The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-09-11
ICE TRUST TRIAL.
Dealers Tell of Methods of the
Octopus.
Say They We're Gradually
Forced Out of Business.
HOW HE WAS SHUT OUT
When Peoples Co. Refused to
Sell to Him He Quit.
He Then Went to Work For the
Trust.
SOME OF THE RULES.
Drivers We're Not Allowed to
Deliver Street Sales.
One Detected by a "Spotter"
Gave Up His Place.
When Peoples Co. Refused to
Sell to Him He Quit.
lie Then Went to Work For the
Trust.
SOME OF THE RULES.
Drivers We're Not Allowed to
Deliver Street Sales.
One Detected by a "Spotter"
Gave Up His Place.

Gave Up His Place.
The examination Of witnesses by
County Attorney Nichols before Judge
Hazen in the district court in the ice
trust case was begun this morning
The witnesses examined were all re-
tailers who have bought ice from the
factories and peddled it around
town. They could give no
evidence concerning the workings of
the trust except TO explain that they
could buy ice in Topeka from the Peo-
pies Ice company only. 1t was ex-
planned by the witnesses that the ice
manufactures known as Moesers, the
Crystal, Wolff and Dickey &
Williams supplied the Peoples 60. and
that the peddlers who wanted ice had
TO report to the Peoples Ice company
at Second and Jackson streets and that
there they would receive an order to 90
to one Of the four factories for their
ice
The capacity of the plants were
given follows. Moeser Brothers. 81
tons; Crystal. Is tons, and Williams &
Dickey, 10 tons The output to the PEG
pies company from Wolns was what
was made in excess Of the amount used
SUTHERLAND TELLS OF METHODS
Oscar sutherland was examined by
County Attorney Nichols
When you were in the ice business
did you buy any from Peoples Ice com
Ply. YES
What did you pay2"
i paid 81 a ton"
source"
f.They charged too much for ice.''
Would they sell you ice?"
"A year ago last April Dickey refused
to sell me any more ice.
4 don't know. I went to work for
him then"
did you sell the books of ice eou-
yes. they gave them to the drivers
Did you work for a salary7'
Yes"
Who paid your"
Mr. Dickey."
Who hxes the price of ice?"
THE people in the office"
Were you allowed to sell ice on the
street from the wagOn2'
yes. but We We're told by Mr.. Dickey
to charge double price"
Did any one tell you what would
happen if you disObeyed the rules ?"
We'll / quit because / expected to
be discharged. The rules were that we
should not carry in ice that was bought
from the wagon without coupon books
1 had good many little children who
bought ice from me who We're too small
to carry the ice and carried it for
found me doing it and reported me"
SQUEEZED BENSON OUT.
A ?. Benson was the next witness
called. He formerly retailed ice from
When did you quit the ice bust
ness9'
July, a year ago"
Did you buy ice from the Peoples
Ice cOmpanyf
Yes"
What did Won nav p.
I paid s.. so and then they raised it to
a. Then I told them that I could not
pay that and they bought me out The
Peoples company sent a man around TO
my customers and told them that they
had all the ice and that when hot
weather came that their customers
would be the first to get ice and that
the retailers would get what was lett.
He got some of my customers to leave
me. I knew what that meant and
thought I might just as well sell out
We could get ice from nobody but the
company in Topeka We could not
ship ice in from anyw here. wrote to
a Kansas City firm about buying Ice
and before I got an answer from them
the Peoples Ice company knew all
about it. All the companies around To-
peke were in together and they wouldn't
ship ice into Topeka except to the Peo-
pies Tee company"
What could you pay for ice and
make fair profit? asked Judge Ha-
zen.
IF a man did his own work. paid
$3.50 for ice and sold it for 81 he might
make $40 month"
What did you pay for ice to the
nanufa cturars before the Peoples Ice
company was organized7" asked Judge
Hazen.
1T depended upon the scarcity of ice.
1t averaged from 81 up. When the PEG
pies Ice company was organized they
raised the price TO the peddIers who
bought it from them but did not raise
the price to their retail customers"
What does it cost the manufacturers
to make ice2" asked Attorney Nichols.
1T will cost 81 to 81 p a ton
Have the people paid more for ice
since the Peoples Ice company was or
ganized than before p asked Judge Ha-
zen
II think the price for this summer
has been reasonab bic Ice has been ship
ped in this summer at 50 a ton. I have
in years past shipped ice in from Min
nesota at $40 a ton"
MR.. HUAIBERT TESTIFIES
J. \. Humbert was the next witness
called He formerly peddled Ice.
When did YOU quit the ice busi-
ness2' asked Attorney Nichols
In July. 1900 I sold my horses
wagons and tools to the People Ice
company"
WHAT did YOU pay them before you
Il paid $3.50 for ice. and could not
make anything at that price"
Did the Peoples Ice company raise
the price of ice 70 retail custom ers p
asked Judge Hazen-
7 think not. They raised the price to
the peddlsEA"