Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-11
CONTROL LOCAL ICE
TRUST PRESIDENT CLAIMS 1T
AND ORDERS PRICES RAISED.

Light on the ice situation in Washington
for the past two years is gwen by the
New York investigation letters of Presi-
dent Oler of the American Ice Company,
the so-called trust having bean found claim
ing virtual control over the Washington
market and ordering the price to be put
up to the New York level.
Attorney General Jackson of New York
state. through order of the appellate
division of the supreme court, has secured
possession of the books and papers of the
ice trust. That evidence is said to prove
conclusively that the American Ice Com
pany is monopoly In restraint of trade.
District Attorney Jerome Will be asked by
the attorney general to lay this mass of
evidence before the September grand jury
in New York county. with the intention of
bringing custer proceedings against the
trust.
The attorney general said last night that
he satisfied that the evidence was en-
trely sufficient to drive the American Ice
Company out of business in this state The
discriminating evidence is the same as that
believed to have been stolen from the desk
of former Attorney G neral Mayer,
result of which there was no prosecution Of
the sinister trust.
The following letters of President Oler
show the cOmpany'S attitude toward Wash
ingtOn:
6AoSIASoA SSASAoA Va " ~SAAAAA6 VIII.
December 2. 1905.
Mr.. Reuben w Hopkins. president
ITO state street. boston. Mass:
my Dear Mr.. Hopkins: have your letter
OF yesterday, and note what you say in
answer to mine.
Il find from the report of the lndepend-
ent Ice Company that whereas they sold
! 1877 tons of ice in October this year more
than last year, they lost $4O23. against
loss last year of $1,234.15, and against a.
profit in September of $5.GOO.O3 1t seems
to me it might be worth your while to see
if there is not some error In this
Everything seems to be moving along
our way lust now. We have closed deal
with Chaplin & Sacks Of Wash ngton. al
though the contract Is not yet signed. by
which take control of their entire out
put of 24O tons a day; they to provide Stor
age capacity for 20-Dte tons, to take the
output when We cann19use it in our bust
ness This practically gives us control Of
Washington.
Have closed a deal with the German
town plant at Philadelphia, which gives US
quite a large business there, and practical
control of that district. We go to Phila-
delphia on Friday next to have confer
ence with Mr.. Rushton, treasurer OF the
Standard Ice Company. and shall try to
make some deal by which Lee can control
the output Of that Big plant.
Mr.. Head is negotiating now with four
of his competitors, and l hope before we
are through with it we will have organized
a subsidiary company and dumped at least
three of them into it, under our ownership
control.
I'm New York we are as busy the pro-
verbal bee with deals of all kinds. Mr..
Adams says that it would take a Philadel-
phia lawyer to keep pace with the many
different kinds of contracts we are draw
ing no two being alike. and each made to
suit particular case. We really feel that
our problem is pretty well solved. apd the
future looks good for the company.
Yours very truly.
"(Sgned WESLEY M OLER.
president"