The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-03-28
ALLEGES ICE TRUST
AND BEGINS ATTACK
Recently Organized Consum-
ers' Company Is in Restraint
of Trade, Declares War;.
CAN NOT BUY PRODUCT
Combination Refuses to Sell
Him; Asks for Orders; Gets
Temporary Relief.
CAN NOT BUY PRODUCT

Charges that the Consumers Ice
company, organized in Salt Lake sew
era1 months ago, is trust aiming to
Lake, fix prices and force independent
dealers out OF business, are made in q
complaint filed in the district court yes
terday by Andrew War;, an independent
dealer. He asks for restraining orders
preventing the company and its officers
from continuing their monopolistlc con-
spiracy and forcing them to sell him
ice, which, he charges, they have re-
fused TO do.
The Consumers Ice company, the
Alaska Ice & Storage company, the Cot
ten Ice company, the Independent Ice
company, William Prackwinkel Mat
thew Noall, Willis Gotten, p. II. Crog-
gin and J. Palmer Sharp are named rs
defendants.
Ii is charged that the newly formed
Consumers Ice company has absorbed
the other companies named and has de-
manded of War; that he sell out to the
company, and upon his declining to do
so has refused to allow him to obtain
any ice for his trade, thereby erippling
and threatening to ruin his business.
Monopoly Is Alleged.
According to the complaint, the Utah
Ice & Storage company manufactures
practically all the artificial ice used in j
Salt Lake City. Prior to December 6,
1913, this company supplied all local
dealers with ice at wholesale, but since
that time, through the conspiracy of
the defendants, the Consumers Ice
company has been in control of all the
ice manufactured. BY means of system
of interlocking officials and directors,
aud with this control as leverage, II
has absorbed the retail ice business OF
the city, with the exception OF that OF
the plaintiff and one or two lesser com"
paDies
An order to show cause why restrain
ing orders should not be issued as
prayed for was issued from the district
court late in the afternoon, returnable
at date not fixed. This order carries
with it temporary restraining order
forcing the defendants to desist from
refusing ice to War;,
It is set out. i'll the complaint that
prior to December g, 1913. there were
six principal ice companies handling the
retail ice business in Salt Lake. These
included the Alaska Ice g. Storage com
pany, the Independent Ice company, the
Gotten Ice company, the War; Ice COM
pany, the Lester Ice company and one
other. At that time, it is alleged, VIII
liam Prackwinkel, who is the Utah
agent for the Utah Ice 6 Storage COM
pany, and others, including the defen,,
dant officials, organized the Consum ers I.
Ice company with a capital stock of
$4,000. The officers of the company
at the time of the organization were
William Prackwinkel, president; James
H Wolfe, vice president; II. M. StePh"
ems secretary and treasurer; M. A Per
ry and r. b. Porter, directors. Ten
DAYS later, it is charged, Stephens,
Wolfe, Perry and Porter resigned their
offices and were succeeded by Matthew
Noall. one of the defendants, ms vlce
nresident; r. B. Stephens, secretary and
treasurer; Willis Gotten and Z. II. Crog-
gin. defendants, directors. Later j.
Palmer Sharp was elected assistant sec
retary and treasurer, he also being one
of the defendants.
Tells of Operation.
It is further set out that Gotten is
president of Jne Gotten Ice company,
Matthew Noall is director OF the Alas
ka Ice &: Storage company; that Crog-
gin is president of the Independent Ice
War;. it is averred, held a contract
for the purchase of ice from the Alas
ka Ice g. Storage company, and on jan
uary 10 of this year, soon after the or
panizatiou Of the Consumers company,
he was told that the latter company
would assume the contract. On March
3. it is charged, Prackwinkel, president
of the Consumers company, made de-
mand upon War; that he set price
on his teams and his subscribers and
general business, telling him he would
have to sell out. When he refused to
do this, it is charged, Prackwinkel or
dered that he should be sold no moro
ice, and this order became effective
Yesterday, March 81. Being dependent
upon the product of the Utah Ice &
Storage company for his trade, and that
supply being closed to him through the
arbitrary dictates OF the Consumers
company and by means of the alleged
conspiracy, War; alleges that his bust
ness is threatened with ruin and that
he can no longer supply his customers,
which, he declares, number 1000 III Salt
Lake City. War; sets out that his
business nets him from $4,000 to $4,000
yearly profit and that this will be
taken away from him entirely, unless
the defendants are restrained from
their purpose. He asks that the Alas.
ka Ice d Storage company be forced to
continue its contract with him for ice
and that the defendants, individually
and collectively, be restrained from con.
tinuing the monopoly they have estab
iished.