The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1953-06-19
vigiIanfe Electric Coop
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serving Montana farmers and ranch
ers. Quick reading of the boards
would lead the traveller to believe
the Montana Power Company is the
one bringing power to the farmers.
The Lump Gulch case shows how the
Montana Power actually serves farm
ers-or rather, how it doesn't serve
farmers.
For many years the ranchers in
Lump Gulch have tried to get Mon
tana Power to build line for them.
The company wasn't interested
that is it wasn't interested until the
farmers went to the Vigilante Elec-
trio Coop with an application. Then
Montana Power became very inter
ested. First they went to the first
rancher on the road, who, by the way
has the largest ranch, and tried to
get him to go for a deal to build to
him alone. Such a deal would make
service of the others by REA com
pletely impossible. This rancher re-
fused to sell his neighbors down the
river so then Montana Power sug-
gested it would build the line and
charge the farmers $1,000 to do so.
The farmers would have ten years in
which to pay the $1,000.
When it appeared that Montana
Power would build the line, and in
view of the difficulty in servicing the
isolated area, the electric coop in
Dictated that it would not build the
line.
Committees of the farmers had
been meeting every few days with
the Helena manager of Montana Pow
er. They had called on all of the
farmers and owners of summer
homes. They had secured agreement
from their neighbors to take electri-
city and pay their share of the ST.
900.
But as they went along they learn
ed that Montana Power was begin
ming to hedge on the deal. First, Mon
tana Power wanted to limit the time
in which the $1,000 was to be paid
to years-then to 3. Then the man
ager said $1,000 would have to be
paid down at once. A few days later
the 81 900 became $1,000. The farm
ers were stuck but even then they
were willing to go ahead. Anything to
get electricity to run their milking
machines and other farm equipment.
Finally on Friday of last week the
farmers and their attorney, Left
Erickson of Helena, met with the
manager at his office. They hoped
to get the down payment reduced to
$4,000. But they didn't. Instead,
they were informed at length that
Montana Power Company was not
in the banking business.
THEY WERE TOLD MONTANA
POWER is IN THE BUSINESS FOR
PROFITS AND PROFITS ALONE!
They were told by the manager
that his obligation was to his stock
holders and not to the people of his
territory. Upshot of the whole con-
ference was that the line would not
be built until the $1,000 was laid on
the line. He told them to go to their
bankers and borrow the money to
build the line for Montana Power,
because, of course when the line was
built it would belong to Montana
Power and not the farmers. Montana
Power would pay nothing for its USE
The $1,000 would be a gift from the
farmers to the utility for line that
would serve almost three customers
to the mile.
A small part of the money spent
for bill boards telling the passerby
that Montana Power is a great friend
of the Montana farmer, bringing the
blessings of electricity to every re-
mote farmstead, would build this line
and many more like it. Speeches by
the propaganda boys employed by
Montana Power sound just little
hollow when they condemn public
power, when they berate their gov
eminent, and when they oppose ex-
tension of REA. Especially do such
speeches sound little hollow to the
farmers of Lump Gulch, after the
events of the last few weeks.
1t is anticipated that the Vigilante