The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-27
Will Imnrove Telephone Service.

As representative of the Southern Bell Telephone Company, Judge H. E. W. Palmer tonight promised officers of the Commercial and Industrial Association of Selma that within thirty days the local service would be entirely satisfactory.
 Judge Palmer's statement came after two lengthy conferences he had with the officials, who stood for the installation of new equipment and who may yet de- mand modern apparatus if the promise of the company is not kept.
 The Telephone Company has represented that the alleged effectiveness in the local service Is due to negligenc or Incompetent cy of it's operators and not to any faulty equipment The Commercial Associa- ton, however. seemed to be of a different opinion and the agreement tonight is only tentative. If the improvements within a month are not all that the officers think should be made. new apparatus will be demanded and the threat of another sys- tenn will be used.
 Judge Palmer said tonight that the com pany would immediately send an expert to Selma to inspect and overhaul the local exchange and that all necessary changes and innovations would be made.
 The meeting tonight resulted from q conference held this morning by Judge H. E. w. Palmer, special agent, and c. k. Harrison. engineer of the Southe; n Hell Telephone Company, and directors of the Commercial and Industrial Associa- ton. Those present at the conference this morning were Judge Palmer, MT. Harrison, President J. F. Hooper of the Association, Vice-President J. M. Baker, Schuster. Chairman W. R. Peacock of the Committee on Manufactures. and Di- rectors l.. M. Hooper, Dr. W. W. Harper, V. B. Atkins, F. c. Melvin and F. M. Abbott.
 During the session this morning PresI- dent Hooper and other officers followed the lead made by MT. Peacock who had written to the company letter request hn aTnRIinFnfp 4el ephone system in this city. It was rep resented in no uncertain language that at the rates paid the company by it's sub scribers in Selma they should be given service equal to the service given sub scribers in Montgomery, Mobile and other cities. 1t was argued by officers of the Association that the faults charged against the companys local exchange were resultant from the effectiveness of the apparatus in use here, and a demand for better equipment was made. No com plaint about the rates was made.
 Judge Palmer stated that if there was fault Tn the local service 1t was due to the exchange operators and not to the me- chanlcal equipment, and he promised that any faults discovered would be remedied. He spoke of the moneys expended by the company to improve it's service in Selma and assured the Association that the pat rons of the Exchange would receive a good service.
 1t was insisted by some that the switch board and other apparatus were out of date and should be relega ted to the past and that new equipment should be instail- ed. Officers If the Association had inves- tgated telephone businesses in other places and the report of a system that could be gotten for this city at rates much lower than the rates charged py the Southern Bell was kept well in mind. Judge Palmer was assured, too, that an improvement of local service would mean 1 an increase of revenues for the company as the number of patrons would increase if encouragement were offered.
 President Hooper and his colleagues stood firm for better equipment and afser
 a long discussion II was decided that with Mr Harrison. the company's engl- neer. make answer to the Association to- | night.
 l 1t had been expected that the confer.