The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-13
PUSHING ON TIE F1eHr.
The War of the Brewers and lee MeI
Keeps Up.


The beer and ice fight still continues.
The fight is entirely between the ice COM
pany and the brewers. So far as the
general public is concerned it has re-
ceived practically no benefit from the
fight. Beer is still cents glass and ice
half cent pound to small consumers.
The saloon keepers it is true, have
been largely benefited by having cheap
ice furnished them in any quantity, an d
those who are taking advantage of the
chance to get beer at 81 a keg also have
the advantage of cheep beer. Many of
the saloon keepers, however, have refused
to take the cheap beer, preferring not TO
furnish the ice company a stick with
which to break the backs of their friends,
the brewers.
The latest move in the fight was made
by the ice company, which sent out a cir
cular to the saloon men yesterday offering
to make contracts to furnish both beer
and ice for the season. In the circular
the company says: LAS we have been in
formed, the breweries of this city, to pre-
vent consumers from purchasing beer and
ice from outside parties, have notified the
dealers that if they purchase our goods
when we stop the sale of beer
they will charge So per keg for
beer, and we will charge 81
per hundred for ice, we make the follow
ing proposition to beer and ice consumers:
We are in the beer and ice business to
stay, and we are ready to contract with
all consumers for ice at the following
rates for the season: Per hundred
pounds, 30 cents; fifty pounds, 20 cents;
twenty-five pounds, 10 cents; less
than twenty-five pounds, half-cent
per pound; at our factory, 25 cents
per hundred pounds We are also
ready to contract for the season with all
oF col
Barrels, So half-bafrels, 50; quarters,
$3.50, delivered to your place as ordered.
In the meatime we are selling this beer at
81 per keg
The brewers were not long in getting
hold of the circular. They were indig-
nanJ at the statement that they would
charge 80 a keg for beer and let the ice
companies sell ice at 81 hundred as soon
as the fight Is over. The statement is
ridiculous" said Mr.. George Meyer.
eve could not think Of selling beer at SO
a keg, or anything above the present price
because there are so many outside brew
cries that would be only too glad of the
chance to come here and undersell US.
There is too much competition in the
beer business to permit Of anything like
that. Neither could we afford to let
our customers pay 81 a hundred for
ice. We would lose our business right
away.
Mr. Meyer wanted to know how it is
that the ice company is offering to make
contracts at Sl.50 keg for beer when
it is now Offering the same beer for 81
keg.
at is confession of weakness" he
said. They practically acknowledge
that they cannot afford to continue to sell
! beer at 81 a keg. Notice that they do not
offer to contract by the year,
but by the season. Everybody
| knows thatan ice company's season closes
whenever it is the will of the company to
close it. They might declare the season
closed in the middle of July for that
| matter. The saloon people are too sharp
to be caught on any such scheme as this. :"
A representative of the ice company
! informed a MORNING News reporter last
night that the company's circular means
that it is in the beer business to stay, and
that it is ready to make contracts to fur
nish beer at the prices named for any
| length of time.
lit is not, of course, to be expected" he
said, "that we will continue to sell beer
at 81 keg very long, but we can sell good
beer at the prices named in the circular
! and make fair profit out of it, and that
| is what we propose to do"
1t is predicted by shrewd observes that
the fight will come to an end by the ice
company making an iron clad contract
with the breweries to furnish ice to their
| customers at the present rates,