Republican farmer., 1919-06-13
The Price Dropped

The Price Dropped
 The Hygienic Ice Co. of New Ha- ven had a contract with the Berk- shire Ice CO. which ran for several years. by which the Hygenic Co. had the privilege of buying a quantity of fee from the Berkshire Co. The contract was cancelled by mutual consent and the Hygenic Co. thereaf- ter paid more for ice. This transac- ton. according to the testimony of d witness at the Federal inquiry. Mir. Walker thought it was great joke on Mir. Harrison of the Hygenic. who, he said. paid s1,OO0 for the privilege of paying more for his ice. MT. Walker could not remember what caused the contract to be cancelled, but Mir. Brown might know.
 The Centerfreeze Ice Go. was or ganized in New Haven in 1913 and when it was ready to supply ice in the fall of that year the Berkshire was selling ice in New Haven for s4 a ton. On the day the Centerfreeze put their product on the market the Berkshire dropped the price to s2 q ton and shortly afterwards to S1.50 a ton.
 One day Mir. Sullivan who owned the Centerfreeze Co. sent for him and with Mir. Brown he went to New Haven and had a talk with MT. Sui- Hvan. MT. Walker did not say any thing about getting together on price. but Mir. Brown might have said something when Mir. Walker wasn't listening. Nothing was done, how ever.
 Buys the Plant.
 Some time after Mir. Walker made MT. Sullivan an offer for his property
 
 had not the slightest idea that 1t would be accepted. but it was. and Mir. Walker is now the owner of the property which includes the ice plant the Arena, and a number of factory buildings.
 The ice plant Is now turning out about 65 tons of ice a day. but MT. Walker is going to modernize the whole property and is not sure that he will continue making ice there, as he does not believe in encouraging the artificial ice business but believes in developing and extending his nat ural ice plants.
 Mir. Walker had never attended any meeting where the price of ice was hxed and it was merely a co-inci- dence that his price was the same as others Of course he did aot know what MT. Brow had done, but if he had taken any part in fixing prices, ]. was without any instructions frO... MT. Walker.
 MT Walker thought it was mo- .body's business and nobody should be interested in the amount of ice he and his affiliated companies, asso- ciates and relatives had or controlled or the prices he had paid for ice or the cost of harvesting and housing it.
 Owns ts.e Berkshire.
 The Berkshire Ice Company is a New Jersey corporation, having its Connecticut office in Bridgeport and has a paid in capital of s200,0O0. which is divided into 2,oOO shares of the par value of s1o0 each.
 MT Walker owns S31 shares only. but. oh yes, his wife owns 80 shares. and his sister-in-law so sbares and his son owns 39 shares also.
 Yes. Mir. Walker believes that his family has a controlling interest in the company: that is,. they own 1,o2o shares out of 2.0oO. Mir Walker came into the Berkshire company in 1909 when 1t was paying an annual divi- dend of 8 per cent. Last year 1t paid q dividend of 25 per cent. Yes. the company has a surplus of s230,000.
 Mir. Walker is secretary. treasurer and general manager. Monroe How 1. eu of Boonton. N. J.. is president; B. D. Pierce. Jr.. vice president
 The directors are H. W. Barren burr, president of the Mountain Ice Company of New Jersey, a wholesale fec dealer: N W. Bishop. Charles c. Sanford. chairman of the board of tAe First-Bridgeport National Bank. and William T. Walker.
 xhsro aro 1s or 19 stockholders