Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1913-07-10
HAY STACKER QUESTION.
Friction to Be Avoided-Teiephone
Company Offers Solution.
A Boise dispatch says:

Inc annual argument between
the agriculturists and the public
utility companies which operate
wires in the State of Idaho again
bobs up. Ever since the invention
Of the mechanical hay stacker, its
transportation along and across the
highways has been the source of
much controversy between the
ranchmen and the wire-owning
corporations. The former has
always maintained the right to
move his harvesting apparatus as
he saw fit, frequently with disas-
trous results in the matter of broken
wires and interrupted service.
The wire owning corporations
have relied, in the past, upon the
Idaho laws, which permit them to
recover heavy damage, and have
based their objections to the ranch
ers' arbitrary action in hauling
stackers through the lines on the
ground that many innocent users
of wire service, power, light and
transmission were caused serious
Interruptions and inconvenience.
i There seems to be a middle
ground in the controversy, how
ever, and this has been taken by
, the Mountain States Telephone and
Telegraph company, which, through
Division General Manager DeNike,
/ at Salt Lake City, today made the
following announ Gem ent: No
charge will be made to the ranch
f men who desire to move hay stack
ers through the lines of the tele
phone company, provided ample
notice is given to the telephone COM
pany and transportation furnished
to a lineman who will cut the neces-
u sary wires and repair the same.
Y This method insures the least pos
e sible interruption to the telephone
&c service and should be very accept
u able to the ranchmen, inasmuch as
= it insures both themselves and their
'e neighbors the greatest amount OF
L freedom from delayed telephone
. service"
70 Mr.. DeNike qualified his state
"a ment as follows: 1--WE feel that
" we are partners with the ranchmer
" of Idaho in many ways. 1t Is t6
CT our interest quite as much as tt
III theirs, that crops be harvested rap
ne idly and inexpensively. The NOV
ing of hay stackers is essential t.
's' such harvesting. but We are ais
u partners with every telephone use
Ut in the state. 1t is our duty to fur
To- nish continuous exchange and lon
distance service, and this can b
ho secured only by cooperation on tn
part of the ranchmen.
Section 1885 of the Idaho RI
., vised Codes provides as follows
Any person who wilfully or NAL
ciously does any injury to any tell
~. graph or telephone property mel
toned in the preceding section
49, liable to the corporation for OF
hundred times the amount of actu
g damages sustained thereby, to
recovered in any court of compete
jurisdiction. 1t was without dou
that this law was framed giving t
IN wire companies the right to recov
damages one hundred times as gre
as the actual expense involved, b
we feel it will be unnecessary for
;tot to rely upon this statute. SIM
.o however, our company has tax
tbot the liberal attitude which l hs
tbo outlined above, and which is,
bos think, all that should be asked
,, us, we certainly expect to ms
moro examples by bringing suits agai
loon those ranchmen who have little
ord gard for their neighbors' telephC
8 for service and for our property rigf
elec l anticipate very little difficu
when our position is known.
hope the newspaper people will 6
=, this the widest publicity as
1 ,he season is at its height when tn
Tues movements Of hay stackers are n
,bber essential. "
orced