The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-07-18
Could Be Manufactured as a
By-product of the Munich
pal Light Plant and Sold to
Any Contractor.
COMMUNICATION BY
MAYOR LAST NIGHT
Read to Council Advocates a
Municipal Ice Plant So as
to Avoid Any Repetition of
Famine of 1911. <.

Unless, as is reported, the Minck
| Brewing Company puts in an ice plant.
and furnishes that commodity as a
by-product to saloons and butchers,
Mayor Zimmerman is in favor of a
municipal ice plant for the city next
year, to relieve any such condition as
has been existing for two weeks. BY
the state statute on municipal owner
ship. ice plants are not included, but
according to statement by Assistant
City Attorney Wilfred Jessup, at coun-
Gil meeting last night. ice can be law
fully manufactured by the city as a
lby-product at the municipal light
plant. Then, says Jessup, the ice could
and thus delivered to the consumer.
Under the present laws the sale of
| ice is the same as that of groceries,
the attorney stated, and he has been
investigating the ice matter carefully.
But according to his statement there
is enough power wasted at the city
| light plant to run fifty-ton daily ice
plant In the contract to the person
selling ice the city could specify a
maximum price. the method of sale,
by cash, credit or book, and to whom
it shall be sold Ice, Mr.. Jessup thinks.
can be manufactured for less than 20
cents per hundred pounds at the mu.
nicipal light plant, and the cost of the
machine would not be excessive. II
lmight prove a source of revenue t.
fthe city. -~s---
To Put in Ice Plant.
Mr.. Jessup understands that the
Minck Brewing company will put il
an ice plant, and If that company fur
nishes it to saloons and butchers. the
Rettig and Johnson company coult
easily meet the demands of the pri
vate consumers. he thinks.
After Mr.. Jessup's speech a visito
at council, who left before his name
could be learned, told Councilman
Jesse Evans, that the local ice com
pany has a capacity of IS tons of arti
fetal ice per day.. and that it has stor
ed 500 tons in the Thistlethwaite ic,
house. The statement was general!
discredited, albeit Mr.. Evans was in
formed that an employe of the ic>
company had given out the informa
ton.
Mayor Zimmerman presented CON
munication on the ice situation, whicl
summarized, follows:
Some time ago an affidavit was file
by city employe against the ic
company for short weight. The dri
: yer was consequently brought befor
the city court and fined. The ice com
!, pany, though it declared the man ha,
been discharged, in fact he swore t
that on the stand, hired an attorne
and defended him, afterwards appeal
ing the case to circuit court.
{, Attorney Husson, acting in the cas-
as prosecuting attorney, declared tha
: the allegation that the driver ha
been fined was only a pretext-"h
: will be reemployed when the case i
over" said Husson. The man is nov
back on the wagon selling ice; accord
ing to city official. If the ice CON
pany had not been personally inter
= CStOu IL "ouIQ uOl nave uCICuucu II
cheating employe.
There is a general complain tha
the company is now falling to delive
: ice; that it will not sell for cash an,
: refuses in some cases to sell books
regular customers are cut off, eve
if they have the money"
Mayor Is Denied Ice
The mayor had a verbal agreemen
with the company that his ches
should be filled whenever necessar.
Unless he had received ice late las
evening, he had not received a poun
: since the ice wagon driver was fined
"Once l advocated municipal OWL
ership of two things" said the mayor
but now l add third-that of ic'
companies, providing of course it
legal" The mayor implied that tn
city had no intention of cutting int,
legitimate business, but merely wishes
to serve the public.
An ordinance should be made t,
! compel ice companies to sell ice t.
all who offer TO pay. the mayor said
Failure to do SO should mean prohi
; bition of the use of the streets TO
asked the mayor for certificates to ge
lice.
I The mayors communication was re
Iceived with remarks of approval by th'