The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-21
ICE MEN MAY FIGHT BREWERS.
ICE COMPANY SECURES CONTROL
OF THE GEORGIA BREWERY.

VIII Have a Weapon in Hand With
which to Fight the Savannah
Brewing Company in Case the Lat
ter Intrudes Any Further in the
Ice Business-The Fact That the
Savannah Brewery Is Putting in "a
Fifty Ton Ice Plant Believed to BE
Responsible For the MOVe-A Live
Iy War May BE the Result.
The ice and beer war, to which Savau-
nah was treated two years ago, may be
repeated unless the interested parties get
together and compromise their differ
ences.
Mr.. Louis p. Hart, president of the sa-
vannah Ice Delivery Company and the
Gorrie Ice Manufacturing Company, an
nounced yesterday that he had secured
a controlling interest in the stock of the
Georgia Brewing Association. Mr. Har,
intimated that this put him in position TO
make a fight on the Savannah Brewing
Company, If that company should carry
out it's apparent intention to enter more
largely into the ice business than at pres
ent.
The precautionary move on the part of
the ice company was caused, it was learn
ed, by the fact that the Savannah Brew
ing Company is now replacing its thirty
ton ice plant with a plant capable of
turning out fifty tons of ice per day. The
knowledge of this fact seems to have given
alarm to the ice company, and it proceed
ed to put itself in a position to hit back
in case a fight should be made upon 1t.
Manager w. w. Starr of the Savannah
brewery was seen last night, and asked
If there was any probability OF an ice and
beer war in Savannah in the early future,
and If the brewery was increasing its ice
capacity for this purpose He replied that
there was no such intention on the part
of his company. The old ice plant was
played out. and no longer able to sup
ply the demand, he said, and for this
reason the company decided to put in
modern plant with a capacity of fifty tons
day.
In providing for an increased capacity,
Mr.. Starr said, there was no intention to
make war on the ice company, the princi-
pie object being to enable the brewery to
extends it's out of town business.
IF we are attacked we shall hit back,
of course" said Mr.. Starr, but we have
| no intention of making war on anybody"
The ice business of the breWeries has
always been a thorn in the side of the
ice company, which would otherwise have
entire, control of the ice business in Sa-
vannah. The way the breweries manage
the business is this. They keep peace
with the ice company by agreeing not to
enter into the business of supplying the
general public but for each key of beer
sold to their customers they issue a ticket
calling for 100 pounds of ice when pre-
| sented at the brewery, together with IS
cents for each ticket. This means that
Of Nfr,fY,
ice at Is cents per 100 pounds, delivered to
them at the breweries
The price of the Savannah Ice Delivery
Company to large customers is % cents
per leo pounds, delivered to the customer.
Where the brewery ice gets in it's work is
in this wise. A corner grocery, who buys
six kegs of beer and thus secures 600
pounds of ice at the low rate of Is cents
per 100 may use only 200 pounds of the ice
in keeping his beer, and dispose of the
rest at retail in competition with the pro-
| duct of the ice company, or he may dis
pose of a part of his surplus ice to the
butcher and the green grocer next door,
The fact that both companies are pre-
| pared for war will very likely lead to a
compromise. At the same time, President
Hart of the Ice Delivery Company is a
fighter by nature, and never hestates to
enter a scrap for business. 1t need be no
surprise if the companies make war on
each other sooner or later. In the sum-
mer of 1895, when Mr.. George Meyer of
the Georgia Brewery entered into a gem
eral ice business by importing ice from
the north, the ice company retaliated by
bringing beer here from other cities and
placing it on the market at 81 a key. The
fight cost all concerned a pretty penny,
and after few weeks compromise was
reached, the breweries agreeing to go out
of the general ice delivery business. This
compromise has since been adhered to.