Champlan Is fail OF ice also. bur It difficult to trans
port 1t until hc canals open Yet an ccdccr tod mo
today that he could brng here chcaply nv rail
from Lake Chimplan ,hlu from Maine By the 18th ~
next month the price Will nave raised by that
time the sached' lco Will have been disposed of II Is
very probable that then the dealers IN " ne
strong men, after selling enough build new houses for
the ice, will mold II for higher prices Ticy diI !
rhis two years ago, and the crop that they !
then stored away Is stu IN their s.orchouies |
frozen In s0dly that they compelled to build new
LoEees. But the is favorable for them this
year, ana no douDt they VIII repeat their plans They
sre that NewYu VIII De- unable to get home
aaI WILL BE- willing pay SO So ton FOR It
la,er Ia the SEASON
THE ICE COMPANIES ARGUMENTS.
Robert Maclay, president OF the Kmckcrbocker Ice
Company. -ad:
"Ihe reason that have been obliged to increase the
price - cc Is account Ot the additional expense Of
gathering housing. aud transportation. We have large
ice houses the Hudson River, which at light expense
We usually MI az the ratio OF 10000 tons per day
lut now We are Obliged % 20 elsewhere 10 unusual and
remote places. Tor Bcsidcs Tins. in these new
loca ics We have mad 10 build tee houses Here
on the Hudson, have burgcs builr expressly
d II lis
~ great part Htoiri ih- net o nurScS, representing
between 300" and sG0oooo. f. iying illc. ana our
large lee houses dlonc nr river are az 10 IOgctucr
with this D. tie constUt cXp,nsr Of some 800
ttng come ifu pond, in different parts OF the state
wa ci is locH'd I'D "'hcf states must UNDERGO trans
10 ftntou io udc-"afcf, ana then - shipment To Nrw
/. he Ch.mplail An tu. adds lrscy To- m. cost as
ru can rc m fact thc additional Npcusc %! ransporta
than "a ordinary winter" ,
do you anticipate scarcity of during The
" can't that DO" was the reply; There is ice
rn9ush 10 supply ihc demand Of he conu'y out The I
additional cost ui transportation VIII make 10 COsf
T,r s t 20 , lar Ir" c b ~ ",' nTs
one reasons f' family conrun'rs - tncie must bc seven
must be- employed The ice must he carried iuO cellars Il
ier waiting for elow eryaus To attend to the call All
MS time there j. an enormous meltare going 4 n
amy takes 100 pounds Ot Zee per week at the expense
II 81 or II cents day /, ihis such terrible high Il
'l.ce pr ne trouble tldt Is csei ta man VIII pur ~
nase lee ofns At the dock II Is an entirely am rent
lr.nf
cc To-Day At - tom 1" me dock. But when you come "
cut II up into t'n ana fifteen pound pieces there is Of 81
cccs.ib vrry great waste. We are not SPECTATORS,
ndcayoring 10 make all the money that for OF
ear bcaus" the crop short But in bust Il
ur customers iairy Our ldrgcr customers come >,
nj understand tni* Oar smaller ones would cry out
lonopoy n they also nd statement of the tactS ~ the o
ise lnaycar Ike the present notwithstanding the -
isAei prices We do not maA' a" mucn money A. usual e.
u we are Obliged 10 scti Closer 81
ADVANCE II FRmGHIs. si
John Milford, president OF the Mutual Benefit lee in
ompany, said
We are paying 81 so per for ice and usually he
e are Hing for les. than this We cutting
Lax" Cnampnm tuau ANY other company, ana tell oy
"a that The quantity OF lee there Is not drop In the nj
lcact compared with what New-York will need IL is liz
uch the same In regard to the Maine crop There less
generally This yras proportion 10 the demand wOtO ca
r tian there $50 Every where sch0Oncrs are G.,
O"ng Tor higher rates Tor rnsporltion because there CO
greater demand Tor vessels Both lee aud lumber tn
,EhS are goug ANA s fact will make Ice cost cr
ore a. Hl w. cniu 'H on the liu lSon l.iNrr lhIs u
VIZ O'V"O l'. ~ BlfyioNh ahu 'hl, Was Inuhu M,
tween ihe railroad IN OK aud The shorr. year M
cut 100000 IONS. We are gathering ice row that by
III coSf f ~ gcts mere. No contracts i'll eel
IRE being made scnso the risk being too great" ori
" NGtd nor Zee machines b. OF help IN time OF cei
90 No ucq 'nlV produced Is too small to be Of any
CONT IL wOud take tie whole oi Central Park tO ac
inmoiait the machinery necessary to supply New
hh la g'id 10 iec hc.aS delivered here at ~ ton
he weight makes Ofien "a difference OF one ton IN i,s
T. and be loss t tme OF year is at least 20 per l
Mr. T. Winch, prcsen of Tie Ncwlork Cly lee Com Cor
ny, said: -,
Onc reason that frcshts VIII lie aigh Is that the Pai
ralincu are mnkn contracts ship great deal or Iris
u Orc nnd Hi3 VIII a cI the price o lumber as well
o, o, uiy ,T ma, ,r,,c onnufliies i'm Maine NEE
u Obliged tn i!v - 50 ton fur II there. was
20 the hisi iur thirty eight years, and by
vt u Yer RuOUu scarce. Every year haVo CAV
jcurcd Rockl ud Lake. but this by
had pound from there Where usually cut huT
OoO iOus tlis sel-On get less than 10000 tons.
1 tIr balance mus. from els where Even IN
uc the weather has u1t en cold as usual and the
l. nOt over twelve to fourteen inches tnick, when
croily 1t ~ tWclty or more Ia thickness" n
Do aaf.cratr I'll trouble from spectators I" y