Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-06-18
PUBLIC USE Of ICE
IS CUT 70 PER CENT
TO SAVE PEACH CROP
Majority of Soda Fountains
in State viii Probably Be
Closed for Thirty Days,
Facts About Peach Situation

The issuing Of preferential ice or
der, designed to assure the saving OF
Georgia's s12,O0O,OO0 peach crop and
| which VIII close the majority of Geor'
| gia soda founts for some portion Of
the next thirty days; the announcement
Of the two largest penalties ever assess
ed by the federal food administrator
in this state; the statement that 42,00(
barrels OF flour are being boarded il
Georgia and that the government will
begin criminal prosecution of the hold
ers of it unless they "disgorge" By
July l. and the making public of an
approaching rise in the price of wheat
were the major developments Saturday
in a day of drastic decisions and &C
lions at the offices of the federal food
administration for Georgia.
The preferential ice order provides
that 20 per cent of all ice manufactured
for the next thirty days in the state
shall be reserved for the purpose of re-
frigerating for shipment the balance
Of this years peach crop. All homes
and all handlers of perishable food
stuffs," that is, meat, vegetables and
the like, must be supplied by the ice
manufacturers before any ice can be
SOLD to soft drink establishments.
This order, issued by DIR. Andrew M
Soule, federal food administrator for
Georgia, came after a conference sat
urday afternoon between food admins
tration officials, ]. B. Scott, general
manager of the Fruit Growers Express
of Chicago, and B. j. Christman, presi'
dent of the Georgia Fruit Growers Elk
change.
The Peach Situation
The facts in the peach situation, as
given at that conference, are:
Georgia's production this year is
5000 cars OF peaches, valued at
$500 a car making total of 49,
100000 worth
TWO thousand cars, or S3,000,000
worth, have already been shipped
safely TO market, leaving 5000 cars,
or 100000 worth, which must be
cared for.
\ total Of $4,000 tons of ice is
the minimum amount which
can refrigerate within the borders
Of Georgia the balance Of this
years crop, as ten tons to the car
is the least allotment that is prac-
ticable.
The peach-shipping interests
have in sight $4,000 tons of ice, now
stored, on which they have an OPP
tion for use.
This leaves a necessary minimum
of $4,000 tons Of ice which must be
reserved for peach shipping between
now and July Is, if the crop is all
to be saved.
No power on earth but the United
States food administration could
assure the shippers the ice they
need.
As the $4,000 tons of ice which
Saturdays order will guarantee to
the shippers will handle 1920 cars
Of peaches which would have other
wise rotted, the order means a net
saving to the people Of Georgia of
S45O0 600.
The last statement was made by
J. b. Scott, who is general manager
of the Fruit Growers Express, and
has been working with the food adj
ministration for three weeks in an
effort to devise some way of saw
ing the peach crop.
Two thousand cars. OFF 100000
Text of Ice oEdar
The text of the ice order is as fol
ITO All Ice Manufacturers and Dear
ers in lee:
You will, beginning Sunday, June
Il. reserve for the purpose of refrig-
Grating the fruit crop Of Georgia TWEEN
ty per cent of the ice actually manu-
featured by you each day. This ice
will be purchased under my direction
by the Fruit Growers Express at :
fair price to be determined and shir-
ping direction will be given you b.
them upon receipt of your wire to tn IS
office of tonnage reserved. All mani
facturevs and ice dealers are directed
to furnish not more than fifty pounds
of ice to family trade to any one house
hold daily. OF the available ice after
setting aside twenty per cent for re-
friCeration Of the fruit crop as above
stated, manufacturers and dealers will
furnish first all homes and hospitals
meat markets and others requiring ICE
for refrigeration of food commodities
before delivery of ice to be used in the
refrigeration of beverages and other
less essentials. The purpose of this or
der is that you shall reserve your avail
able ice for the refrigeration of the fruit
crop, for the homes and the preserva-
ton of foodstuffs, and the ice remain
ing to be equitably distributed to the
less essential industries
FEDERAL FOOD ADMINISTRA-
Zion
"By Andrew NJ Soule,
Federal Food Administrator for Geor-
gia."
Two Heavy Penalties
Stressirg the fact that only extenu-
ating circumstances made the penalties
so low. Dr. Soule announced Saturday
afternoon that the firm of A. Ehrlich
Brothers Grocery company, of Savan-
nah, and the firm of Duggan q Co.,
Wholesale grocers, also OF Savan-
nah, had peen anowed to contribute ST.
500 each to the Savannah chapter of
the American Red Cross.
The EhIlich firm was found guilty OF
having sold foodstuffs to the Duggan
people. who, i'm turn. sold them to three
British ships at a large increa 81, in
price the transaction being in viola
ton of the food administrations ruling
that one jobber cannot sell foodstuff
to another jobber at profit. The Ehr-
Itch company was also found guilty
Of selling wheat flour without the prop
or amount Of substitutes and Duggan
& Co. was convicted of selling wholesale
goods without a license, as well as of
charging excess prices to the three
British ships.
The Ehrlich house pleaded no gUilty
intent and showed that IL had been
a large subscriber in Liberty Bond
and Red Cross campaigns. Duggan &
Co said they were ignorant hat the law
requiring licensing applied to firms
known as ship chambers.
DIR. Soule, stating that the food ad-
ministration lis prepared to err on the
side of mercy" agreed to let the offe
ing firms down with two $500 dona-
tions to the Red Cross and a promise
of strict compliance in the future.
0Snox,, 40 600 barrels of Flour