New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-26
is THERE AN ICE TRUSIf
DEALERS SAY ONE HAS NOT BEEN FORMED
coxsrNvns RELIEVE THE COMPANIES WOULD PUSH


coNsuMrRs RELIEVE THE COMPANIES WOULD fosh
UP THE PRICE II THEY COULD.
Has An Ice Trust on a plan like tho sugar
Trust been formed? Is there q comoihacion aiions
the ice companies TO force up thc price Vi 'hi'
necessary of life during the coming SEASON i"7"
mr.. questions of great interest to houseKeepeH
~, ~ yor,, and in fact to everybody eso who
No. IN the metropolis A correspondent who
writes to The TRIBUNE under date OF FEBRUARY
%, says: ~
III. Senate Committee, II not already aware OF the
fact should be informed that the ice companies OF TINS
v have formed trust combination Tor the purpose Va
exac:ing a high pdec Tor ice In tho coming season,
little quiet VIII provo ine truth OF the ABOVE
With n view of discovering whether the writer
had heen correctly informed on the subject,
Te,p1;xr reporter instituted an inquiry ytster-
dav among both the supplers and the consumers
Of ice SO many trusts and combinations nave
been formed recently for the express purpose OF
advancing the prices Of articles, commodities
and staples which necessity to consumers
that the rumor Of an Ice Trust created no sur
prise among those whose business compes them 10
use this product in large quantities IL is an
interesting question, however, and proved TO De
startling one TO a large portion OF the community
WHAT CONSUMERS THINK.
The impression among consumers generany II
that if It can be done, those who controi the icc
crop will push up the rates. Ihat tnere 20 "o
necessity for such o measure is well KNOWN Inc
ice baryests during the present season have peeh
,lo,,ifr,. in excess indeed of the harvests or
recent wears There can be no excuse ior 1 1
movement therefore, except to enlarge inc proN'S
of the business. 49,, ,,-,...,-.
Ice Company by far the largest establishment OF
the kind in the city, is absent IN Washington AT
tending the hearing before the Attorney-Generai
he ipfar
/ 0 per cent is claimed by the Government on Ihe
issue of scrip by the ice companies In payment on
fher employes when getting in their Ice up the
Hudson. In this suit all the companies have com.
bined to resist payment. MIR. Maclays rePresent6r
ntive at the offices OF the company no to~
Canalst said that the report that the Ice com
nanies had formed q trust was wholly without
foundation. He thought the impression might
have grown out Of their union 10 delen1 One,l
selves against the demands OF the Internal Revenue
Bureau on the scrip tax.
Michael NJ Forrest the principal attorney OF
the ice companies. is also in Washington attcnone
10 their interests in the scrip case. but his partner
Archibald NJ. Maclay was sure yesterday tnat no
trust or combination had been entered, INTO i0r
he he %Guf snrR he
case Representatives Of other companies asserted
that they had heard nothing of the kind
LARGE BrYrRs SUSPICIOUS.
Among tho hotels breweries. large liquor stores
and other places where large quantities OF Ice are
used there was by 20 means any easy confidence
price of ice this season While it is a well-lSnown
fact that there is plenty of ice harvested. de-
cidcd feeling of uneasiness was apparent. The
ruling price of the Knickerbocker, Consumers.
Roclxland. RidgewOod. Mutual Benefit, New-YOrk
City, Commonwealth and other companies, has
been during the last year So IS per ton OF 2,ooo
pounds in what is called wholesale quantities
las delivered to the breweries steamships and large
hotels, and 81 10 for the same quantities TO
smaller hotels, liquor stores, and the like Double
the latter prices and from that up to so cents
per hundred is charged where the delivery Is daily
and in small quantities, and often larger amounts
are obtained. considerable consumer showed his
bills yesterday for Z Ia cents per hundred pounds
But you must remember" he said " that the
icemen do their own weighing here and | have
10 take their figures to quantities delivered.
They easily make up for lower rates by giving
me less ice"
F Hollcnder, of the large beer importing firm
of +. Hoender K Co., Nos ll5, III and ll9
Em-st. who use thousands of tons OF Ice annually,
said that he had received no intimation OF the
formation of an ice trust to advance paces, Dut
that such procedure would not astOnish him in
the least. The companies. he thought had always
had an understanding among themselves and had
fixed the price of ice at the beginning OF each
season He knew this because none OF the COM
panies would underbld another IN making con-
tracts They all had the same general rates,
which showed that there was an agreement every
year as to the prices TO be upheld. we are get
Ting our EGGPLANT ready however" said Mr.. Ilol-
lender and if an attempt Is made TO make us
pav more for ice than il is worth, we Will check
mate them by making IL ourselves The larger
breweries are already supplied with the chemical
apparatus for making their own Ice, ana many OF
them could be independent Of the ice companies
if they chose
The people likely to be affected therefore, by
the ice trust are the smaller consumers.
thorough combination Of ice companies may place
Them i'm The power Of such a trust and compel them
10 pay exorbitant prices for ice during the summer
of 1883.