Evening star., 1943-08-12
Farley Assures
Supply Of Ice
For Sick, Aged
Strict Conservation
Urged on All Cafes
For Shortage Period

With the sick, the elderly and in
fants assured ice under a priority
plan worked out late yesterday,
other consumers today continued to
face critical shortage.
Strict conservation of ice by home
users and further reduction of it's
use by eating establishments are
necessary so that the available ice
will be sufficient to prevent wide
spread food spoilage, ice dealers and
representatives of medical, restau-
rant and hotel groups agreed yes
terday afternoon In a special con-
ference.
Called by the District Health De-
partment to discuss means of COM
batting the shortage, the conference
resulted in a request to the ONCE
of Defense Transportation today to
lift the ban on Sunday wholesale
deliveries of milk.
Would Reduce Spoilage.
Relaxation of the ODT prohibi-
tion. 1t was pointed out in the re-
quest, would save ice because eating
establishments would no longer be
required to keep large quantities OF
milk cold over the week end.
Restaurant men also pointed out
that relaxation of the rule would
reduce the amount of milk spoilage.
Eight hundred gallons of milk
soured recently for lack of ice in
one chain of eating places, it was
said.
Medical representatives attending
the meeting suggested that in the
absence of ice persons can prevent
spoilage of milk by boiling 1t i'm
mediately
Under the priority plan approved
by the conference yesterday, per-
sons needing ice because of illness
or age may obtain written certifi-
Gates from doctors or visiting
nurses. The ice dealers said they
would do everything in their power
to supply ice to persons holding
these certificates.
Draft Ice-Saving Plan.
The conference also agreed on
several other steps to reduce the
consumption of ice and the amount
OF waste. Robert j. Wilson, exec
utive secretary of the Washington
Restaurant Association, said the as
sociation planned an extensive cam
paign to get eating establishments
to adopt a previously announced
flve-point program for conserving
ice.
Mr.. Wilson reported that restau-
rant operators in the last few weeks
have already reduced their use of
ice by 20 to 40 per cent. One cafe
terra owner at the meeting esti-
mated that his establishment had
effected 331s per cent saving by
such methods as piling less ice
around salad platters, giving less ice
in tea and eliminating it from
drinking water.
The meeting discussed but took
no action on suggestion that ice
companies halt deliveries to hotels
which do not serve food.
Have Sealed Windows.
In answer to charge that great
quantities of ice are being used to
air condition trains, Jerry P. john
son, manager of the Terminal Re-
frigerating Co., pointed out that
many new-type coaches have sealed
windows and cannot be used unless
they are air conditioned.
Three hundred and forty tons of
Ice previously were used each day
to air condition trains at Union
Station, he said, but this has been
cut to 255 tons and a further slash
will be made If necessary. All the
ice used is white ice of a type that
cannot be placed in food or drink,
he added.
Meanwhile, though agreeing that
the shortage remains critical here,
ice dealers at the meeting indicated
that customers usually could obtain
Is pound blocks of ice by going in
person to ice plants of the major
companies between am. and 6
pm. on weekdays. The Sunday
hours are 4 to 8 am
Mr.. Johnson said, however, that
the five coin-operated machines
through which his company sells
packaged ice will be closed at night,
effective Immediately, because of
vandalism.