The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1917-07-27

the presence of the men who repre-
scented the ice company" and further,
that "He (Secretary Higgins) asked
some questions, but his manner ac-
cording to the report of Mr.. Henley,
was not of nature to inspire that
full fellowship of feeling needed to
arrive at conclusions"
| desire to say that up to Monday
night, the time designated to organ
ize meeting of citizens to protest
against the high price of ice, had
taken no part in the controversy.
Those who were interested asked me
for the use of the Board of Trade
room for Monday night, and | was
there for the sole purpose Of opening
the door and turning on the lights.
Therefore, not yet personally interest
ed, and the Board of Trade not in
terested, | could not, neither could
the Board of Trade, HAVE HAD A
LIST OF GRIEVANCES TO PRE-
SENT TO THE MEN REPRESEN-
TING THE ICE COMPANY. Con-
seouently, how could the representa-
tives of the ice company possibly eX-
pect to have met with anyone to in
telligently discuss the question?
The facts are these: A mass meet
ing of the citizens of Palatka was
to have been called to meet in the
, Board of Trade room to discuss the
,, increase in the cost of ice, as an
nounced by the Southern Utilities
Company, alias the Palatka Public
: Service Company, and to formulate
=, some plan of action The notice for
: this proposed meeting was given, TO
In Nj nuhIIpltlOO
when it appeared in print 1t was so
CARRIED as to be unrecognlzaDle, ac-
!. cordng to C. R. Poole, who wrote
y the original besides, the Morning
- Post placed a misleading heading
/, over the notice stating that II was
. Board of Trade meeting, whereas, the
Fl Board of Trade had nothing whatev-
" err to do with it, until later, when II
y was suggested by Mr.. Henley that
= committee from the Board OF Irade'
~, or some other representative ooay
a of citizens, be appointed to CONFER
O, with the ice company. There was as hoC
9, even quorum of Board OF trade
N members in the room at tne Cliiie.
7 Editor Norwich admitted to- me
&c that he changed the reading OF the
w. notice, so as mot to offend the ice
At company This misleading notlce
was in a measure responsible Tor the
y. citizens not 'massing," for NUMBER
subsequently stated to me that mad
70 thew known it was to be cltlzens
at meeting instead Of Board OF lrade
nd meeting, they would have been IN at
no tendance.
~ While we were waiting for those
oe who had called the meeting TO put III
~, an appearance, l explained the STU
H. alton as herein related. Everyone III
~ the room heard what said, SO there
,or was no just cause for anyone TO mis-
Of repr esent the facts to The News. NC
~ meeting having been organized, nc
plan outlined, and no way paved toi
;+b a conference, or even for a request
". for a conference with the ice com
,,,h pany, Mr.. Henley while not Just ar
H., intruder, was certainly out OF place
:" at the meeting. His better, plai
Ior would have been, considering ms pc
No. sition with the Southern Utllltle'
r. 70 Company, to have waited until some
va organization had been effected an'
n+n an appeal formally prepared ant
''O presented asking for a conference.
Those who called the meeting no
being present, none of those IN tn
room seemed to know what to 90
what to say. Therefore, IN an Ell
fort to bring order out OF chaos,
itch suggested that Ed. M. Earnest tax
yer the chair. ,,
ted Monday morning l was handed
the LIST ,f the names of towns in Florldi
. and the prices at which they Wer
obtaining ice, the prices being mos
Wz " twenty, twenty-five and thirty-tiV
III cents per 100 pounds, with requeS
III to hand it in to the meeting. In
III was read and was the only data {
III hand. The questions | asked nj
IL Henley were about as follows:
~ "Whv must Palatka pay thr,
IL fines more for ice than other cities
~ "Why is it necessary to increase
z IN paIatka from 40 cents to 60 cents
u "What are the commodities enterll
IL ;nto the manufacture Of ice that ha
IL cone NM" "Will you specify sor
III of Them" "Why is it that Tam
~ otfars to sell to Sanford at STU
III IN in car lots?" Can you tell
IL how much any one commodity h
gone up?' -..o,
II under the circumstances, were
ID Nn7sorcble. Still, had Mr.. Hem
II answered them, and answered tn
II truthfully, he would have come pr
ID tv close to accusing his company
II extortion. 1t was the questions, ana
II the way they were put, that. nett
III Mr.. Henley. Another thing that
IL moved him was the statement tha'
II salesman, whose name l had, S
ii his company sold ice machinery
III installed ice plants, and would
ID in an ice plant guaranteeing that
IL selling ice at the factory for tive
III cents per 100 pounds would net
Ill owners six per cent interest on
III inyestment. Mr.. Henley did not
III nv this; he said the contract wo
Ill have so many strings to 1t that
Ill could easily be broken. .,
Hi As matter Of fact felt,
I'LL still feel. that the ice company
g ing a private corporation, tang n
III Ing Palatkans by the throat
III make the price of ice, whatever
ii pleases; and can, if it chooses, rel
Ill to take notice of any protest WI
III 1t was admitted at the meet