New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-15
POLICE SAY |CEMEN
ARE IN CONSPIRACY
Declare They Have IndISputabIe
Evidence of Unlawful Re-
Straint of Trade.
WHITMAN PLANS HEARING
Testimony To Be Given Before
Magistrate Appleton-Charges
To Be Based on State
Anti Trust Law.

According 10 preliminary reports made
at Police Headquarters yesterday, the
police found what they declare is indis-
putable evidence of unlawful restraint
OF the ice trade and illegal agreements
among the great wholesalers and so
called independent wholesale dealers for
the purpose Of controlling the price OF
ice. Acting on 40 affidavits placed in
his hands by the police District AttOr-
ney Whitman yesterday asked Magis-
trate Appleton To hold Il public hearing
next Tuesday afternoon in the library
Of his office. At this time charges will
be presented that the ice dealers have
conspired to violate the law.
one Of the most novel chapters in po-
lice history will prove to be one Of the
most successful. according to high off,
cials in the department when the full
story is told of how the men from head
quarters went out on the trail of a trust
and caught 1t red handed" George s.
Dougherty, Second Deputy Commits
sioner, who as head Of the detectives
has been in personal charge of the hunt.
said yesterday that the so-called trust
and the self-styled independents were
equally responsible for shortening the
supply and lengthenng the prices. The
police were ready to demonstrate he
said. that ice was in the hands Of one
big trust. with little real opposition.
Granting that headquarters detectives
are as wise when on the trail OF the
trust' as they are when on the murder
tail. they have found that the old tlusc
was a mere toddlcr beside the grown-up
giant that now sells ice at what price
il will. While the brunt of the criticism
has been directed at the KnockerboC ker
company. It was said the so-called in
depeudont wholesalers had been using II
as a stalking horse 1t was their GUS
tom. il was said. to buy ice from the
Knickcrbocker, called the trust, then To
tell the middlemen To whom they sold
that the big company was charging
them excessive rates and that they
would have TO advance their prices ac-
cordngly. with the result that every
one i'm and out OF the trust was advanc-
ing the prices in unison.
Dougherty said that it would he unfair
az this stage Of the investigation to as
sert that the Knickerbocker was behind
this lacking up of the price Of ice, but he
consented 10 draw graphic diagram OF
lust what he knew was going on In or
der 10 make the situation plain. lie
wrote the initials "K' for Knicker-
hooker. 81" for independent, r. for re-
taller and &C" for consumer on pad,
with lines running from one TO the other'
the direction Of the ice traffic being m
dicated by arrows.
How the Price is Increased.
".t<' has contracts with T." ne said,
explaining his chart, ito supply l with
TOO all the year round at a certain price,
which II does. However. Il goes to X
and saws he is having great difficulty
hacause X is holding him mp and that
the price will have Ia go up. r. there
uuon promptly raises the price 10 C..
That Is ABOUT lIl' SAhN'''i''' 80 ''N'N
found II. Whether II has been told by
*, 20 raise It's price We don't know get.
hu, things look that way. II there Is
conspiracv of that kind of course Il will
10 ~, against the law. 1t looks as II the
,rust now consists of the Knickerbocker
and the independent Wholesalers acting
i'm agreement"
4 few significant totals were obtained
from the hundreds of reports tiled with
,-or,,rissioner Waldo. The Commls-
s,oner was full Of praise for the way his
mon had gone about getting accurate
o,ures quickly. despite the many diff
mites encountered by them. Many OBJ
stacles were placed in their way by the
socretlve methods of the dealers, it WAS
s,id and I'm many instances 1t was nee
.ssarv for the detectives to man push
carts and impersonate pedlers before
,bav could get what they wanted.
They found according To Inspector
,,,,ol.. that whereas last year The
t.,i,l,.rbockcr company kept up IA re-
ser,e supply of twenty thousand tons OF
Continued On sr'nni "'~-