The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-08-01
The Wessemm.
Ell ICE TRUST.

We hear a great deal of abuse these
DAYS of the beef trust, of Chicago; Of
the steel trust of Pittsburg, and Of the
oil trust, of everywhere. Day after
day the newspapers belabor these
trusts and tell the people what harples
they are; how they are preying upon
the people. In all this TRADE against
trusts we do not hear a word against
the one trust which most concerns the
people of our section, especially OF in
terest to them in these hot, sweltering
doc days-the southern ice trust-that
combination of manufacturers OF the
prime necessity of the south in these
summer months.
We do not suppose that many OF u
readers know that there is such a COM
bination-a combination among the ice
factories of this section Of the south
to keen up the price of that prime ne
cessity in hot weather. All the Ice
factories in his section of the country
have, it seems, entered into an agree
ment for the distribution of their prod
ucts. The country is divided into ter
ritories and no factory is allowed TO
sell to II person in the territory OF
another factory. No matter how ur-
gent the case may be for a few pounds
of ice in a case Of desperate illness IL
the home factory cannot supply it no
other factory is allowed to do so.
We venture the assertion without
fear OF successful contradiction that
DO citizen of Wilmington could buy
and have shipped to him at this point
from any ice factory outside OF our
city any quantity Of ice from a single
block to a car load. Were the two fac
tories here to break down and make no
ice for Il week no plant within the
range of influence of the southern ice
trust would dare ship to a citizen of
this city Il pound of ice. The factory
men here could get all they wanted
from other plants, out no individual
could do so.
In ve%rificatiOn of this statement we
point to the article we published a
few days ago taken from q. paper pub
lished in a town up the Carolina Cen
trail railroad which said there was an
ice famine in that town; that the ice
factory there had broken down and
that other factories refused to supply
the town because they could not ship
into the territory" of the disabled
plant, II as further proof of his fact
we call attention to the following spe- |
cial dispatch from Chapel Hill to the
Raleigh News and Observer, which is
proof conclusive of the existence of
this iron-clad agreement among the ice
factories of this whole section of the
country for the purpose of keeping up
the price of ice and of looking after
the profits of each plant instead of the
comfort and convenience of the patrons
of the various plants. The Chapel Hill
article shows that the ice factories
have no regard for the comfort or the
welfare of those on whom they de-
pend for their support. They know
the people have got to have ice and
they are going to make the latter pay
for it too, or they must do without it.
Read what the Chapel Hill correspond
ent Of The News and Observer says
about this ice trust and the way it
treats the people:
Chapel Hill. n. c.. July 26.-In the
middle OF the hottest weather that has
been known here iii years. Chapel Hill
ran into an ice famine and inciden-
tally developed what appears to be a
Nertiable trust on the prime summer
commodity.
The ice supply Of the town is OBJ
tanned from Durham where there is
an ice factory. Two dealers here get
ice from Durham. daily and distribute
it tC their customers. On Saturday,
no ice came. The customers COM
mcnced to fume. The dealers made
inquiry at Durham. The reply was
that The consumption of ice during
the heated term had been SO great
that there was no ice Cor export. A
supply was promised. however. for
Mcnday morning. The news went over
the village and those who had remain
Ing a small lump used it most spar
1n2ly. Saturday and Sunday passed
with empty re~frigerators. soured milk
and rancid butter. to say nothing of
parched threats that had nothing with
which to cool their agony. There was
water in plenty. but it had caught the
Split Of the SumIncr time. In effect
Chapel Hill was much i'll the condition
Of the rich man who wanted and could
not get. There was Durham 4 mile
or so away: you could see her church
stcepelS and YOU knew that under
Meath lay ice. But that was the end.
Durham as a distributing point was
out CT the business.
Immediately upCn the failure of the
ice suDply on Saturday morning the