The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-30
BILLIARD EXPLAINS 1T
Ice Rise in Topeka Justified, Former
Mayor states
To the Editor of State Journal:

To the Editor of State Journal:
Much has been said by one of the
city papers and by many of the citizens
relating TO the advance recently made
in the price of ice. Why should the
ice companies be selected for all the
criticism when their advance has been
only about 25 per cent, while all other
commodities have advanced from so
to 500 per cent? Why not advocate
the building OF cooperative or mu-
nicipal mill to furnish flour to the
people at cost? Flour is selling at
and is of more urgent need to the poor
than ice Why not municipal COM
mission house 10 furnish potatoes,
vegetables and fruit to the people at
cest? Why not municipal meat mar
ket? Also a municipal grocery to fur
Iish meat and groceries at cost? All
these articles enter into the cost of liv
ing of the poor man more than ice.
The advance in the price of ice Is
justified by present conditions and the
increased cost of manufacture and dis
tribution, and is as small as can be
made to insure any reasonable profit
in the business. Everything that en-
ters into the manufacture and distri-
button of ice has greatly increased.
except water and that is very small
per cent more; labor over so per cent
more hay and horse feed over 100
per cent; chemicals, 100 to 900 per
cent more: all repairs, horses and har-
ness have greatly increased. Our
cheapest class of ia bor formerly cost
$40 a month: now $50 to sos. Fire
men 81 d day for twelve hours, now
$225 a day for eight hours. Nearly
| 10 per cent increase.
About the poor people getting it
in the neck that is, to some ex-
tent, the fact in all lines of business.
Those who buy to 10 cents worth
at a time always pay more than
those buying in large quantities. How
ever, in the case of ice, where the
cost of delivery is the largest expense,
| it is worse than in anything else, but
we make it as light as possible. Out
side of office buildings where several
deliveries are made at the same time
and place, the ten-pound pieces of ice
are sold at less than the cost of deliv-
ering, saying nothing about the ice. At
the present advanced price we get Il
cents for 1914 pounds of ice, which
we sell for ten pounds to cover the
shrinkage. The average cost of de-
| liVering the same in the residence dis
tricts is more, probably z to cents.
so that small customers are paying
less than actual cost while the large
customers pay enough to make up the
| difference.
The Mutual Ice company was or
ganized nearly eighteen years ago for
the purpose of furnishing the people
good pure ice at reasonable prices
and giving good service in it's deliv-
cry. Prices were then established that
were considered fair and reasona BILE
and especially favorable to small Gus
toners. These prices have been main
tanned for all these years, in spite OF
many increases in the cost of manu-
facture and distribution. The time
has now arrived when they could nc
longer be maintained.
1t is true that we have been paying
| 10 per cent to 16 per cent dividends
for several years. That is only q
| reasonable dividend for a manufacture
ing enterprise, where expensive ma
chinery is used, subject to accidents
and heavy depreciation.
L do not believe the people of To-
peka want us to do business at a loss
lose the profits we have made in the
past and go out of business or fail like
many other firms have done in the
past. among which are the two wooler
company, Topeka and Crosby mill:
and Otto Kuehne Preserving company
1t is the prosperous manufacture
and business men that build up ant
improve our city, not those that fail
The Mutual Ice company has severa
hundred stockholders among our bes
citizens and none of them want to i'm
pose unreasonable prices on the PEG
pie. but all feel they are entitled to
) fair profit on their investments.
J. B. BILLIARD,
President Mutual Ice Company.
:, Topeka, Kan.