The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-06-22
MORE COMPLAINTS
OF ICE COMPANIES
"A woMAN's REPORT AND A DEAL.
ER'S REPLY.
Mrs. F. R. Stein Tells Of Her Inability
to Obtain Ice When She Wants It
and of the Cedar Lake Company S
Attitude Manager Chute Explana-
+;o,, Il

More facts concerning the alleged
"ice trust are being laid before the
ff ogny ne One report sab ased
Park avenue. Mrs. Stein is proprietor
of ''The Little Store" at that address,
where she sells refreshments. Her ac-
count Of her trouble with the ice COM
panies was as follows:
ct had been taking ice from the
Cedar Lake Ice company. Delivery was
made at about in the morning. This
caused inconvenience and loss because
at noon to put the ice away, and all
forenoon it lay melting. I went to the
company and saw a man who said he
was Mr.. Chute, one Of the managers.
I told him I wanted the ice delivered
at noon. He said the route Of the driv-
er couldn It be changed. I told him the
same driver returned on Fourth avenue
my store, but he declared ehe route
would not be changed. I told him I'd
get my ice from another company and
hetold me that no other company would
serve me.
ssI then called up several other com
panies and got about the same reply
from each. They said that if they
served me with ice the Cedar Lake
company would make trouble for them
change the delivery time if possible.
T asked the Cedar Lake company again
and Mr. Chute still refused to change
the drivers route, and told me-. too
that if any other company served he
he would take six or seven OF thell
customers. So can't get ice from any
one at the time I want it. -
ssFirms Acting individually
According to j. R. Chute Of the
Cedar Lake Ice company, the Stem
case and some other recent similar
cases are not due to any agreement
among the ice companies to restrict
competition, but a policy Of self-pro
lection seems to have been developed
by various companies individually. II
| is true that Mrs. Stein was told thai
| if one company took patron from an
other company the latter would prob
ures. This means, according to Mr.
Chute, that instead of being any agree
ment to restrict trade the very opposite
ESQ far as Mrs. stein is concerned
said Mr.. Chute, 81 did not tell he
that no other company would serve he
if she ceased taking Ice from us. u
fact told her that had already noti
fed the company from which s 81
|
slightest objections to her making tn
change if she desired. In her round
up Of the other companies, however
she appears to have run across th1
fear Of retaliation on the part OF othc
companies, and whatever tnoy told he
was doubtless due to the same feeling
which we recognized ourselves.
have had customers of other com
panies come to our office, asking us t
+o1y 4hnSr Gov hoy
had little difficulty in making any bus
mess man appreciate thoroly the pos
tion in which weare placed. Only tn
other day well known man came to m
in regard to such matter, and when
explaine to him if we accepted him .
a customer it meant an Immediate los
Of three or four other customers, h
saw the point at once and was thorol
satisfied.
CIT seems to me if the present situs
ton might be called a public agitation
condition which affects the coal man i
the winter and the ice man in the sun
mer. Altho Minneapolis is situated i
northerly country, it is just as e.
pensive to store and haul ice here g
! anywhere. In addition to this, our sci
t ing season is very short, and the oppo
y tunity for making living profit is r
stricted. With the exception of ice to (
delivered to upper stories, our prices a.
e exactly the same as they have been Fl
three years, and there is no more eau
:. for complaint than there has been az
), time in that period. 49,
:, eve shall certainly welcome any 1
vestigation which any grand jury car
to make, for the ice business is {
: practically the same basis as that of IL
= retail .grocers or butchers, who ha7
'. never been accused of maintaining {
. illegal combination. If such investig
= ton is made, the most interesting ia
. developed will be that no ice compa1
q in this town has been making any mo
j. than a fair profit for the last thr
!, years, and that, as far as I know, al
. ice plant in this city could be bong
u out at any ordinary valuation"