Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1914-12-12
POWER MEN ASK
FOR FAIR DEAL
Want Regulations Affecting Over
head installation to be
Reasonable.

he Public Utilities Commission t
govern all overhead line constructor
by power, light, telephone, telegraph
and railroad companies.
For the past two days there ha
oeen meeting on in this city of tht
members Of the executive committee
Of the Idaho Power and Light Men >.
Association together with enginee.i
If number Of the larger companies
awyers and others especially inter
,sted. The matter under discussion
was the nature of the proposed rules.
1t will be remembered that in July
last there was hearing before the
Public Utilities Commission Oh this
matter. At that time the different
interests involved failed to agree. The
power and light men insisted that
the rules proposed by the telephone
companies, especially, were so drastic
N many of their provisions; that
they would raise the cost OF construc
ion for transmission and distribution
lines to such point as to make it
practically impossible for the power
and light companies to get out into
che rural communities, and that they
would drive the power and light com
panies off the streets and highways
in many places and compel them to
purchase right Of way at enormous
cost in some cases.
Because the representatives Of the
different interests failed TO agree, the
Public Utilities Commission post
poned action in the matter until
December l. Later a further ex-
tension OF the time was granted by
the commission and the final hearing
on the matter is now set for January
II.
The power and Light men feel that
the situation is a critical one for
them. They insist that if the rules
by the telephone and rail
way companies are adopted and made
the law Of the state by the Public
Utilities Commi S on that their indus
try will be crippled in several i'm
Dortant particulars; that because of
greatly increased cost of line con
struction and other arbitrary provi-
SONS they will be barred entirely
rom many rural and remote communi
les, and to that extent the develop
nent Of the entire state will be re-
arded.
These were the matters threshed
nut in the conference of the past
wo days in this city. The power
md light men wish to be placed on
ecord as favorable to rules of such
haracter as will provide for cons rue
ion safe to employees and the public.
'uch rules will permit these com
anies to go ahead with their deyel- /
pment and extension work and bl ing Z
lto active production much of the e
erritory that is now lying dormant. '
Special interest attached to the t
leeting because of the presence of >
G. Martin, Chairman of the over &
cad line committee of the North
'est Electric Light & Power Asso- }
lation; and John B. Fisken of Spo- d
ane, Washington, superintendent of "a
ght and power for the Washington 5
later Power Company. This com
my is the largest electrical COM
my in Northern Idaho and supplies
over to the Occur d'Alene mining OF
strict. Mr.. Fisken is member of ia
e overhead line committee of the -
ssociation and also a member of the
,ecutlve committee Of the Idaho
over and Light Mems Association.
When seen after the meeting Mr.. mr.
artin said he attended because of &c
g deep concern the power and '"'
interests of other states are tax
G in the action of Idaho.
THE Northwest Electric Light of
Power Association with which | in
a connected" he said, extends D'