New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-17
SAY |CEMEN REFUSED
TO SELL ICE TO THEM
Independents Declare Supply
Was Shut OFF, Even When
High Price Was Offered.
"FROzEN OUT OF BUSINESS"
Meet in Hall and :1ake Afh-
davits for Police Department,
the District Attorney and
the Attorney General.
"FR0zEN OUT OF BUSINESS

davit form for the District Attorney the
Attorney General and the Police Depart
ment. The meeting place was In the
rear Of No. PA East 41st street, called
Concordia Hall
Assistant District Attorneys De Fora
Peckham. Ellison and Demirg we're pres
ent with stenographer, as we're VIII
lam A. McQuade. Deputy Attorney GEN
ersl. with his stenographer. and Captain
William F. Clark. OF the Detective Bu-
reau. and four other detectives. To each
group the aggreved dealers deposed
their troubles after several had bashfully
attempted oratory on the stand. Two
speakers only were unaffected by stage
fright before such an array Of legal
streneth-Joseph r. Sheridan, the chair
man, and Assemblyman John ID. Her
rick.
Mr.. Sheridan conducts an independent
ice business at No. 154 East 41st street.
4 can prove" said h.. in opening the
discussion. that. the Knickerbocker lee
Company is selling ice to customers on
tho street at - and liz cents a hun
dredweght and refusing TO sell It TO in
dependent ice dealers on the piers at
even SO a ton. And the so-called inde-
pendent wholesalers Of ice. with few ex-
ceptions. have working agreements with
the Ice Trust.
These wholesalers held a secret meet
ing in May and had got all ready 10
raise the price Of ice at the bridge TO ~,
a ton on June |, when they learned a
reporter was present and called 1t off for
a month. What | want to know is why
they don't go out on the street and raise
the price The American Ice COMPANY
pays "A driver Sic week and helpers "
and 50 day, and sells its ice for IL
and liz cents on the street. The best il
does for the independent dealer is to- sell
him ice on the dock al s. "A ton. the
same price it charges its customers.
Now where do we get off?
Take Jim Scott He il supposed To bc
an independent wholesaler. But you
can see him talking every day In his Of
fee with an official of the American Ice
Company. If he is an Independent why
does he have so many names for his Ice
companies? He has the National Ice
Company. the North River Ice Company,
the HazelwOod Ice Company, and in
Yonkers, where the Ice Trust is not al
lowed To do business, he has the Yon-
kers City Ice Company. The real indie
pendent ice dealers are constantly being
frozen out Of business
Assemblyman Herrick said he did not
know much about the value of ice, but
he did know that last February he re-
ceiyed a communication from Mr.. Sheri-
dams firm asking him If it was true
that no ice was being cut up the Hudson.
Spread False Report, He Says.
Now, as a matter OF fact" continued
he, the American Ice Company at that
time had been cutting ice on the Hudson
for months, but they spread the report
that no ice was being harvested. to take
away from you, my friends. your little
business. I know OF former customers IF
the small Ice dealer who are afraid 10
make contracts with you because they
think the Ice Trust will cut off your sup
ply.
II know Of one business man who vas
forced into buying from the Ice Trust
because the Ice Trust kept the ice sup
ply cut off from the independent dealer
who supplied him for four days. Then
he signed a contract with the American
Ice Company. | know of another busi-
ness man who was told in very PLAN
language by a representative Of the Ice
Trust that he would have to buy from
the trust. for the trust intended to cut
off the supply Of ice to the independ-
ents."
The Assemblyman advised the inde-
pendent retailers to organize. saying that
organization was the only remedy for
their situation.
Michael Egan, Of No. 22J East 25th
street, was induced after deal of argu-
ment To take the stand and free his
mind. after which he made the following
affidavit:
Michael Egan deposes and swears that he
has been In the ice business for thirty years
and lives at No. 225 East 25th street. and
that bout two months ago he went TO the
dock of tho Knickerbocker Ice Company at
the foot Of East 3lst street and asked the
weighmaster To sell him some ice; that tile
veighmaster said to him, II can't give you
any. that Eean said, Why and that
Tie veighmaster answered I'VE want to
RIM YOU Independent Ice dealers out OF
business" and that they have since refused
to sell him Ice.
Since then Egan has been purchasing
his ice for 81 a ton from Michael Shechy,
an independent wholesaler. Mr.. Sheehy
has pier at West 39th street and the
North River. but unfortunately on last
Wednesday and Thursday he had no ice
to soil.
Refused to Sell Him Ice.'
The affidavit of Edward Smith. read on
the stand said that Smith, whose place
~ business Is No. 515 West 10th street.
want on July t. and 13 TO the Knicker.
bockcr Ice Company's pier. at West 3itr
s,ree, where it is doing business undey
rho name of the Merchants Union Ice
company, and on both days the weigh
master refused to sell him Ice.
I offered them S6 a ton for ice" Smith
said. but they refused TO sell me any.
although they had plenty of ice at The
time. saw two barges unloading ice"
smith told on the stand of the visit of
an lee Trust representative to GUS
tomer Of his with an offer Of ice at 12is
cents a hundredweight. Smith said he