The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-20
WAY OF ICE TRUST
It Is to BE Barred in the Courts
Of New York.
The Attorney General OF the
State Files a Suit.
PRICES WE'RE PUT UP.
So That the Poorer Customers
Paid $40 to SI4 a Ton
For What Cost at the City's
Gates But $I.2O.
PRICES WE'RE PUT UP.

Albany. n. Y, Dec. 20-AttOrney
General julius Mayer, in the name OF
the people OF the state OF New YORK,
today began an action against the
American Ice company, IN the supreme
court of New York county, Tor the as
solution Of the sc-called ice trust
The complaint alleges as principal
feature Of the s"scheme and arrange
ment." by which the company secured
q practical monopoly Of the natural ana
artificial ice output and distribution, es-
peciaIIy in Greater New York, and the
Communities in the vicinity. that 1t Sc
cured control Of the Maine ice held ana
caused leduction there last year OF
the usual harvest from a million and
half tons to one-third Of that amount.
The sources of supply ale alleged 10 De
similarly controlled
The key 10 the ice situation in New
York city is pointed out as lying in this
couapany's control Of the ice bridges
or landing depots, by which means II IS
alleged the company IS enabled TO n.
the price of ice, resulting last summer
IN an increase flOm S1-20 q ton at the
bridges to 50 and IS a ton to the indie
pendent dealers who are alleged 10 pc
controlled by the company and who
supply the retail trade.
1t is said that by the time the Ice
reaches the poorer customers IT costs
at the rate Of from $40 to $14 a ton.
CcrraSpondence Of the company wife
Its agents and others is quoted to show
that at the very time when the COM
pany was urging its customers TO pc
careful in their purchase and consump-
ton of ice owing TO the shortage OF
supply il was informing its agents that
the Ice situation from the company 5
standpoint was satisfactory and that
offers were being received from various
sources especially from many independ-
ent producers of ample supplies and the
company was at that time refusing to
accept these offers on any terms 1t is
conteuded that the efforts OF the com
many were designed to create popular
impression that an ice famine was i'm
pending in order to forestall public
clamor against enormous fncI ease in the
price to consumers
It IS declared by the attorney general
that on the Hudson river the American
Ice company owns all but II of the l4l
ice houses and that il contracted with
the Mountain Ice company. operating
in New Jersey and Pennsylvania to
restrict its sales in Brooklyn whereby
the free pursuit Of the ice business in
that borough was prevented; that it
had like arrangements with various in
dependent concerns along the Hudson
river and elsewhere TO prevent their en-
tering the field of competition in pro-
duction or distribution Of either natural
or manufactured Ice
The methods alleged to have been
pursued BY the company include pur-
chase. lease. traffic arrangements, con-
troll Of capital stock and other devices
to restrict output of both kinds Of ice
and limitation Of distribution and sale
This plaintiff alleges. says the
Of June the total assets of the Ameri-
can Ice company were S46.435.4SS, of
which S33.26O.6 sos represented no
tangible assets, but was good will.
That on or about December l. 1906
this defendant paid 4 dividend to its
stockholders on the preferred capital
stock Of the defendant The attorney
general alleges that the companys ice
harvested last winter cost only IS tc
IS cents ton; the transportation cost
between IS cents a ton on the Hud-
son river and 45 to so cents from
Maine while artificial ice was pro-
duced in New York city at an average
price of $3.50 n ton: and that yet the
company increased its price in New
York city from $1.20 to s6 per ton at
the ice bridges during the last sum
rner which" says the attorney gen
eral. was seventeen times larger thar
any increase in the cost thereof to the
defendant and that the percentage OF
increase in the bridge price charged
by defendant for ice sold at 1t:
bridges in the city of New York wa:
81 times az much as the percentage OF
the cost thereof to the defendant"
The complaint further alleges tina
1.-THE average prices for sales of ics
during the month Of July, 1906, was
S47s per ton. producing, as this plain
aIR Is informed and believes n pei