New-York tribune., 1906-07-04
No ICE TRUST, He SAYS.
prxadent of American Company
psn7ieg TO Censure of aldermen.

.r,,7,,ng the resolution adopted by the Board
.,s.--,en requesting the District Attorney 70
So crsrlinalIy the American Ice Com
,s7eials, IL the facts warrant" FOR raising
ps-s ~ ice. President Wesley NJ. oler wrote
- rs-ouae yesterday. on behalf OF the COM
c~erinr % furnish All information con-
fs - the company's business. At his Office
:. oIer sale:
N-.rssrnan II c. Peters. who fathered the
-.s-slon. may be a very good alderman but
a very POOR ice man. First. the American
=. ro-,pany Is very far from being trust or a
-.-,,olv; Il furnishes not more than one-half
=. =. used in greater New York Second. its
-. Cor ice is not SO or s12 ton. as he sug-
-. but 81 al the dock.
a li.tle while ago announced that under no
..--u-,stances would our company ask more
- 40 cents for hundred pounds Of ice from
s.-Tles That promise has been kept. and VIII
!. tsvt al summer"
- prove his contention that the American
=. company is not a monopoly Mr.. Oler pro-
s.,ss his sales sheet. which showed that on
-ro,say the company sold about $500 tons of
- at this season and in this weather any
--esre from $1,000 10 10000 tons are used in the
.-v- he said That doesn't look much like a
,rusi'
,te situation in the ice trade this year is largely
r.irolled by the manufacturers Of artificial ice.
qss total capacity Of the forty-seven plants
,slch make ice for New York's consumption is,
I, rOund figures. 5000 tons daily. In a year
vssn natural ice was plentiful and OF good quail
~ tits product would not figure very much, but
sa account Of the shortage and the fact that the
rstursI ice harvested was OF very inferior grade
re dealers who cater 70 family trade are forced
70 buy sll the artificial fee they can. The price,
ztleh in previous years has not exceeded 81 a
m Is now S. and sometimes s6 ton
1t has been asserted that the American Ice
osnpsuy has a secret understanding or IS in
sonbinatlon with the independents" was sug-
Fssted 10 Mr.. Oler.
that is false" he replied. I'VE are In COM
tlnstion with no one. The company owns stock
4 ons or two other concerns, but not a. con-
irolling interest. AS matter Of fact, we are fn
6s,avor with the independents because OF our
hgndred."
Of the forty-seven artificial ice plants. Mr.
DER declared that the American Ice Company
owned or controlled the product of only nine
With capacity OF between seven hundred and
s;sht hundred tons.
Alderman Peters says that fee can be made
f5r 20 cents ton,' said Mr.. Oler. If he would
o1y inspect the lists Of bankruptcies for the
lzst three years he would soon discover his
mistake Ice cannot be manufactured for less
tan about three times that amount as any
owner OF q plant would quickly tell him"
When Alderman Peters was asked upon what
in.OrEnation he based his allegation that the
American Ice Company had conspired to raise
he price Of ice. he replied:
i don't think il would be proper at this time
% diyulge the extent OF my knowledge. The
natter is clearly up to District Attorney
Jerome. and il is for him to act. have been
Eorking on the matter for a long time. and have
WAT consider indubitable evidence that the
I.s Trust has engaged in a conspiracy to force
prooklynites 10 pay an eXtortionate price for
i1e. I speak only OF Brooklyn
Across the bridges the wholesale price a ton
Cor ice is s.. 81 more than in New York. Mr.
Oler defends the excess on the ground that it
costs more 10 do business in Brooklyn than in
Manhattan. largely on account OF the wide
E5rsaG area. and that there are only a few
months in the year when any considerable vol
uDe o. business is done.
District Attorney Jerome yesterday afternoon
sad be knew nothing about the alleged Ice
IEus- the subject OF Mondays resolution by the
Beard Of Aldermen.
z haven't got a copy Of the resolution" he
said I don't know how the ice business is con-
ducted in this city. I have no evidence. To
prove a crime you must have evidence of con-
sDraey IF anybody viii bring me evidence Of
conspiracy I sh"ll be glad 10 prosecute The
natter seems TO be mere hearsay. That is not
evidence