The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-01
Complaints of Customers Are Thoroughly Discussed
 Before Mayer
No DEFINITE CONCLUSION
 HAS YET BEEN REACHED
Mayor Ward Asks City Attorney for an Opinion on Question of Ice
 Company's Right to Re-
 fuse to Sell Customers.

Mayor George B. Ward, Judge N B. Feagin of the police court Inspector of Weights and Measures A. | Hall Assist ant City Attorney J. Q. Smith. W. J. Rushton and R. H. Woodrow of the City Delivery lee company. Phil Schillinger and Attorneys F. II. Cabaniss and ". r. White met in the mayors office yesterday morning. The object of the conference Was to make an effort to adjust the trou- ble between the ice companies and the consumers over the city who lcleve that they have not been dealt with fairly by the Ice distributors.
 The meeting was characterized by no unexpected proceedings, but questiors came up which are interesting bo.h to the public and to the ice manufacturers Mir. Rushton made a statement that the con- pany had tried to remedy the cause of the trouble by providing the wagons with scales to prevent short weights and add ed that while 1t was probable that blocks of ice sold sometimes contained few bounds less than they were supposed 70 eantain, there were frequent instances where customers got more than they paid for
 Inspector of Weights and Measures A. J. Hall stated that from his observation in the discharge of his work he thought that the overweights and underw.Ashts, as usual thing just about average us in the amount of ice paid for by the cus- toners.
 May Lose Drivers.
 MT Rushton of the City Delivery com pany stated that the present contentious over the matter were causing much trou- ble to the employees. and that the com pany would, If the matter went much fur ther lose all of It's drivers. His state ment that the company never tried to shield the drivers who had dealt out short weights was borne out by Inspector Hall.
 Assistant City Attorney Smith stated that the city could not prevent complaints from citizens, and that each case would be handled on it's individual merits by the city officials.
 The question then came up as to wheth,, CT or not the city authorities had the power to force the ice company to sell it's lee to customers regardless of intimida- ton of the drivers on the part of pur- chasers of the lee Mir. Rushton held that the ice companies were not public utility corporations, nor semi public utility cor porations, and for that reason they had the right to sell ice to whom they pleased and when they pleased, to sell no ice at all if they saw fit An official. legal answer to this question has not yet been made, but will be made in few days.
 Scales Are Inspected.
 On the matter of customers discovering short weights, 1t is agreed that the driver shall make up the shortage by adding a small piece of ice to the quantity. The scales used on the wagons shall be of ficlal authority on the weights, as they are inspected regularly by MT Hall.
 The matter of whether the ice compa- nies have the right to sell ice to whom they please and when they please, and the authority of the city officials to force them to sell the ice, has not been looked up from legal standpoint, but such will be done upon the following request, which was issued from the mayors office yes- terday afternoon: