The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1922-10-26
STATEMENT TO VAL
LEY TRUCKMEN

Editor Glacier: One of our local pa
pers last week carried an article head
ed, "Truck Status is Now Defined,
and an editorial, "Unravellng the
Truck Tanple." From the reading of
the foregoing it would appear that the
matter of bonds for the local haulers
and truckers has all been arranged,
and that the district attorney and
county Judge have been delegated by
the public service commission as ad-
iueters of all disputes arising between
the service commission and truck own
ers in the enforcement of this benefi-
cent law, all for the benefit and pro-
lection of the public against loss OF
cargo and human life. To that lend
the service commission has dispatched,
by express, to my office a goodly sup
ply of applications and bonds so there
may be no delay or hindrance in truck
drivers getting squared with the law
before they are hailed into court for
hauling unlawfully without the COM
missions o. k.
Some 10 days since when Commits
sioner Kerrigan was in Hood River,
on his earnest solicitation, l agreed to
act as notary in the justification OF
bondsmen of applicants. but did not
contract to take over the work OF the
service commission in this county, as
would appear from the published ar
ticles above mentioned. All l agreed
to do, as before stated, was to act as
notary if called on, and make such ex
plantations as had been made to me by
Mr.. Kerrigan in relation to the rulings
of the commission.
| have read carefully Chapter 10 en-
acted at the special legislative session,
1912, and | fail to find therein any in
junction on the district attorney or the
county court to help enforce its provi-
sions or IN any way modify conditions
and provisions therein contained. The
facts are, as ! have been informed by
a member of that legislative session,
it was piece of legislation put over
by the insurance companies largely for
the purpose of the creation of new
business for themselves, and blanket
authority was given to the commission
to make such rules and regulations
that would compel delivery of the
goods, i. e. the premium on the bonds.
| Just why a trucker hauling apples
| from a ranch to the nearest storage
should be denominated a common
carrier" and compelled to give a
"good faith" and an indemnity"
bond is too weighty problem for my
poor intellect to solve and am still in
| the dark after consultation with Com
missioner Kerrigan and several of his
deputies. / was told by them that the
good faith bond is to indemnify the
owner of the cargo against loss, and
the indemnity bond is to indemnify
persons. pedestrians and others, from
being run over or run down by the
trucker. Evidently the fact that ranch
owners are not demanding a good faith
bond, and that not one person has ever
been run over by a truck in Hood
River county, does not count with the
commission nor square with the law
that the insurance companies so gener-
ouslv provided. The classification
made by the commission might appeal
to me more strongly if it were not for
the exceptions made in favor of cer-
tain interests who are not required to
give any bonds whatsoever, and who
are just as likely to run down pedes-
trian as those giving bonds.
So far as the county court IS con-
cerned | hold no brief. but for myself,
do not propose to become the "wet
nurse" for law that, in my judg-
ment, was iniquitously conceived and
is being unevenly enforced. | have no
fight with the law regarding the Ii
cense fees, nor the weight of the loads
carried, except that | see no good rea-
son why our county courts should not
regulate the weight Of loads on strictly
county roads as was the case under the
old law. Why a speed cop, from Sa-
lem, should be allowed to come to our
county and hinder the expeditions
movement of our apples is more than
| can understand, except it is the law.
| think that the good people of Hood
River county know me well enough to
know that | stand for law enforce
ment, but | stand for ''even handed
Justice" l have no use for law or a
ruling of any commission that exempts
a part of our people and Furnishes the
rest In my judgment the next legiis-
ature should get busy and repeal the
Objectionable parts of our road laws.
John Baker,
| District Attorney.