The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-24
Long Distance Companyto Con- nect With Independent Ex-
 changes in Alabama
LINE FROM DECATUR
 IS BEING BUILT NOW
Company Will Make Connection at Bowling Green With Big System In Middle States-Headquar
 ters In Birmingham.

An lndepenuent iOnB distance telepnOne system will be established throughout the southern states Its headquarters are in Birmingham. It will compete with the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph company and proposes to erect exchanges in many cities where the Bell company at present has no opposition. In cities where independent exchanges are already located, the long distance company pro- poses to agree upon an interchange of tariff and connect it's wires with those of the individual companies.
 The most important announcement, ever. is the agreement between the com pany now stringing wires in Alabama and Tennessee and the long distance line op- erating in the middle states to connect the two great systems at Bowling Green, Ky. This will enable any subscriber in the south to converse with the hundreds of cities and towns upon the line already established in the north
 While. it has been known for several months that the Long Distance Telephone and Telegraph company of Alabama had secured a charter and was working on line north from Birmingham, the full purport and intent of the work was never made public until yesterday. With the official announcement of the object of the Alabama company comes the statement that E. L. Barber of Wauseon, O., owner Of no less than sixty exchanges in the north. and head of the northern independ- ent long distance line, is the prime mover and head of the organization perfected in this state in March. He Is the man who, like Mackey of telegraph fame, believes that one system should not have monop- oly of the country's business, and he pro poses to make the independent telephone system similar to what the Postal Tele- graph company is.
 Nearing Completion.
 Already the southern long distance line is nearing completion from it's two ends In a very short time Birmingham can converse with Decatur, distance of about ninety miles. While men are at work south of Decatur, coming towards Birmingham, another large force fs work ing out of Bowling Green toward Deca- tur. This will be the first line of the new southern company and Birmingham will be the first large city in the south
 
 the north over an independent line. This will be possible by reason of an agree ment between the independent long dis- tance line and the Peoples Home company of this city.
 After connecting the long distance wires to Bowling Green, which is already upon the line of the Northern company, the Alabama long distance company will pro- ceed with the line to Mobile where 1t will connect with an independent ex- change. While this work Is being done the same company purposes to erect many exchanges in Alabama cities, including the exchange already completed at Deca- tur and those already planned for Gull man and Gadsden.
 When this work is completed the com pany will establish an independent ex- change at Nashville and connect with the independent company already operating at Memphis The latter long distance con- nection will probably be made at Jack son, Tenn. Next on the programme will be Atlanta, which also has an inde- pendent exchange.
 Headquarters Are Here. The headquarters of the new long dis tance line are in Birmingham. The offices are located in the Title Guarantee and Trust companys building, and J. c. Mon crief is the general manager. He con- firmed the details of the independent movement, and talked Interestingly of im- provements that will be made.
 "When we have become thoroughly es- tablished in the south" said MT Mon cref, i've expect many small towns to build little exchanges Every one seeking long distance connection will be accom- modated, and we expect to make 1t possi- ble for every farmer in Alabama and other southern states to have telephone. in the city without losing a days work to say nothing of long and tedious drive.
 "Yes. we will connect with the north, thereby touching the principal cities of nine states It might interest the public to know which states. They are Ken lucky, Ohio, Indiana. Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Pennsylvania and New York"
 It also developed yesterday that a big electric supply house has a representa- tive in the city to close contract for the telephone instruments to be used. The representative is R. F. Willard of St. Louis, who travels for the Ewing -Merkele Electric company of that city. The com pany's factory is at Sumpter, S. C., and he has extended an invitation to Mir. Mon crief and other local officers to pay