The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1920-11-23
WAR.
EAKSSERv|CE
On LINES WEST
Mountain States Com
pany Sunday Repairs
Da m a &c at Nampa
Done by City Direction.
Especial Service.)


Nampa.-Acting under authority
of temporary restraining order
issued by Judge Charles P. Mccarthy
late Saturday night, the Mountain
States Telephone & Telegraph COM
pany has reset poles chopped down
by city authorities Saturday afternoon
and has repaired the toll lines disrupt
ed so that through service has been
restored with Portland and all points
west, which we're cut off from commu-
nication for period of ~ hours as a
result of the city's phone smashing
operations.
A hearing will be held before Judge
Mccarthy Tuesday morning at 10
o'clock in district court at Boise, at
which time the City of Nampa will be
asked to show cause why permanent
injunction should not be issued re-
straining them from interfering with
the telephone service of the company.
The open warfare now in progress
between the officials of the City of
Nampa and the telephone company is
the termination ola long controversy
between the two parties over the re-
moval of telephone poles running
along First street south, where an
ornamental lighting system is to be
-1atsalled. Last June the city request
ed the telephone company to remove
its poles so that the lighting system
might be installed without obstruc-
tons of any kind, holding that the
telephone poles would mar the effect
of the new light standards.
No Materials.
The telephone company sent repre-
sentatives to Nampa some weeks after
this notice was given them and these
representatives told the city council
that it was impossible to get the ma
terials and equipment necessary for
the installation of on underground sys-
tenn that would be necessary if the
poles were removed. Following this
conference the matter was held in
allegiance for several months and then
the city council passed an ordinance
ordering the removal of the poles.
Again a conference between the
council and telephone company Off
Gals was held. This time the tele-
phone company agreed to remove its
poles within one year and to move
them where necessary so that the
lighting system could be installed at
once. This was satisfactory to the
city council, but it asked the telephone
company for cash bond of $4,000
or the loan of $l2,8OO, to guarantee
performance on the part of the com
pany, which objected to this latter con.
dition.
Reached Head Saturday.
The matter came to ahead Saturday
when R. B. Burger, chairman of ths
, streets and alleys committee, notified
the company that the poles would
have to be removed by Monday, Nov
p. The telephone company replied
that it was a physical impossibility &c
remove the poles by Monday and tina
it would make no effort to do so
Immediately the city sent lineman
and the street commissioner, wht
were under the protection of the loca
police, to begin chopping down thu
poles, two poles, carrying the through
telephone cables between Portlant
and New York City, and various loca
). circuits and two leased telegraph
wires, were chopped down and thu
wires cut, shutting the city off from
all telephone communication west.
The telephone company, through IL
attorneys in Boise. secured restrain
ing order against the city, which wa
served late Saturday night, reaching
the city attorney about midnight. TIL
poles were reset and lines repaired
Sunday by employees Of the telephone
company.
Opinion here is somewhat divides
over the councils action, but the con
sensus of opinion seems to hold tina
while the telephone company has bee'
dilatory in removing its poles an
should be pcnalized, no good was &C
complished by destruction of the com
pany's property and the public was tn
only party that suffered through tn
disruption of service.