New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-20
NO. ICE FOR THE BABIES
OF WORKING MOTHERS
Man Who Supplied Day Nursery
Couldn't Get a Pound,
He Tells Court.
SMALL DEALERS IN DESPAIR
Rush to Hearing and Testify
That Alleged Trust En-
ployes Refused to Sell
on Hot Days.

The advance guard Of the small army of
Ice dealers whom Commissioner Waldo S
detectives found last week with grievances
against the Ice Trust swarmed into Magis-
trate Appleton's court yesterday at the
second DAY Of the hearing on the ice situa-
tion. 10 tell their experiences with the hig
dealers They were mostly Italians Of the
pushcsrt or coal cellar variety. and they
sgreed on the two main poInts-that ice
was either raised in price or refused them
altogether.
Mike" Lavelle. who conducts a small
business I'm East c9th street was the first
witness. His testimony centred about a
tall. dark man, with a long black mus
tache." The ominous figure Of this person
appeared time and again in the testimony
OF witnesses, but his identity was I'M
known to all OF them except by tho name
OF Willie" This man administered most
% the IN treatment received by them at
the ice bridge of the Knlckerbocker com
pany at 3lst street and the East River.
Il boughta my ice there for two year.
MIR Iavelle said. Il pay s. ton always
until the beeg hot come. and then they
chase me. July ] | was the first time
refused ice. They say ice was s. ton. but
they would not sell me any. ! asked the
bccg dark man with the mustache TO ring
Up bees boss before my face. and he did,
and hoes boss say not 20 sell me any ice.
T losta my customers" he went on. Il
had to stay home Then John Brisgs-he
IS independent dealer, and NE sell mo ice
III he have no more. Then ! wenta to
Hoboken. and they sell ice for - ton, but
they wouldn't let me have any | was
'shamed TO come home without pound of
icc. Then week July John Briggs, he
scla me al ice I want"
No Ice for the Babies.
August IIeine has been a steady Gus
toner for twenty-one years. he said when
called 10 the stand and still called the
Knickerbocker, where ne traded. the
American Ice Company" His complaint
slso was against the tall, dark man with
the black mustache.
'Nothin doin'-nothin dom" he testi-
fed he was told on July s. when the need
VAS greatest. Il drove God knows where
for ice IT was something awful OF the
Stfeets-eycry one running here and there
for ice"
His business. he said. was mostly family
lost many customers because ne could not
furnish them with ice one of his most
important customers. he said, was Mrs.
Perry's day nursery. in East @oth street.
where mothers who so out 10 work leave
their babies for the day. The ice he said,
vas needed for tho babies, and he could
not serve them with any
Fifteen witnesses. I'm all, were examined.
were being refused ice by the weishmas-
ters they could see well filed barges lying
alongside the docks and Knickcrbocker
company wagons departing loaded, al
though the reason given them for their re-
fusal was that there was no more fee.
Paid So a Ton in Extremity.
Another storm centre Of the complaints
was the dock at DIST street and the East
River The prices scared there, some of
them said, as high as s. and S ton when
the need was greatest They took ice, they
said. At whatever price was demanded OF
them. and sold it at "A loss in order TO mold
their customers. Then they were refused
ice altogether. and their trade melted
faster than the ice they could see melting
in the sun on barges tied to the dock A
rock" was the oppressor al this dock.
The hearing was interrupted by Assistant
District Attorney DE Ford, who announced
that he had statement 10 make. In an
sWer to statements made by Mr. Ole.
president Of the Knickerbocker company
in an advertisement printed in the morning
papers Mr.. De Ford said he had not de-
clared that the purpose Of the hearing was
TO send Mr.. Oler 10 jail. but simply TO de-
termine whether the charges that had been
publicly made that the icelnen had con-
spired 10 raise the price Of ice were true
or false He repeated however. that should
evidences Of guilt be established the Dis
trict Attorney would take steps for the
punishment Of the persons involved.
MIR Whitman received from Mr.. Oler a
letter saying that Mr. Waldo must have
been victimized, since he. Mr.. Oler. had
ascertaned that the statement attributed
TO Mr.. Cairns that the Knickerbocker was
Using sixty less barges this year was a
fabrication.
The hearing was adjourned till 10 o'clock
this morning