The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-06-17
U. s. INVESTIGATION DENOUNCED
 ICE TRUST AS LAWLESS, SLOAN
 INFORMS FITZGERALD COMMITTEE

At the public ice hearing in New Haven last night, Arthur Sloan. 2 newspaperman, told of the investiga- ton into the ice question in 1916 by MT. Joyce, who was an investigator employed by the U. $. Department of Justice. Joyce after a thorough in vestigation had reported that there was a. violation of the Sherman anti trust act by the Berkshire Ice Com pany in Connecticut and recommend ed that prosecution be started.
 This report was sent to Washington and back to the states attorney in New Haven, but nothing had been done in the matter.
 MT. Sloan said that it was such mat ters as the ice question that was caus- ing the spread of Bolshevism in this country, and said that the committee had a remarkable opportunity to vim dicate the law.
 J. Birney Futile, counsel for the Hygenic Ice Company, was opposed to the city of New Haven embark ing in the ice business in competition to his client, calling attention to the failure of government ownership in the case of the telephone and rail- roads.
 The Hygenic Company is a tax payer he said. and gentlemen, just think of the taxpayers money being used in competition with another tax payer. It ain't right We can't com pete with the city ice business where the taxpayer stands the losses
 He said that the Hygenic Company had plans prepared whereby, when it is certain that the city is not going to compete with them, they will increase their plant for the manufac cture of ice until it has a capacity of 400 tons a day and will be independent of the Berkshire and other companies in years like this when the supply of natural ice is limited.
 MT. Crawford said, from your own statement in order to increase your output you will have to borrow money to build the additional plant and then you will be in the same position as the Meriden people were, the ice trust will come along and buy up your floating debt, and presto, your com- pany is theirs.
 MT. Futile said that to avoid that condition his company would be will ing to borrow from the city.
 And another thing, said Mr. Craw- ford, if your company increased it's plant so that it became independent of other sources of supply and was able by itself to give New Haven all the ice it could use, would you not then be in the same position with re- gard to prices that the Berkshire is now, you could put the price where you wanted to and the people would have to pay.
 MT Futile answered there is no law or physical control that could restrain them from doing the things that you suggest, but the owners of the lily genie are good citizens and every one knows that it would be bad business to take advantage of the people in that way
 Benjamin Milner asked Mr. Futile what they were going to do with the Berkshire competition when they be- came able to supply all the ice the city could use. Futile said, well we are the only company in New Haven that has not been forced out of the ice business and if we stood it so long I guess we cannot be frozen out by the so-called ice trust.
 I don't know about that, said Mir Crawford. It seems to the committee that the trust did not try very hard to force your company out.
 J. B. Foley was in favor of a muntc1-