New-York tribune., 1909-05-01
AMERICAN ICE co. ACTS
ANNOUNCES INCREASE OF
66 2-3 PER CENT.
Price to Families Not To BE More
than 10 Cents q Hundrcd-Other
Com panies FOILO7c.

The American Ice Company which controls
one-half of the ice trade of this city has raised
the wholesale price from SO to IS a ton The
first news of this advance of SIS rs per cent
came yesterday. when the company posted
notices at its docks that after to-day the price
would be 50 ton. Notices OF an increase in
price to retail customers we're sent out on the
regular monthly bills yesterday and to-day.
Wesley NJ. Oler president of the American
Ice Company said yesterday in his Office, at
Broadway and 2Sth street
The conditions this year are similar to those
Of 1906 and our prices will be no higher than
they were then The retail price to families in
Manhattan will not reach 40 cents hundred,
and the wholesale price in Manhattan will not
go above 50 q tom
Large consumers 7vho have had contracts with
the company for ice at 90 cents hundred have
been unable to renew the contracts. which eX-
pire to-day one man said yesterday that he
tried during the winter to obtain renewal Of
his contract. but was unable to do so owing to
the uncertain crop conditions Two weeks ago
he tried again, and was told that the company
was not signing any contracts He expects that
he will have to pay 81 cents hundred
The Foster Scott Company and the National
Ice Company. representing fourth of the
independent trade were the first TO raise the
to 50 and 40 cents hundred. The change goes
into effect day. The Arctic Hygeia Ice Com
pany the largest manufacturer of artificial ice.
has raised the wholesale price TO 81 ton which
goes into effect on Tuesday.
Other companies that have been waiting for
the American Ice Company 10 act sent out
notices to their patrons yesterday or an intended
increase in prices.
One independent producer said yesterday:
Prices are bound to go higher before the sea
son is over 1t is plainly question Of supply
and demand Plenty Of companies are paying
50 so for their ice in houses up the river and II
cannot he brought down here, hoisted and sold
on the dock for less than s. a ton Transporta-
ton costs 81 O5 ton. and shrinkage increases
the original cost 81 25. making total Of 81 so
As ice becomes scarcer the price VIII increase
Dealers will be willing TO pay anything for II
up to Sl5 ton. as they have repeatedly during
famine years.
Although the American Ice Company may say
that its wholesale price viii not 60 above s. 4
ton and the price 10 families viii not reach -
cents hundred that does not mean that other
companies will not get higher prices for the
American cannot possibly meet the entire de
nand- After all. ct must be remembered that
the total crop throughout tn" East has been "I,iy
t,ne-half of tha usual si1s
Manufacturers Of ice are relatively small
factor for they cannot produce more than one
nth of the daily supply OF $4,000 tons consumed
in Manhattan. They cannot anticipate tho de-
rnand because OF the cost of storage. and even
though they could their ice would not keen
more than two or three weeks before becoming
stale
In regard to an article published yesterday in
an evening paper TO the effect that tho Foster
Scott Ice Company asset OF the Ame-i-
can Ice Company. and that Mr. Scott the
president and furnishes the brains OF the bust
ness" Richard J. Foster said
The Foster-Scott Ice Company. Of which
am president and Robert A. Scott is treasurer IS
in no way, either directly or indirectly, con-
nected with the American Ice Company"