The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-05
TELEPHONE RATES
 FULLY DISCUSSED Action on Petition of Peoples Company Goes Over SPEECHES ON BOTH SIDES chaIifoux Presents Action of Board of Trade Opposing Increase in Rates.
 Colonel Tomlinson and
 Others Speak.

Action on the petition Of the People Home Telephone company asking the Mayor and Aldermen to allow the com pany to increase its rates goes over un- til "Wednesday. April IS.
 A joint meeting of the judiciary com mittee and the committee on lights and telephones was held in the Mayors of fee yesterday afternoon. All members were present. Alderman Simon Klotz presided The only business before the meeting related to the question of the Peoples Home Telephones rates. This petition was read:
 Birmingham. Ala. March 25, 1906. Honorable Board of Mayor and Alder men, City
 Gentlemen: We herewith petition your honorable body to allow us the privilege of charging the same rates for tele- l phone service as is charged by the South- ern Bell Telephone company Respect fully.
 PEOPLES HOME TELEPHONE CO, By Henry B. Gray, Vice Pres. Alderman Ben Barbour was the first to speak. He said that the citizens were not expecting this advance in rates, and that he himself was not willing to grant 1 the petition. He moved that the petition be disallowed. The motion was not put to vote.
 The Protest | The chair recognized Oliver Chalifoux, 1 chairman of the committee from the ! Board of Trade, who held in his hand a petition signed by 15O subscribers to the Peoples phones, protesting against the proposed increase in rates. MT. Chal foux also presented resolutions of pro- test adopted by the Board of Trade.
 The petition follows:
 Birmingham, Ala. April 2, 1906. To the Board of Mayor and Aldermen We, the undersigned citizens of Bir- mingham and subscribers to the telephone l service of the Peoples Home Telephone company understanding that an applica- tion of that company Is pending before your honorable body seeking to authorize the telephone company to raise the pres ent rates of service in violation of the present contract between that company and the city, most respectfully present our protest against such proposed in- crease, and ask that no such action be taken, at least without full publicity and ample opportunity for all interested parties to be heard (Signatures) In presenting the papers MT. Chalifoux reviewed the matter briefly When the Peoples company sought to enter this | field 1t made certain representations and got franchise,' said MT. Chalifoux | Now the company comes and says that | will have to go out of business It seems 1 to me that the time for 1t to quit busi- 1 ness was just after the fire which ruined its exchange l am in favor of requiring the company to live up to is contract with the city. As for the Southern Bell Telephone company it charges too much"
 Colonel TomIinson. Col. John w. Tomlinson, counsel for the Board of Trade, spoke briefly but earn estly against the petition of the Peo- ple's Home Telephone company He said that the people had rights and that these rights should be protected. He called att tention to the contract and said it was the understanding that when the fran chise was granted the citizens should have lower rates. What good will it do now?' asked Colonel Tomlnson, If the Peoples Home Telephone company is aI- lowed to charge the same as the Bell
 
 company"
 John T. Yeatman made few remarks on the line of the protest Alderman Barbour said he thought he spoke for 90 per cent of the citizens who use tele- phones when he said he was not only opposed to allowing the Peoples company to advance it's rates, but he would oppose the Bell raising it's rates. He said the City Council should regulate such mat ters.
 MT. Barbour renewed his motion that the petition of the Peoples company be disallowed.
 MT Copeland Talks.
 Alderman John R. Copeland said that while he was not member of the com mittee he would like to say a few words. He said that he knew the late MT. Clay pool, who established the Peoples com pany here. This gentleman MT. Cope land said, gave Birmingham a good ser vice. MT. Claypool thought he could make the business pay, but later on found that he could not. MT. Copeland said there were two sides to this question