The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-04
STAY PUT
Ice Dealers Seem to Have Appor,
toned Customers Among the
Various Companies.
Cases Reported Where One Company
Declines to Take Another's
Dissatified Patrons.

Have local ice dealers strengthened
their combination by decreeing that dis
satisfied customers must buy ice from a
certain company or go without?
TIL g journal to-day discovered
evidence strongly supporting an affirma-
tive answer, altho the representative of
one of the leading ice companies which
is supposed to hold the whip hand denied
emphatically this morning that such a
condition obtained He admitted in the
same breath. however, that the companies
had decided for mutual protection to
stop cutting each others threats" and
that they reserved the right to serve or
to decline to do business with whomever
they pleased.
Isaac Layman, grocery and meat store
at 1909 p Lake street, charges the ice
companies with having agreed in, that
way not to take customers from each
other His statement is substantiated by
one Of the ice. dealers with whom Mr..
Layman tried to do business.
Mr.. Layman did not complain that he
was getting underweight ice from one of
the leading companies. He explains that
the company undertook to make him pay
for twelve loads of ice when but one or
two loads had actually been delivered.
Rather than incur risk of this kind,
other source. So he opened negotiations
with another dealer. He first explained
that he had been unjustly treated by a
certain ice company.
Very sorry, but can't serve you,'
said the second dealer. "The ice COM
panies have agreed rot to take customers
away from each other, and while appre-
ciate that you may have grievance, I
am powerless to furnish you with ice.
The only way you can get ice is to keep
on doing business with the company with
| which you have had trouble"
| While admitting that he was not in
| sympathy with the concerted movement
| OF the ice companies, this second dealer
| explained that he had to do as the .'big
| company directed or go out of business.
| He said that they would cut his throat
quick by slashing rates to all his patrons.
| The only way he could hope to continue
| in the ice business was to do the bidding
! OF the large concern Of which he stands
in fear. He understood that a cor
responding rule was being enforced thru
out the city and that no matter how un-
fairly consumers might be treated either
In service or in the amount of ice they re
| ceived, there was no redress open to
them. They must consent to "get the
worst of it, from dealers who might not
be disposed to deal fairly with them or tc
go without ice.
/ To another person who called him ur
| this morning as the dissatisfied patron OF
another company, this dealer made the
same statement.
| Another Dealer Admits Suasion.
The proprietor of the large conopan,
which is supposed to hold the balance
or power says there is nothing new il
the situation. and that any talk of rank
| discrimination as above outlined is pure
! nonsense.
Every ice man in the city, he in.
sisted, lis free to take customers wler.
ever he can get them, no matter whether
they have been doing business with some
other company or not. For my part,
confess. it is my policy to inform dis.
gruntled consumers that they had better
go back to whoever has been furnishing
them with ice, for the simple reason tina
! can do no better by them than he. Ice
IS being sold at a uniform price-wha,
llttle OF 1T we are selling this cold sprina
and we are not underselling each other
instead of giving half of it away as we
USED to and taking it out in trade witt
the butcher or the baker, we are now de.
mandng an honest equivalent by sellins
ice at it's weight