The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-29
TONY YOUR ICEMAN
MAKES $S75A WEEK
Figures Of Deputy 0'Malley
Show Huge Profits by
Small Dealers. a..


Tony. the cellar, iceman. has, no excuse
for charging more than so cents per leo
pounds for ice delivered to the house,
holder, according to, e J. o'Malley. Dep
uty Commissioner of Public Markets, in
official Recommendations on Ice to his
boss, the Rev. DR.. Jonathan G. Day,
head of the Department of Markets. In
vestigation has convinced Mr.. OMalley
that this more or less modest retail price
Of ice means q business OF $3.50, a week
for many Tonys. Out Of this amount
they have to pay rent at the rate. OF Is
TO $40 q month and board Of horse and
storage charges for wagon ranging from
$40 to $25 q month. Theae Tonys are
the hard workers who sell 600 300-pound
cakes OF ice week at profit OF 100
per cent Therefore. Mr.. O'Malley con-
cludes. there IL absolutely no tustifica-
ton why the cellar iceman should profit
Ger. .. ... .
Mr.. OMalley says II costs from AN
to ~ cents to manufacture a 3oo-pound
cake OF Ice. The manufacturer sells II
at rs cents a cake, or at the rate OF rs
| cents per 100 pounds to the cellar dealer
or iceman who calls at the plant for i.
The cellar retailer sells a 300-pound
cake for 81, or SO cents per 100 pounds.
II cut. making a profit of $1.35 a cake.
You can see by Sthis," Mr. o'Malley
| said, that the cellar man or iceman
when no receives so cents per 100 pounds
for his ice is doing exceedingly well on
100 cakes Of ice a week he would make
| Sl26. less the few expenses per month,
| and he Is q small dealer who only sells
| 100 cakes Of Ice a week.. t..
Tax Evasion Charged. --.
Most of these cellar men or ice ped
| dlers arc italians. Greeks, Russians or
| foreigners OF a type who are not citi-
Gems, and due TO the superstition that
| they are poor people, making little
money. evade taxes. such as income
taxes and personal taxes. whore they are
| really making q great deal OF money"
Mr.. O'Malley suggested way where
| by the owners OF apartment houses with
| twenty or more families TO q house could
] insure cheap ice to his tenants and give
his janitor q chance to make little ex-
| ira money on the side. All that the
landlords would have to do. Mr.. OMailey
, says, 10 to buy a large container or
| wooden box and arrange with an iceman
| to deliver Ice each day at rs cents per
| 500 pound cake or Is cents per 100
pounds The janitor then would be ex-
pected to chop the ice in suitable sizes
| for the tenants and pass II up the dumb
| walter TO the folks at IS cents per 100
pounds. The extra dime would be the
| reward for his labor,
II understand from some Of the lnde-
pendent Ice dealers that they would agree
to deliver the Ice at rs cents per cake in
apartment houses. where the tanitor
would receive 1t and distribute It to the
tenants" Mr.. O'Malley said. This
would save great deal of loss from
meltage, because the cellar man or Ice
man stands In front Of the apartment
house with his Ice exposed to the hot
sun, chopping II up into different sizes
wanted by his customers. and his wagon
| Is in the street exposing the Ice to the
! hot SUM-"
Mr. oMalley also suggested to DR..
Day that II things come to the worst
| during the summer and the reserve OF Ice
Is nearly used UP II might be well to es-
| tablish a priority HIST where Ice manufac-
| turers and distributors OF leo should be
| asked to agree to curtan the distribution.
| making the people conserve. 1t so there
| would be sufficient during the very hot
I spells.
| list for Tee Sales.
He suggested the list should run In
the following orders: Hospitals and
charitable Institutions. then household
ers and apartment houses, hotels, res
taurants, manufacturers and business
lhouses engaged in the manufacture OF
or marketing Of foodstuns then soda
and other cold drink establishments,
other manufacturers and business en-
Sterprises and cafes.
The Deputy Commissioner sald he IA
OF the opinion that every retail dealer
should be licensed by the License Com
missioner or the Department Of Public
Markets, coal and ice coming under the
jurisdiction OF the Commissioner OF Pub
lie Markets.
There is absolutely no excuse for
lprofiteering on the price OF ice at. the
present time" Mr.. o'Malley said, be
cause in many instances the price or Ice
right now In some sections OF Manhat-
tan 10 still. 50 a ton to the cellar man
and ice distributor from the manufac-
turers OF ice and receivers OF natural
ice"
Having satisfied himself that Ice will
melt In the sun, Mr.. O'Malley advises
the public as follows:
Do not leave ice on dumbwaiter TO
melt Collect II when delivered to
dumbwaiter and Immediately put In
icebox.
Avoid opening icebox as much as pos
slble cold air escapes quickly and melts
ice through the thrush OF warm air.
Wrapping ice on top and sides In
newspaper will prevent meltage. Cold
air goes down through icebox; II Is
there fore unnecessar., to have ice ex-
posed to air when box is open on top.
Cool, iced tea and iced drinks OF all
kinds by putting bottles In iceoox and
not against ice, as this melts Ice
quickly
Don't put chopped ice In drinks this
keeps icebox open ana meits ice very
quickly.
Buy large piece OF Ice. because
meltage Is about one-third greater In a
small piece of Ice on account OF sur.