The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-07-12
Edict of Company Issued and
if You Haven't a Book
Now You Are Too Late and
Must Face a Famine.
LOUD TALK OF THE
CITY FATHERS JOKE
Tell Ice Company Official
Their Denouncement of
Ice Company Merely Lies
by the Newspapers.

There is rot enough ice to meet the
demand in Richmond Some people
will have to be denied their share of
the supply at hand. and the Rettig &
Johnson company has decided that
the consumers who will be refused ice
will be the ones who have not used
coupon books this year-who have
paid spot cash to the pilots of the ice
wagons to have their refrigerators
filled. In other words the ice COM
pany now takes the present opportu-
nifty to chastise the consumers who
have not been buying coupon books.
This class of consumers who hustled
to the ice company's office today to
purchase ice coupon books were in
formed they were too late. There is
not enough ice to go round and the
people who have been using coupon
books, and those who have weekly and
monthly contracts have the prior claim
over all consumers, as long as we have
ice to SELL" they were informed.
What Edict Means.
This edict means that there will be
several hundred people in Richmond
who will keenly realize what an ice
famine really is. This action of the
ice company is also taken to mean
that not all the large amount of ice
wagons, from which no profits accrue,
is lost by melting. The company evil
IDENTIFY believes its profits will be larg
er if all ice is paid for with coupons
from books sold at the company's Of
flee
1t will be of interest to the public
to know that the loud outcries against
the ice company which issued from the
throats of several city officials, includ-
ing the Mayor and President HAM
mond of the board of public works at
the Mayors cabinet meeting, this
week, were merely harmless pyrotech-
mic displays of keen interest in the
welfare of the pee-pul." Following
the newspaper reports of the virtuous
indignation of our city fathers as to
alleged actions of the ice company,
Mr.. Rettig, the following day. was ac-
costed by a group of these willing
workers for the taxpayers and inform
ed that 1.-The newspapers lied" an old
and sterOtyped excuse which is still
bodied and mighty handy to have
about.
Statement by Johnson.
B. B. Johnson, of the Rettig & John
son company, issued the following
statement today:
Our supply of natural ice will last
but a few days longer. We have a
contract with the Crystal Ice Co. of
Anderson for three cars of artificial
ice per week beginning next Monday
the 18th. If this contract be filled we
will be able to meet the fui. demands
of ordinary summer weather; but even
that amount, in addition to our fac
tory capacity of As tons daily, will not
supply all at the present rate of con-
sumption, due to the prolonged heated
term.
We are now, and have at all times
done our very best to give the peo-
pie of Richmond good weight and good
and now ask that all grievances per-
tanning to the wagon service be
promptly reported to our city office for
investigation and adjustment. We
have had less complaints this season
than any year since We have been to-
gether and we believe there is today
better service than this city has ever
had. the circumstances considered
Any statement, from any source that
the ice company checks up the wagon
men closely, that they the mem are
compelled to give short weight in or
der to square their accounts at the Of
flee is absolutely untrue. This state
ment can be easily proved by our set
tlement books, which are open to the
inspection of any city official. news
paper or representative committee or
citizen.
Richmond has been fortunate thus
far in the partial ice famine that now
covers the whole Middle West If our
contract for an additional supply is
filled We shall still get along compare
lively well. If that is forfeited, our
supply in another week will not be
sufficient to meet the demand. Un-
der these conditions We earnestly urge
all ice users to economic as much as
possible so that the supply may come
nearer going around.
THE WEATHER