The log cabin Democrat., 1921-08-08
ALDERMAN DEFENDS
 ICE-WEICHINC LAW
A. M. Ledbetter Justifies City Coun- cil and Promises Relief of Ice
 Situation by Next Year.
Editor Log Cabin Democrat.

Editor Log Cabin Democrat.
 In Saturdays Daily apeared an ar tlcle written by you headed "The High i Cost of Ice Weighing in which you criticize the city council for passing the ordinance requiring that ice here after sold in Conway be weighed at l place of delivery. 1 am somewhat surprised to read this article from your pen. In the first line You state There has been considerable agita ton in Conway during the present summer and in your second you state that it has been lover the price, weights and quality of ice" Now, there must have been some cause for thls agitation. You then state that the city council recently-after this agitation, mind you-passed an ordi- nance requiring that ice be weighed at place of delivery, and that the Citizens CD Ice < Fuel Company, the only manufacturers and dealers Tn Ice here, promptly complied with the ordinance, but advanced the price l0 cents per 100 pounds, claiming this was necessary to cover the addi- tlonal cost of weighing In a mega tive way you then go on defending the ice company for raising the price ot ice, in positive way condemning the council for paying any attention to the "agitation" you first spoke of
 You state that you do not know whether 50 or 70 cents per hundred IS fair price for ice, but do believe the ordinance requiring the weighing was unwise. Now, Mr. Editor, you do know that ice has been shipped in here from Little Rock and sold for 40 cents per hundred, don't you? You have been recently informed that ice IS now being sold in Searcy at 25 cents per hundred, haven't you. You have noticed in the papers where ice lis being sold in Little Rock cheaper than in Conway, haven't you? And you have noticed that the council of Little Rock has required that ice be weighed, too, haven't you?
 You then state that the ordinance was unnecessary for the reason that parties short-weighing you are sub- ject to prosecution under our present laws, yet you know this delivering without weights has been going on for years, and that "custom makes laws" and that it was necessary to overthrow this custom.
 You state that it is probable not one person in hundred will go out to the wagon and see the ice weighed. About how many persons in a hun dred, Mir. Editor, go down town to see his sugar weighed? And yet who would buy sugar from a man who would scoop up little sugar and charge you for dollars worth :? You wouldn't.
 You then estimate that about 12 1-2 tons of ice are used daily and at that rate it costs the people of Conway 1925 per day or $750 per month tax In this estimate I figure you fall far short of the mark and that 25 tons are delivered per day at cost of $50 per day, or $1 800 per month, but you couldn't find an idiot in Arkansas you could make believe that it costs that ice company any $50 per day extra for weighing that ice. No, sir, they have fined us $50 a day for daring to make them weigh our ice. I be- lieve 1 voice the feeling of every member of the council when l say that between the lines in Mir. Daw- sons remarks the night he represent ed the Citizens Ice X Fuel Company before the council you could read Just do it if you dare!" And l want to say here and now to you and tO Mir. Dawson that in my opinion that extra $50 per day lis absurd and un- necessary, and something ought to be done to correct it." and before this time next year it will be corrected, all right, and when it is corrected there will be no more "agitation," either. A. M. Ledbetter,
 Councilman