The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-16
NEW DECATUR HAS
 A TELEPHONE WAR
Franchises Are Revoked by the
 City Council
ORDER POLES REMOVED
Counsel Holds Adjourned Session Until After Midnight, Attended By Many Lawyers, Representatives
 and Spectators.

New Decatur, March 15.-(Special.)- )- There was an adjourned meeting of the city council held last night and warm time was the result The burning ques- ton of the hour was that of the tele- phone situation in New Decatur as re- gards the Southern Bell. the American Telephone and Telegraph company of AL abama, and the American Telephone and Telegraph company, which companies it is claimed are all operating under the same franchise.
 On June [. 1S9S the city council granted to the American Telephone and Telegraph company of Alabama a franchise to do long distance telephone business in New Decatur. At this time the Southern Bell Telephone company was doing To- cal business in New Decatur under charter which it then held and which was still in force. Since that time this fran chise expired and the Southern Bell com pany asked for a renewal of the same, but the city council and the Southern Bell company could not agree on fran chise and the city asked them to remove their poles and apparatus from the city.
 The telephone people refused to do this and continued to operate their telephones under the name of the American Tele- phone and Telegraph company of Ala bama (which company had franchise), claiming that they were the American Telephone and Telegraph company of Alabama. At the same time the South ern Bell having a franchise in Decatur, continued to operate their telephones in that city under the name of the South ern Bell, as formerly.
 The Burning Question.
 The burning question of the hour with the city council now is which one of these telephone companies is doing business in New Decatur, or are there two compa- nes doing business. the Southern Bell and the American Telephone and Telegraph company of Alabama?
 It was for the purpose Of bringing the matter to a head in some way that the city council met in adjourned session last night, and when the ball opened there were besides the mayor and aldermen, two attorneys representing the city, three attorneys representing the telephone peo- pie, a score of telephone men and a large crowd of onlookers. Many speeches result ed on both sides of the question, and 1t was after midnight when the meeting came to a close.
 The first business transacted was the passage of an ordinance ordering the Southern Bell company to remove their poles from the city, if indeed, they had any here. The next was like ordinance as regards the American Telephone and Telegraph company. Next some warm shots were fired at the American Tele- phone and Telegraph company of Ala bama, but they wlthstood the fire and came out unscorched and were still left in business up to this time, but later on they met their Waterloo in ignominious defeat like their comrades who had gone before.
 Franchises Are Revoked.
 An ordinance was introduced, at this iuncture, repeating an ordinance. passed June z, 1898. granting a franchise to the American Telephone and Telegraph com pany of Alabama. This ordinance was likewise passed on its final reading and now the last named company Is also with out a franchise.
 The supposltion now is that the next step of the telephone people will be an injunction against the city, and this may be followed by a multiplicity of law suits, resulting in some fine complications.
 Some time ago the city council granted a franchise to the Morgan County Tele- phone company, an independent company, and they have now been operating tele- phones here about year and giving good service at a moderate figure. Before this time the Southern Bell charged $250 per month for residence telephones. When the Morgan County company went into oper- ation they operated their telephones at S1 50 a month for residences The South ern Bell company then came down to $l a month.