The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1907-05-23
PHONE MEN TO MEET
WARNING ELEMENTS MAY AT LAST
GET TOGETHER.
independents and Bell Company Are
Expected to Reach an UNDER
standing ms Result of Chi
cagO Meeting.

Chicago, May 22.--Details of plan
to bring lasting peace into the reIa-
lions of two great warning elements
in the telephone business of the Unit
ed States and Canada are to be reveal
ed in Chicago ten days hence. when
the annual convention of the Interna-
tional Independent Telephone Associa-
ton will begin at the Auditorium Ho-
tel.
Three entire floors of the big hotel
have been reserved for the 1000 del
egates to attend the convention and
the manufacturers of telephone appa-
ratus who plan electrical displays for
Chicago's visitors The convention
may commit the country's s350,o0o,oO0
Independent telephone interests to
program of peace with the Bell inter-
ests which they have fought for years,
The method by which competition
fatal to dividends is to be done away
with is known among Independent tel
ephone managers as the Indiana Idea
1t is the latest development from the
struggle for supremacy in that State.
where the independents have nearly
100000 telephones in operation. The
Bell interests have proposed to with
draw from competitive towns in
Indiana except two provided the indie
pendent companies will take the Bell
lines into their switchboards and de-
liver to the Bell companies such toll
business as can not be sent over in
dependent lines.
Telephone men expect that II the
Indiana independents will agree to the
compromise offer of the Bell interests
the later will follow the agreement
by a proposition to Ohio Independents
similar to that in Indiana. The result
promises to be better service for hun
A.I
country and more profits for the hith-
erto warning interests.
Although the independent companies
will discuss a h9siness arrangement
designed to restri competition to some
extent there viii &c no general cessa-
ton of effort to extend the independ
ent lines. Telephone development of
the country the independents contend,
depends largely upon competition. AS
proof of this they point to Kansas City.
a competitive town, which has $4,000
more telephones than Washington, a
non-competitive city with 10000 more
population. Like argument is present.
ed by the figures from Minneapolis and
Cleveland, which, combined. have 712.-
600 population, but support more tele-
phones than Boston, a non competitive
city with 100000 population
In considering Washington's tele-
phone situation the independent inter-
ests are hopeful Success of a syndi-
cate recently formed to build an in
dependent system in the capital city
will mean that users of independent
telephones all over the country can
talk with their representatives at the
seat of Government by wire soon. In
dependent lines now extend to Alexan-
dria, Va, less than fifteen miles from
the White House. When this gap is
filled conversation with points In Col
orado in the West, North Dakota in
the Northwest Texas in the Southwest
and Florida in the South. will be pos
sible from Washington over independ-
ent lines 1t would affect $4,000 900
users of independent phones.
The telephone convention, to con-
tinue three days, will be called to or
der on June 4 by President James B.
Hoge of Cleveland. Representatives
of thirty Stae organizations of indie
pendents, having a total of 1000 COM
panies on their membership lists, will
be present.