The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-04-26
A FRIGID PROSPECT.
Ice Poor and Dear, So Warm
Drinks Will be Popu-
lar in August.
TIE DEALERS SAME OLD WALL.
A Rate Cutter Who Will Not Gut
What Families Will
Have 10 Pay.

There seems to be no doubt that ice win
be somewhat dearer to consumers this
coming summer than it was last.
There has been an unusually severe
winter. While mufflled In heavy furs
and heavy cloths people half blessed Old
Boreas as they fondly dreamed that ice
would be cheap enough in the summer
to turn every home into refrigerator.
Not bit OF it
Those who reckoned thus forget the
freezing power of money making COM
freezing machines.
In the early spring was heard the howla
of the icemen about the scarcity of ice.
1t was too thin" they said. The people
thought so too. Some dealers. while ad.
mitting abundance, said the ice was
honeycombed with snow wax" and was
not worth the work Jack Frost bestowed
upon it.
YES" murmurs some of the real hon.
est icemen. "Ice is somewhat plentiful.
But, then. You know, you see how it Is,
we lost heavily last summer, and we
must, make mp our losses of last sea-
They have given that same old gag for
several years, and to listen to some of
them you'd think the frozen hearts of
these individuals had been so dlvineIy
melted that they were operating simply
through love Of fever stricken human
ity.
MILLIONS OF FROST,
Two million tons of ice (estimated) were
harvested on the Hudson River alone dur
ing the past season. The icemen say this
is only two-thirds of an average crop, and
they claim it is of an interior quality at
that. The journals devoted to the cause
Of the ice dealer are teeming with
columns OF news showing the ice crop of
the past winter to have been a failure.
That kind of reading always tckles an
ice dealer half to death. The retailers OF
New York sent up an early howl. and ID
view Of the failure (f) determined to raise
the price % per cent over last years
schedule. The Hudson River and the
New Jersey Ice companies, of this city,
have now adopted the scale of the New
York Associations. So far as l was able
TO ascertain they are the only bwo
local companies that send out wagons
and make a speciality of retailing ice. l
was told the Greenwood Lake Ice Com
pany had also adopted the same scale Of
prices, but at the depot of that concern,
was told that they only sold ioe at
wholesale. superintendent Wylie. how
ever, informed me that the wholesale
price was the same as thas adopted by the
New YORK companies, viz. So so to S3
per ton, an Increase Of fifty cents per ton
over the alleged famine prices Of last
summer.
A rate CUTTER" HE.
was told that there was a man over in
South Cove who, 1t was understood, pro-
posed to cut rates. and would deliver ice
at the bridge at from SO to $3.50 per ton.
/ hunted up this man last night. He
is Mr.. P. II. Dohersv, and his
ice depot is located at the foot
Of Henderson street. He said to me.
II do not propose to cut the rates. want
to get as much for my ice as possible.
What could gain by ousting rates. Tho
Hudson River and the Jersey City and
Greenwood Lake Companies would only
come down. 1t wouldn't benefit me any.
No, don't care what the other companies
may say about Hudson River ice being
thin; an inspection of my ice will show ii
is all nearly eighteen inches thick, and as
clear as crystal. do not propose to send
out any wagons. [ am selling at the
rate Of $3.50 to S3; same as the Others"
All the companies admitted IT was ina
possible to say what they would sell for q
month hence.
THE OUTLOOK.
The retail price slips furnished by the
Hudson River and the New Jersey Com
panies correspond with the slips sent out
by the New York Association. Briefly
put, the present Indications are that
where families last summer paid 60 cents
a week for 12 pounds daily they will pay
10 cents for the same amount this sum-
mer.
For offices and families consuming 25
pounds upward daily so cents per 100
pounds will be required, where 40 cents
was required last SUM mer.
Butchers, fish dealers, druggists, saloon
keepers, confectioners and milkmen will
pay 25 cents per 100 pounds, about the
same as they did last summer. But the
ice used by these is not considered the
finest grade.