The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-10
TIRE INFLUENCE OF u1ou ICE.
It elves the Smaller Groeers n PreteSt for
Raising Prices on All Food Products.

| Ut Gives the Smaller Grooers n Prete1t for
Raising Prices on All Food Products.
The man who is most affected by the scarcity
! OF ice and tho consequent increase In it's price
| Ia he who deals at the little neighborhood
grocery. where prlces havo been Increased on
| everything to more than cover the increased
| cost of keeping rerishable stock. The wsl-to-
| do dealers whose margin OF profit and volume
| of business are larger, can stand a moderate
increase in the cost OF Ice without charging 1t
to their customers, and many such dealers are
independent OF the ice dealers by reason OF the
introduction OF cold air pines.
A reporter Of THE SUN made careful can
vass among the small dealers Of the populous
east side district yesterday afternoon. Nearly
everywhere tho same story was told. The
high price Of ice necessitated an increase In
the price OF goods. and when the storekeepers
were asked II they would share the bur-
den OF the expense with their customers
they seemed scarcely able to understand the
question. They took 1t for granted that
an Increase OF one cent pound In the cost Of
ice made 1t reasonable and just that they
should increase the price OF all perishablO
goods In the Same ratio. Tho small storekeep-
ers who sell milk and butter have increased
the price OF Theses articles In like manner
One storekeeper was asked II 1t took one
pound OF ice to keep one pound of butter in
good condition. He said he didn't know any
thing about that. but that 100 pounds OF ice
would not last any longer IN preserving ten
pounds OF butter than Ii 1t had 100 pounds to
care for.
said, to last until the next day, and a small
quantity will not be sufficient to keep q very
assortment q GOODS n T0Gl ana m issa LA
TWENTY-FIVE quarts OF milk TO take care OF. the
cost, of ice is lust the, same as though l had
II tl,A.
oV a nigh priced butcher in Sixth street said
that he saw no occasion to increase his prices.
because he had always received a fair profit
ii use be said about LOO pounds Of Ice
in week for Tsifha Eay tribe more than
OF meat, for nearly all the big wholesale deal
nipes This enables the retail dealers to buy
goods at the ordinary price and sometimes
Il GaIc no VI" Intention Oh INCREASING mere tho
hut tho toor people on the east side COM
everything they buy than they ala before the
warm veal her began. They say that / doesn't
ter or sugar or flour that they buy, they find
that they have TO pay in some way little more
for few Of them have % ere t that
or deficiency In the weight instead OF an ad-
vance In the price.
A roor woman came out OF store IN Stanton
street with a very small quantity Of butter in
piece OF brown paper Just as she was turn
ing into tho hallway OF a big tenement the
reporter asked her II she found 1t any more ex-
pensive now to keep house than whom ice was
cheaper She said that the expense mot her
in q good many different ways;
In the first place. she said. l can't afford
70 buy ice, and the lack OF It axes II impossi-
OF food so have to buy only very little at a
time. and have to pay . little more for every:
thing. have lust bought quarter OF mound
Of butter which may last until after breakfast
tomorrow morning. II | had ice. SO that
could keep 1t, would have bought a pound
for 30 cents. l paid cents for this, which
amounts TO SO cents a pound. There Is only
cent there. know. hut the same thing hap
pens when buy milk or eggs or meat or cream,
OF food. tried to figure whether this increase
Ii the Ice did not cost any more than 1t did last
summer. but that at the present price OF ice it
Is cheaper for me to pay more for these neces-
sary articles Of food In small quantities"
Another woman WAS asked II she could AFFORD
to buv ice at its present rate. and she said
that she was compelled to have 1t because Of
the sickness OF one Of her children. 1t cost
her half as much for ice. she said. as it cost
her for rent.
lit is only by the greatest care" she said.
that can get the necessary quantity Of ice
even al this high rate. One hundred pounds
OF ice a week 10 what | order, but the actual
amount delivered Is far below this. 1t costs
me 81 a week. and as soon as l get 1t in the
morning wrap it first in newspapers and
then over these wrap woollen cloth before
place II in the Ice box"
The ice famine has raised the price OF Ice
cream five cents quart.