The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-10
TELEPHONE PEOPLE ID MEET IN CHICAGO International Independent Tele-
 phone Association WILL MEET JANUARY 21 Henry B. Gray, President of Peoples Home Telephone Company at Rir-
 nninghan, Is Member of the
 Reception Committee.

Chicago, January 9-(Special.) 1.-The
 most important meeting of telephone in- terests in the United States and Canada
 ever held, will be the annual convention
 of the International Independent Tele-
 phone association. to be held at the Coli
 scum in Chicago January 2l, % and 2S,
 during the progress of the electrical show
 Hon. Henry B. Gray, vice-president of the Peoples Home Telephone company,
 Birmingham, Ala, has been appointed by
 Theodore Gary, president of the Interna-
 tional association, as the Alabama mem 1 Der of the reception committee.
 From the view point of the general pub
 lie, the most important item in connec- tion with this convention is the demon
 stration of the tremendous strength of the independent telephone interests in
 the United States and Canada, the un-
 interrupted advance, against all kinds and sorts of obstacles and handicaps, from
 nothing to over 8 0000 900 instruments in
 less than fifteen years, and the fact the
 association and it's members must be
 taken into consideration wherever the
 telephone exists or is contemplated in this
 country. According to the officials of the
 association, the growth of the Indepen1- ent movement has been so steady and flourishing that 1t is impossible to keep
 up with the demand, but with the true
 American spirit the hands are reaching
 out for more while the planning apparat-
 us is endeavoring to take care of the
 material already being served.
 Any number of vital questions and im-
 portant issues are scheduled for discus
 sion and treatment, and some of the best
 papers ever heard on the various sub
 jects of interest are in preparation by a
 rumber of pastmasters in the art of an-
 alysis and argument President Gary has
 recently issued last call to the Inde-
 pendent people Of the entire country, urg-
 ing them to attend the convention and participate in discussing and deciding
 policies of the association, for taking
 care of the very important issues of ] compulsory inter-communication legisla- ton, financing the association, outlining
 the best methods for developing new ter
 ritory, pushing the independent interests
 tc the best advantage, handling telephone 1 securities in large and small communi-
 ties, employment of characteristic adver- 1 tising devices and many other leading
 subjects The convention will be held in
 the Coliseum annex, during the electri- 1 cal show, which is undoubtedly the most | comprehensive and extensive electrical ex- | position ever given, and presents many 1 educational and interesting features for
 everyone associated with any branch of 1 the electrical ipd11r rtrv
 | There will be three-day convention | opening Tuesday, January N with na 1 address of welcome by Mayor F. A. Busse, and response by MT. M l.. Claw | son of Indianapolis, Ind. President The dore Gary of Macon, Mo-, will deliver his annual address, followed by the re- l ports of the officers appointment of con- 1 vention committees, reports of state, ter
 rltorial and provincial associations and
 discussion of papers and addresses as 1 selected. The first day will close with
 discussion of the subject, Present Problems and Their Solution" The sec l ond day will be devoted almost entirely l to the discussion of vital subjects, with
 a smoker in the evening, and the final | day of the twelfth annual convention of | the Independent telephone people of this 1 country will conclude with election and l installation of officers, discussion of dif- l 1erent papers and addresses and a free
 for-all wrestle with the subject of Our | Future Policy"
 l Stress has been laid on the telephone | securities as an investment during the | recent financial fiurres, and President Gary Of the association, is responsible 1 for the statement that there has been grand rush for telephone securities of ] all kinds lately At time when many
 industries and financial ventures paused 1 for return of public confidence many of
 the biggest telephone propositions in the | history of the independent movement l have been promoted successfully and | President Gary has chosen this time to 1 reiterate his statement that neither the | Independent nor the Bell company can l take care of the demand for telephones | in this country for many years to come This competition and fighting basis gives l the natural contradiction to constantly | recurring reports of amalgamation of the | telephone interests of the country. and l the fight Is "on' more strenuously than
 ever. according to every indication,