Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-05-03
NEWARK FIGHT
The TRUST
Mayor DOremus will Investigate
the Cause OfIHCreaSe in Price
dealers Have Combine.

Mayor DOremus, of Newark, has
taken up the .cudgels in behalf of the
poor of his city, and has started to
fight the combination of local retail
Ice dealers, who, by concerted action
decreed that the retail price of ice
this summer, beginning May /, shall
be eighty cents a hundred pounds
This Is an increase of 100 per cent
over the price previously prevailing,
In addition, the dealers have abol-
ished the practice of serving small
quantities to residents at five cents
a piece, and have decreed that the
smallest piece that may be purchased
shall be ten cents.
When Mayor Doremus learned that
the poor of the city were to be the
chief sufferers from this action of
the retail ice dealers combine, he
characterized the action as an out
rage and summoned City Attorney
Malcolm MacLear to discuss the stu
alton.
This seem to me-" the mayor
said, ito be an attempt to establish
a monopoly, to wipe out competition
and to impose hardship upon those
who least can afford to stand 1.-THE
poor. | do not propose to stand by
I'M permit it to be done, If there is
any means within law to prevent it.
Mr.. MacLear proceeded to investi-
gate the conditions that led to the
formation of the combination of
dealers and to the making of the
agreement to charge a uniform price
to all consumers. He also instituted
an inquiry as to the local manufac-
turers of artificial ice, who, although
not in the least affected by any sit
uation that might account for an in
crease in the price of natural ice,
have raised their prices to the same
figures.
Upon the completion of his inquir-
les Mr.. MacLear may institute pro-
ceedings similar to those he brought
last year, at the instigation of Mayor
Doremus, against the local combine
of fire insurance men, which resulted
in a general increase, arbitrarily
ulduCy III tllG COoJ VI insurance llohS
within a fixed territory, all the COM
panies doing business directly or
through agencies within that terri
tory subscribing to an exchange,
through which all premiums were
determined. This case is still pend
ing, having been taken on appeal by
the city attorney, to the court of err
rors and appeals.
Since this case was instituted a
similar test made in Iowa has result
ed in a decision o~verthrowing the
combine on the ground which was
also raised by Mr.. MacLear, that it
constituted a monopoly, and vas in
restraint of trade.
Mayor. Doremus expressed yester-
day the belief that unless some means
are found to overthrow this action of
the retail ice dealers, there will be Sc
we're suffering among the poor of this
city during the approaching summer.
The doing away with the, five-cent
service, he said, will mean that in
many houses of the poor ice will be a
forbidden luxury, and where there
are infants and children in tender
age, who require an abundance of
milk, the suffering may exceed or
binary limits and result in an appall-
ing rate of infant mortality.
A similar combination to that of
the icemen exists among the retail
coal dealers, and Mr.. MacLear pro-
poses also to include these dealers in
his Investigations and prospective le-
gal action. The excuse given by the
retail ice dealers for their action is
that they were forced to raise the
prices because of the increased cost
imposed upon them by the wholesale
dealers. The only excuse offered by
the manufacturers of artificial ice is
that they have as much right to
charge eighty cents a hundred pounds
and a cent a pound for smaller guam
titles Is the men who handle the nat
ural product.
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