Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-06-23

Polar Ice and Fuel Company, a corpos
ration.
Zero Ice and Fuel Company. a corpOra~
| tion.
Irvington Ice Company, a corporation.
Holt Ice and Cold Storage Company,
| a corporation.
Artificial Ice and Cold Storage Cons
I pany, a corporation.
COonse 8 Caylor Ice Company, corr
pOration.
Merchants Ice Company, a corpOrations
United Ice Company, corporation.
Service Ice and Cold Storage Company,
IA corporation.
Indiana Refrigerating Company. CO.'S
/ poration.
Atlas Coal and Ice Company, a cOr-
poration.
John S. KittIe, doing business unde1
the name of the City Ice and Cold Stor-
age Company.
Henry L. Dithmer, doing business un<
der the name of the West Side Ice and
i Coal Company.
Henry L. Dithmer, doing business un.
| der the name of the South Side Ice and
| Coal Company.
/ Stanley Wyckoff, individually.
! STANLEY Wyckoff as executive secretary
Of the Indiana Ice Dealers Association.
CHARGES WYCKOFF
KEEPS STATE IN LINE,
The complaint charges that the alleged
combination not only exists in Indian
( apolis. but that its effect is Statewide.
ana that it Is made so thorough Stanley
WyckoR, former Federal food admin
istrator for Marion County and now
executive secretary Of the Indiana Ice
Dealers Association.
The attorney general charges that
prices are fixed ty the Indianapolis deal
ers. the present price being 10 cents a
hundred pounds. and that they are trans
mitted by Mr. Wyckoff to dealers
throughout the State
The complaint charges that besides
fixing prices to be charged by both
wholesalers and retailers, the members
of the alleged combination have appor-
toned territory among themselves and
that peddiers and small dealers in each
territory must buy from the dealer con-
| trolling the territory and must charge
the prices fixed.
1t is further charged that the alleged
combination has an agreement whereby Il
refuses to manufacture ice in some sea-
sons of the year, thereby paving the way
for an Ice famine and consequent higher
prices
STATE LEGAL BOARD
MADE INVESTIGATION.
The complaint was filed as a result OF
, intensive investigation by the legal de
partment Of the State of the alleged for
nation of trusts to control the neees-
stiles of life. Recently the Housewives
League complained to the attorney gem
eral that such a condition existed among
the ice dealers.
In his complaint Mr.. Lesh charges that
the defendants have been continuously
for more than five years last past in
their several respective individual. cor
porate and co-partnership capacities as
indicated in the title of this complaint,
engaged in the business of making, buy
ing, selling, shipping and dealing in ice
in the city of Indianapolis, Marion
County, Indiana, and the country sur
rounding the city"
The complaint declares that the prod
uct dealt in is a necessity Of life and
that trade in ice runs into several mil
lions of dollars annually.
In making direct charges against the
defendants the complaint says
Your relator informs the court
that sometime prior to Jan. l. 1920,
the exact date of which is unknown
to the Informant, said defendants in
their several respective capacities,
wrongfully and unlawfuIly entered
into an agreement, combination, con-
spiracy, scheme, understanding and
design in the form of trust, among
themselves and others, to continuous
ly thereafter monopOliZe, and attempt
to monopolize, all the trade and
commerce in ice within said city OF
Indianapolis, and to limit and con-
troll the manufacture of all of said
t. i
price thereof by increasing and re-
ducing the price thereof at will with
out regard to the laws of supply and
demand or the cost of manufacture
thereof; and to limit, hamper and de-
stroy competition in said business of
manufacturing and dealing in ice by
controlling and fixing the price that
said ice should be sold for and selling
only to such persons, firms or cor
porations as would resell it or retail
it at the price fixed by these defen-
dants and their agents and at no
other price.
CHARGES SET
OUT IN DETAIL.
"That pursuant to said agreement.
combination, conspiracy, scheme, un-
derstanding and design and in per-
formance of the terms thereof and for
the purpose of carrying the same out
defendants are now and have been
continuously ever since said date en-
gagged in performing and carrying out
the terms thereof and accomplishing
the objects and purposes thereof in
the manner following, to wit
"By wrongfully and unlawfuiIy ap-
pOrtiOning among themselves said
territory in such a manner as to al
low each of said defendants certaiR
exclusive portions thereof in which ia
sell its said ice to exclusion of Othef
dealers and by agreeing upon and
PromuIgating the price for which all
said ice should be sold within said
territory whereby competition among
defendants is wrOngfuiIy. unlawfully
and completely destroyed.
"By wrongfulIy and unIawfuIiy
combining against all other p1anufac-
turers and dealers in ice who et-
L f. - 4.