The sun., 1919-06-07
ICE SHORT, PRICES
HIGH, POOR SUFFER
Pedlers Charge One Cent g
Pound in Congrsted
Districts.

The hot spell has produced a shortage
Of ice in New York and the shortage has
made the price highest where It ought to
be lowest-among the poor. Some
pedlers were charging a cent a pound
yesterday. On some days they haven't
teen able to buy any. on others their
supply was reduced. and they say they
have been compelled to boost the price
of what they do get In order to mako a
living.
The maximum rate agreed upon by the
large companies and the Department OF
Markets is $3.50 a ton wholesale ut the
docks and SO cents a 100 pounds, or half
a cent a pound retail in Manhattan.
Deputy Market Commissioner O'Malley
| says he has heard OF no violation of this
agreement, but that no one has any
control over the small dealers, of whom
| there are hundreds, and who were not in
| the compact
c. c. Small. general manager for the
Knickerbocker Ice Company, estimated
the recent shortage at 1000 tons a day.
| the city normally using 20. 900 tons at
this season. He said It had been agreed
upon with the city authorities that the
reserve supply in upstate ice houses,
left over from two winters ago. was not
| to be tapped until July So the houses
were closed, their workers scattered AMI
the barges put out of commission.
The sudden appearance OF midsummer
weather in early June caused an abrupt
change OF programme.
Ice was coming down the Hudson
| aboard express tugs yesterday. but even
with all the artificial ice plants working
| full time there has not been enough thus
| far to meet the emergency. So an at
| tempt has been made TO pro rate the
supply among the retailers. and some
OF them have none at all. Mr.. O'Malley
said that Brooklyn, Queens and The
Bronx were producing more than enough
! artificial ice for home consumption and
! were shipping their surplus to Manhat-
| tan. He predicted relief for the poor
| after next Tuesday, when the Aldermen
are expected to pass a resolution per-
| hitting the ice companies to station their
| wagons at cross streets in congested dis
tr,cts and sell at forty cents a hundred
pounds which the companies have agreed
/ to do under those conditions. The sta
| tons are to be designated by Market
| Commi ssioner Day.
TT is impossible to prevent profiteer-
| ing on the part Of pedlers," Mr..
| OMalley said. when we had an Ice
Comptroller the price could be fixed and
| licenses revoked for Violations. but now
these fellows can charge what they
please. Many of them have raised the
price without excuse. They are paying
no more at the pier than anybody else.
In fact. they have been getting ice for
IS ton
In Hastings families are paying 81
a hundred pounds for material with
which to store their refrigerators. All
the way up the Hudson. clear to Albany,
dealers In the heart of the ice country
are paying SIG to SIS ton. About
500 900 tons are stored in ice houses
along the river. and this was to have
been drawn upon in July.
Pedlers are holding up ice wagons in
the street and offering bonuses for their
loads. One pedler met a driver for an
ice cream manufacturer coming from
Rockaway with two tons OF frozen
water and offered him $50 more than
the ice cost If the driver would let him
have 1t and dump 1t right there in the
| road.
Mr.. Small said he thought all ice
dealers ought TO be licensed by the city
so that profiteers could be legally disci-
| Mined