The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-20
What the Other Side Says.

EDITOR OF TIMEs:-In your issue of
yesterday you attack what you are
pleased to call the ice monopoly. Will
you please allow US just space enough
to say that your reporters informa-
ton was incorrect? You say: Last
year . combination was formed. Mr..
Kalthoff tried to rent the upper rlsnt
on Centre avenue. but the combine Of
fered the owners $500 more money and
the plant remsined idle" The facts are
this plant WAS rented November 1,
1894, by the Nottingham Coal and Ice
Company, who spent 81. 900 on It getting
1t in shape to run and did run 1t part of
the season. "Kalthoff then Increased
the capacity Of the Salem plant" He
did not. HE sold ice here at 40 cents"
Yes, and took good care not to sell
another season at those figures.
THE combination now sell at 60
cents" There Is no combination, but a
legal copartnership between the two
companies named. The 60 cent rate is
almost every city south of the Potomac
river. Consult Lynchburg. Danville,
Staunton, Salem and Ill the others
nearly. We have already done 60 and
know whereof we affirm. 60
Buy tickets and you get It for so
cents. But the poor man may not be
able to stand the whole sum of So at one
time" Well. we must put limit some
where to this or the picsyune sale of
tickets would be burdensome. The
combine have purchased the entire out
put Of the Salem factory over and Above
what is needed in Salem" Untrue
again. We purchase some ice OF Salem
at fgurae which they would charge
other people. s
They paid $500 for the output"
We have not paid or contracted to pay
q cent except for the ice purchased at
dered by the Ice company IL not at all
satisfactory. Some people cannot get
Ice for three or four consecutive DAYS"
Untrue again, There Is not family
In Roanoke. or in any corner thereof,
but can be furnished regularly II they
will inform the managers. The COM
psny desires the patronage OF the poo
pie and will endeavor to please them.
but they are cheated in the matter
Of weights" This is a SANDER on our
business dealing We instruct our
drivers to give the people full and
honest weight and II we find one cheat
Ing them he will lose his place. We
have no such ridiculous nonsense as
weighing hooks with ice. 1.-THE drivers
are unaccommodsting and will not leave
ice where they cannot make the change"
We believe we have good men on our
wagons, who will accommodate the
people generally. bu. if they left little
lots OF Ice here and there all over town
they would be in very much Of n middle
and many people would make II conve-
nient to be out OF change. We have
heard Of such already.
"One wagon refused to carry ice $50
feet" Perhaps this was some party
who lived over in another drivers
jurisdictlon. La most Of cities they put
1t of at the door step, whilst our men
NIL up refrigerators, boxes in cellars,
&c, in many instances Perhaps you
know nothing about the expenses at
tending the handling of ice. Perhaps
we should disclose our books to your in.
spection and let you figure out the costs
for yourself. We scarcely think we are
called upon to do this, however; but
Will say that we paid last season 81, 600
expenses for the privilege OF selling the
city Ice, and we did not make any
money, and that under our co-partner-
ship arrangement, which lessons the
cost OF delivery, one wagon doing the
WORK That would be required of two or
three. We do not start the plants under
this arrangement until they are needed,
thus saving the costs of making ice
when not needed.
After all. we are selling ice at one
half cent per pound, which Is cheap
enough. The people OF Roanoke have
been somewhat poilt on the ice question
because there have been four factories
here, each. in its esgerness to sell. cut
ting the price down until they all failed
and every plant. except the Virginia
Brewing Company, which is not en-
tirely an ice plant. have been sold out
and lost money. Now. why should not
Ice mon live as we'll as other people?
But will you at any rate deal fairly by
US?
CONSOLIDATED ICE COMPANY.