Birmingham age-herald., 1895-02-23
NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEM
 - Knocking at the Door of Great
 Birmingham, ASKING FOR REMITTANCE City Council Favorable to the Company and a Contract to Be Drawn Up.

A special meeting of the board of mayor and aldermen was held at o'clock yester- day afternoon to consider the matter of a franchise for the new telephone system asked for by D. D. Bowles and associates.
 Present at the meeting were Mayor Van Hoose and Aldermen Enslen, Pearce, Jackson, Kettig, McCartin, Meade, Mo- Knight and Jones.
 Both the new telephone company and the Southern Bell Telephone company were represented by counsel, the former by MT. Martin and the latter by Capt. w. A.
 Walker.
 MT. Martin advocated the granting of the franchise to the new company on the same
 conditions as the other company had been
 granted it's franchise. His company was willing to put it's wires underground if the Bell Telephone company and the Vest ern Union and Postal Telegraph companies would be required to do the same, but he didn't think his company should be re- guired to place it's wires underground un- less the other companies were required to do so.
 He said the Southern Bell Telephone
 company's system now in use in Birming- ham is crude, no change having been made here in ten years, although there had been
 great development in electricity and im-
 
 He didn 't think his company should be
 required to give bond, as in case of any
 damages the wires and poles and instru-
 ments could be sold if the company came to be insolvent.
 Captain Walker addressed the board, ad
 vocating certain restrictions in the event a franchise is granted the new company. He
 wanted the city 10 require bond for any possible damages that might result from
 putting in the system here.
 NTx in cta1 tain oil xph h U
 he wanted the new company to make a
 bond when the Bell company was not re-
 quired to give one. Captain Walker re- piled that his company was a great cor
 poration and able to respond to any dam' ages that may result from their wires. Mir. Hardy, the inventor of new tele- phone, addressed the board. He said the Southern Bell Telephone company had a very inferior system in Birning ham. lie said the discarded phones of larger cities had been sent to this city and were now lI
 use here. Some of them be had fnvesti- gated and found positive evidence of their having been used before.
 Alderman Kettig thought tue board should give the matter of franchise to the new company thorough consideration be- fore taking any action. He said the pro- motors of any telephone system would have to put in 'phones superior to those now in use here before they could hope to compete with them. He said competition is needed neIc, dEu OPPoocA tA@O"AaB ohJ in the way of the new company obtaining a foothold here. He believed in being as liberal with the new company as possible, while at the same time protecting the city, s interests.
 He moved the reference of the matter to the mayor and chairmen of the fire, street and judiciary committees, with instruc- tions to draw up contract for the new l company. They to report back to the board at special meeting to be called for the purpose of considering the said contract, | the board tben to agree to or reject the contract.
 Mayor VanHoose thought the franchise l should be granted the company, but he also wanted the city's interests taken l care of.
 MT. Kettig's motion was then put and | unanimously adopted.
 | By the same vote it was also agreed that l it was the sense of the board of mayor and | aldermen that franchise be granted the | new telephone company.
 | The special committee, consisting of the | mayor and chairmen of the fire, street and | judiciary committees, will meet at the | mayors office this morning at 10 o'clock | to draw up the contract.
 recommended that fire alarm box be l located Ut Eleventh avenue and Thirteenth l street, in the Eighth ward. He said the | cost of the same would be only $130, with | S1. .25 for freight and s for wire. | Onmotion the board adjourned. | AL