Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-21
Newspaper Claims Refuted.

80 the Worlds statement except that
concerning 1904. Is untrue. Referring to the
last statement that less than ten years ago
a family could buy 1O0-pound lump for Is
cents Mr. Oler sends a record. under afii-
davit. carefully made up by one who has
been in the ice business in New York for
many years. which tends to show conclu-
sively the incorrectness of this statement.
This affidavit shows that from 1878 to 1906
ice has never sold at - cents per hundred
weight to families in single year; that in
1850 and $780, the only years comparable to
this in the shortage of supply, 1t sold at 81
per 100 pounds, whereas we selling 1t
this year at 10 cents. The schedule follows:
In 1878, 1882 and in 1900 ii was sold at
60 cents per 100 pounds.
In 1856. 1887, 1889. 1891. 1892, 1894 II sold
at 30 cents per 100 pounds.
''In 1879. 1881. 1888. 1884. 1885. 1888, 1895,
1896 and 1897 1t sold at 40 cents, when there
was no short crop, such as we have had to
face this year; therefore, IL is plain on the
face of facts that the American Ice Com
pany, which came into existence in 1899, has
only once charged as high as 90 cents; and
that in 1900; and only twice as high as 40
cents-in 1903 and 19O3-in each OF which
years there was a short crop of Ice, as Is
shown by the appended statistics, showing
the crops from 1878 to 1905:
-"Aany fair-mnded man or householder
who will read the Worlds statement and
read the affidavit must conclude that the
American Ice Company since its formation.
has cheapened the ice very materially in
New York instead of advancing II, and Is
selling ice today In New York for 90 per
cent less to families than was charged in
1890, when conditions were similar and
there was no American Ice Company.
This company has no desire to answer
ali of the criticisms great and small made
by the press throughout the country, with
which its name is connected, but when
great publication like the New York World.
with its immense circulation, puts forth
statement so thoroughly at variance with
the facts it is only due to the customers
of this company and TO It's stockholders TO
have the cold facts laid before them and to
judge on the merits of the controversies
between the American Ice Companys policy
this year and its critics.
THE plain fact is the crop or Ice is SO
short that the company has been compelled
to charge such price in the various
cities in which il operates as will prevent
waste and keep the consumption within
the amount of ice they have 10 deliver to
the people. Its responsibility Is to the pub
lie whom 1t serves, and that responsibility
compels 1t to SO handle its stock or ice that
it will not be exhausted before the season
terminates and to that end 1t has taken the
only means that it's officers can conceive
of: to stop waste and extravaganza in the
use of the article in which 1t deals
Prices Charged Here.
Mr.. Samuel A Kimberly. manager of the
American Ice Company in this city, was
asked by a reporter for The Star how the
prices quoted by Mr.. Oler H. the above
statemen compared with those ia force haze.
Mr. Kimberly in repl2 stated that since
tbs American Ice Company began business
here several years ago the price to house.
holders had been uniformly 40 cents per
hundred pounds and to wholesale dealers.
20 cents to % cents per hundred. In 1890.
when the conditions as to the natural Ice
supply were much the same as this year,
families paid 90 cents to 20 cents per hun
tred from the wagons and 80 cents per
hundred was charged Wholesale. This was
before the American Ice Company entered
the local aeld Mr.. Kimberly states that
his company has prevented any advance IN
the price of ice to the family trade this
summer, when conditions and the demands
OF the independent dealers warranted the ad-
vance The public has not looked at this
side OF the question. and do not realize that
families are paying less here for Ice than
in many other places throughout the
country.