Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1913-07-05
MOVING OF THE
HAY STACKER
Friction to be Avolded--Teiephone
Company Offers Solution

Boise, Idaho, July s, 1913--The an
nual argument between the agriculture
lists 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 al
ways maintained his right to move
his harvesting apparatus as he saw
fit, frequently with disastrous results
In the matter of broken wires and
interrupted service.
The wire owning corporations have
relied, in the past, upon the Idaho
raws, which permit them ITO recover
heavy damage, and have based their
objections to the ranchers' arbitrary
action In hauling stackers through
the lines on the grounds that many
innocent users of wire service, power,
light and transmission We're caused
serious Interruptions and inconveni-
ence.
There seems to be a middle ground
in the controversy, however, and
this has been taken by The Mountain
States Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany, which, through Division Gener-
al Manager DeNike at Salt Lake
City, today made the following an
louncement: "No charge will be made
10 the ranchmen who desire to move
nay stackers through the lines Of
The telephone company, provided
ample notice is given to the tele-
phone company and transportation
furnished to a lineman who will cut
the necessary wires and repair the
same. This method insures the
least possible interruption to the
telephone service and should be very
acceptable as 1t insures both them
selves and. their neighbors the great
est amount Of freedom from delayed
telephone service.o
Mr.. DeNike qualified his statement
as follows: Eve feel that we are
partners with the ranchmen Of Idaho
in many ways. 1t Is to our interest
quite as much as to theirs, that crops
be harvested rapidly and inexpensive
ly. The moving OF hay stackers is
essential to such harvesting, but we
are also partners with every tele-
phone user in the state. 1t Is our
duty to furnish continuous exchange
and long distance service, and this
can be secured only by cooperation
on the part of the ranchmen.
Section 1886 Of the Idaho Revised
Codes provides as follows: Any per
son who willfully or maliciously does
any injury to any telegraph or tele-
phone property mentioned In the pre-.
ceding section is liable to the corpora
tion for one hundred times the
amount of actual damages sustained
thereby, to be recovered in amy
court OF competent Jurisdiction II
was without doubt that this law was
framed giving the wire companies
The right to recover damages one
hundred times as great as the actua
expense involved, but we feel 1t will
De unnecessary for us to rely upon
this statute. Since, however. oul
company has taken the liberal attitude
which have outlined above, and
which is, we think, all that should be
asked of us, we certainly expect tt
make examples by bringing suit
against those ranchmen who have
little regard for their neighbors' tele
phone service and for our property
rights. / anticipate very little diff
Guilty when our position Is known.
hope the newspaper people will give
this the widest publicity as the sea
son is at Its height when these move
| ments OF hay stackers are most es
sential."