The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-04-18
FIXING TIE PRICE OF ICE
One Dealer Suggested Giving
Chromos to Secure Trade
Price Advanced.

The Independent Ice Dealers of Hoboken
fixed the price of ice to consumers in their
town yesterday afternoon at a meeting in
Henderson Hall, Hoboken. Henceforth ice
will be sold to families at the rate Of fifty
cents per hundred weight, and to butchers
and saloon keepers at thirty cents per hum
dred weight, an increase of ten cents over
last years figures. The wholesale price to the
retail dealers, or the independent dealers. as
they style themselves, is So per ton from the
wholesale dealers, while the consumer pays
the retailer $40 per ton. In view of the
agreement of the retailers to purchase their
goods of the wholesale dealers of Hoboken,
the latter decided to charge licensed ven
ders at the rate of 81 per ton, an advance of
ST. over the independents price.
The meeting yesterday afternoon was
presided over by G.. L. Heath, su~perinten-
dent of the New Jersey Ice Company. and
among those most interested in the proceed
ings were A. G. Hoffman, of the United Ice
Lines, and ii. w. Bahrenberg, of the Heart
Lake Ice Company, both wholesale COM
panies. Their interest in the meeting CEN
tered in the grabbing of the patronage of
the local dealers, instead of allowing them to
purchase in New York, even if they might
strike bargains there.
There were twenty-four independent deal
ers present.
HEATH'S PRICES.
Mr.. Heath submitted the prices, explain
ing that they were the same as adopted in
| Jersey City q week ago, and identical with
the rates in force in New York at present.
1t has been the custom among some of the
Hobeken dealers to supply frozen water at
the rate of sixty cents for fifteen pounds of
ice four times per week, a rate, some thought,
entirely wrong. There had been SO much
| competition that some dealers had cut away
halnU tho 011cfpnlaru f.afae and ahcOrh0d the
routes of others. Things became SO bad in
ice business that something had to be
done. Philip Majer of Franklin street,
Jersey City Heights, said that Clancy
Brothers, drivers for the New Jersey Ice
Company, had sold ice at fifteen cents per
hundred pounds while his standard was
twenty-five cents Mr.. Heath did not relish
the allusion to his drivers, but said hat if
the scale he wanted was accepted he would
see that there would be no more cutting OF
rates. R. Rusch of Congress street wanted
to know if the price would be permanent.
Heath answered that it was only for the
summer, but that ice would not go up
probably. Rusch said that the supply
ing of small boys with ice at
sixteen cents per hundred weight, as had
been done on the Heights, ruined the trade.
The boys swallowed up their business. He
said there is an artificial ice factory on
Cambridge avenue that can afford to sell ice
/ 1OI lGuU6Gu CELLS D5I uuliQI6Q W0lEA1, anu
and he thought they would run the dealers
out, as he had heard they would run their
own routes and supply at a lower rate than
the Independents. This swamped Heath and
the other wholesalers, but they said such
| obstacles must be fought. 1t was only q
matter of time. Mr.. Bahrenberg said the
most beautiful thing about it was that any
man not in the new movement who sold
under the regulation prices would be eventu-
| ally showed out of business. All of them
couldn't swallow that, but it went because
Bahrenberg ought to know INT Heath
agreed with him.
TO GIVE AWAY CHRoMOS.
Mr.. Heath said the dealers ought to issue
coupon books to increase trade. He had,
and it was a money making scheme. They
shouldn't be sold at bargain prices, but just
to build up trade. Perhaps ice might be
sold cheaper, though, if the money were re-
! ceived in advance. Everybody didn't notice
| the significance of Mr.. Heath's remark, which
must have meant that he intended cutting.
He is a retail dealer besides being a whole
saler. The wholesalers had their influence,
though, and the price of ice went up. Ice in
Hoboken has sold for ten cents less per
hu~ndredweight heretofore. OF course,
the wholesalers are to benefit in the long run
by this. When Heath proposed that indie
pendent dealers buy their ice Of the Hoboken
men, some whistling was heard from b few
of the men present. 1t went, though. Heath
said that his drivers would not be allowed to
sell under the new schedule. The new scale
will go into effect on next Monday. A COM
mittee was appointed to take care that
| dealers who have promised to abide by the
schedule shall do it. 1t consists of George
Let's. Herman Schuder, Fred Kuger,
/ August Ross and A. B~ahrenburg.