New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-08
ICE AND THE PETCE or FOOD.

4 few weeks ago, when the first animation
of the approach Of warm weather was follower
bv q considerable increase IN the price ol '''
predictions were freely made that the dealers
in this commodity would succeed in corncrnG
the market and forcing the cost Of all perish
able provisions to a rlinouS height. he sea
son has only just begun. Yet II seems mar inc
corner is already in fair way 10 he broken
In spite Of the almost total failure ol IaS'
winters icc-CrOp in this nelghhorhooh inc
Eastern harvest was an unusually large one
and the report that the combination has moro
ice on hand than it can handle - JUST "ha'
might have been expected. Inc situauoh
boyevcr derives now aspect from the sug
,ostiop that butchers and provision dealers Will
themselves he forced to quick sales at reason
,bIo ratios nv the increased cost of refrlgera
ton. If this happens, the spectators VINO
have hoped to enrich themselves AT the eA-
pcnsc of the private consumer VIII DO beaten
with their own weapons. Meat itself is cheaper
to-day than at the beginning OF the month
The retail butchers are already finding out
that their customers are not only buying less
mcat but are compelling them to carry II until
if * wanted. so that the small dealers are the
ncople who will really suffer most III the end.
The meat supply is happily large enough to
avert the danger of "A separate corner i'll that
article But the Wholesale dealers have al
ready learned lesson which will protect them
from the future cXtorionS of the lcc-rng. For
several years the price Of ice has been grad
uaIly advancing, and the formation OF com
NAMES for the manufacture OF an artificial
product has been the natural result Besides
this, the cold-ar processes have come to the
relief of the provision men, and warm winters
and an open season in the Hudson need no
LONGER he looked upon as calamity by the
| local householder. The fact Is, that con
| sumner and dealer have so long been accus-
toned To regard the Hudson as the only lcgitl-
| mate source of the New York supply that each
has accepted its temporary failure rs an ire
| parablc evil and the refusal OF the Hudson
| River dealers to rcplcnish their storchonSc>
| from other quarters until the hOpccssnesS OF
| their own products had tempted outsiders 10 a
| corresponding advance in figures, was only less
| ludicrous than the supcrsttlous acqlilcsccncc
| of their customers in their lamentations. There
| * really no reason why an absence OF ice in
the Hudson should ever cause any lasting en-
bar,assment and a blind surrender to cxor-
Infant demands betrays "A Iamenabe Ignorance
| Of existing resources.
The advice to the private consumer to prac-
tise economy is sound, so far as it goes. But
the limit Of economy i'll the nccessares of
life is easily reached. 1t should be borne in
mind that there is no real scarcity of any com
modify but ice. Fruits and vegetables were
never more plentiful. and the same is true OF
all dairy products; and while the difficulty OF
preserving them may be held to enhance theil
value, small dealers cannot afford the add
tional investment, and should be glad to get
rid of their stocks promptly at ordinary fig
ures As to the effect on ice cream and iced