The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-07-03

this morning thas the ice company
would like a hearing before the COM
mittee at which time they could set
forth their claims and arguments in
favor OF the methods which they claim
are for the mutual good of the dealer
and customer
Councilman Nichols viii call a meet
ing of the committee for Friday night
at which time all the statistics which
the various members Of the committee
may get together will be compiled
These with the charges and other in
formation which is being secured VIII
be considered and an ordinance draft
ed calculated to remedy all the evils
found.
Another thing which is unusual is
the system OF selling coupon books in
advance, said Mr.. Sharitt- THE con-
sumers of ice who are required to pay
for their coupon books in advance have
no assurance that the credit of the ice
company is good, or at least as good
as their own. How are the holders of
coupon books going to get back at the
company should it fail, or if deliv-
cries of ice are not satisfactory. the
Peoples Ice company is formed here,
and the infOrma ton made current that
the supply is bought from the various
ice plants of the city. The company
sells coupon books to all the consumers
over the city and has the cash in ad-
vance from all users If the CON pany
has practically no property or assets,
the assessors returns which show that
they are assessed at a valuation of $500,
then they are collecting in advance for
all sales and doing business on other
peoples capital
If the volume of business were esti-
mated at so tons per day, or 1900 tons
per month, and it were all sold at the
wholesale rate of S4 per ton, and all
collected for in advance, it may be
learned by figuring that $4,000 are coli
lected in advance each month. And if
the estimated output of $500 tons per
month were all sold at an average re-
tail rate Of So per ton, 81, 900 are col
lected in advance.
IT'S a mighty good business to con-
duct" said Councilman Nichols. Il
suppose there isn't any one who
people, if they were able to do busi-
ness on such a scale as that"
Councilman Snattinger has suggested
a municipal Ice plant And the idea has
spread over the city with wonderful
rapidity.
There have been several attempts to
start a large ice plant here within the
past year. One which came the nearest
to being pushed through, and which Is
not dead yet, is a, company at Wh1cn
it was proposed TO have put ]. E.
Nissley at the head Several meet
ings were held" said D. Q. Burson, of
Potwin, this morning I am person
ally acquainted with o. Ham mond- the
largest ice manufactures in the world,
who is located at Baltimore, and he
has agreed to come here and erect an
ice plant, using all the patented appll-
ances and latest improvements invent
ed by himself, for one thousand dollars
per ton capacity of the plant We would
want a plant to have a capacity OF at
least sixty tons per day, and there
win be no trouble to organize a COM
pany and sell all the stock to build a
plant of this size"
'sThere have been several men after
me this morning" said Councilman
Nichols ito start a stock company to
build a plant here. But I have not the
time to attempt to organize such a
company But at the same time there
is now being circulated a subscription
list for signers of those who viii take
stock in a. company here. have no
doubt but that a new company viii be
organized"
This plant can be erected said Mr..
Burson, "and ice manufactured for less
than a dollar per tom
s.The fight will not only be made on
price, said Councilman Nichols. but
will also be made on short weights.
Complaint has been made that a dri-
yer starts out with a chunk of ice that
come from a freezing vat which is sup
posed to weigh 800 pounds. He Is
charged up with 300 pounds and must
deliver it to his customers for 300
pounds, no matter how far he has to
haul it nor how much it meltS in the
meantime. Then it is also claimed that
some of the watts in some of the fac
tories here are two inches smaller than
the watts which produce a 300 pound
cake of ice and that they are sold at
800 pound cakes
Manager Dickey Of the Peoples Ice
company makes the following crafty
ing statement:
THE prices for ice win not be raised
during the summer. We mean that
He also says that the coupon system
was adopted because they did not care
to have the drivers handle the cash
and because the method saves clerical
work He says there is q coupon book
which is sold as low as 81. 60
The great demand in Topeka on the
part of many families who cannot af-
ford to take ice regularly is for the
opportunity to buy ice in small quanti-
ties as they need it. Many do not have
even the $1.60 to spend at one time for
ice.
Mr.. Dickey admits that there are
large numbers who must buy ice in
warehouse for this purpose He says:
People who care to come to our ware
house may purchase ice In five cent
J lots. Scores do So
Yes, Of course, scores do so. But
what about the hundreds who do not
/ live near the warehouse and cannot
walk several miles in the hot sun for
the purpose of buying five or ten cents
worth of ice, which would melt before
/ they could get it home? The crying
demand in Topeka is for the oppor-
I tunity by which the small customer can
/ purchase ice as necessity compels him
to and with the means at his hand,
which may be only five or ten cents at
/ time.
It must be remembered that this is
1 the first summer where the scores
| and hundreds who must buy ice in
small quantities have been shut of
from the supply, unless they happen to
live near the warehouse to get it.