Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-15
DIRECTOR EVANS
READY TO EXPOSE
ICE TRUST OFFER
County Official, Suburban Ice
Dealer, to Tell Grand Jury,
if Asked.
TRADE RESTRAINT AND
PRICE FIXING ARE TRIED
Men Who Approach Him Name
80 Cents Per Hundred" as
Uniform Charge.

1oH1findA4Dn oi lue SldttiltHt
made BY Judge William p Martin
in his charge to the second April
grand jury last Tuesday that some
OF the ice dealers doing business in
the Oranges We're in a conspiracy in
krestrain Of trade. in that they had
formed combination to raise the
price of ice, was obtained today by
the Evening Star
Walter A. Evans. of South Orange,
director of the Essex County Board
of Freeholders. and who. with his
father. w H. Evans. owns the South
Orange Ice Company. not only stated
today that he had been approached
by certain dealers and asked to go
into a combination to keep the price
of ice at sixty cents per hundred. but
also stated that he had been ap-
preached by one dealer with a plan
whereby this dealer and the Evans
Company could obtain q monopoly on
the ice business of the Oranges
Won't Give Names Now.
Both propositions were turned down
by Mr.. Evans. In response to ques-
ton as TO whether his company had
been asked to go into combination
to raise the price of ice in the Or
anRes. Mr.. Evans said:
Il was approached on this propo-
sition some time before the first Of
May by several ice dealers doing
business in the same territory as my
company does. l do not care at this
time TO give the names of any Of
these men, but can do so, If neces-
sary
''I refused TO go into any combina-
ton. as nay firm is independent, and
we have no connection with ay other
dealers. My company has raised the
rr;ce of Ice this year, and we are now
selling our product at fifty cents a
hundred against forty cents last
year. We notified our customers be-
fore the season started that there
would be an increase in the price this
| year and explained the reasons to
them.
The reason we increased the price
is that we are compelled this year to
pay s. a ton for ice for which we
formerly paid So. This & Increase IN
the cost of ice TO us made it neces-
sary to increase the cost TO our Gus
toners. but we did not saddle all OF
it on them. We are bearing approx
mately five cents of the raise on each
100 pounds ourselves and charging
our customers with ten cents of it.
THE proposition put to me by sew
eral other dealers was that the price
of ice be placed at sixty cents per
hundred.
Doesn't Know Number In Combine
'"I do not know just how many
dealers went into the combination %
4 charge sixty cents a hundred for
| ice but / do know that many people
in the Oranges are paying that price,
and that these higher priced dealers
are sending emissaries 10 our Gus
toners. alleging the reason we are
able 10 sell ice at lower rate is
because our product is dirty That
| does not bother us in the least, as
we allow our customers to judge the
quality of the ice furnished"
/ What about the monopoly you
spoke off, Mr.. Evans was asked.
THAT had nothing TO do with the
increase in price of ice. was the
reply "A certain dealer. as I said
before. had plan whereby his COM
pany and our firm could obtain con-
troll of the ice situation in the Or
anges and take all the business for
ourselves
Mr.. Evans was reminded that his
! open expression as to the fact that
he had been approached by several
dealers and asked to go into gen
era1 scheme of raising prices. would
undoubtedly result in his beimg
called efore the grand jury. His re-
ply was that he did not care whether
he was called or not, and that !
necessary he could substantiate every
word he had uttered during the inter
\ view given above.