The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-06
ICE A-PLENTY FOR THE RICH.
NUT 1HE POOR MUST SUFFER- FROM
TIRE ADVANCE IN ITS COST

Eaoueh Tor All was Cut. but IL Held for
HiEh Figures by the Up-Country Hnr-
Vester-Butchers and Grocsrynen Froat.
| II this weather continues II will soon be
presumption to even talk OF ice by the ton. and
! It is not likely that much surprise would DO
felt II II were discovered that ice Is selling even
now by troy weight. Ask any Ice dealer II
there IL ice enough In this country to meet
| this years demand for it, and he Will answer
"Oh, yesl" Ask him to explain then why tho
price OF ice is steadily advancing, and he VIII
| pull himself together and make statement
something like this:
well, you see that tho price OF ice has gone
up only in this vicinity The reason OF this
is that comparatively speaking. no Ice was
harvested on the Hudson River last winter
because there wasn't any to harvest. This mas
compelled the Ice companies 10 go TO distant
parts for their supply. and the cost OF trans
portation is so great that an increase in the
cost OF It 10 absolutely necessary. Now the
cities In Maine and Canada get ice at tho usual
price, for tho Ice crop In those places last
winter was much the same rs usual
w. A. BRllentine OF the Knickerbocker Ice
Company that furnishes about half OF the
3.OOO.000 tons OF Ice used in this city. In Brook
Ign. and in Jersey City during the summer
months said that last year the cost OF ice was
from 40 cents to SO cents hundred pounds,
and that this year It is from 60 cents to 81.
This increase In the price," he said, re-
duces the demand about IS per cent. and go
the profits accruinR to the dealers are not rs
great at the present rate rs they were last
year. When 1t became apparent last winter
that but very little Ice could be cut in the Hud-
son River the ice dealers sent thousands OF cir
culars out through the country calling upon the
people to gather all the ice possible. for there
was promise OF a scarcity OF it in this section.
The result OF this appeal was that thousands
OF tons OF ice were harvested from Lake Cham;
s snd frS GRs al all tha There
can afford t., pay for the extra c9St OF transnor-
tation. We have frequently paid more for ice
than we could Fell 1t for. owing to the imposSi-
b lily, OF receiving 1t regularly. A vessel loaded
with ice comes here which we have 10 imme-
diate use for. but because of the doubt attend
ing the arrival Of the next load we have 10 So
cure IT. and pacS 1t in barges; dhe ice we Buy
made for waste and when you consider that
from 40 to on !er cent OF the Ice melts you can
realize that all Is not smooth SAILING Tor the Ice
MIR. Ballentine said that the ice harvest in
and IN The i extreme Norhwest was m"re han
double what it was last year or ever before.
ne SAID me reason OF this wa that e'eryhody
order 70 share the profits OF the expected boom:
This has produced supply" he said "!h4t
can be utilized Unfortunately large portion
OF this ice was stacked because the Ratherers
Of It had no adequate place in which to store It.
The Ice is held at higher prices than the deal
ers can afford to pay and MUCH OF the ice Is
consequently going to waste. 1t is likely that
the. Price wi como down. and that this ice
will yet reach some market where II is badly
needed"
This makes it appear that the persons re-
sponsible for the present high price OF ice are
not the dealers in this city but the harvesters
OF IL In other States.
The last issue OF the Ice Trade Journal prints
these tables showing the quantity Of ice har:
vested during the last six years In Maine and