The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-20

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 graph expresses his prsonal belief tha
 the increase should be granted in view o
 the undisputed evidence rendered for tn
 company. Judge Lane, as general.
 known, expressed negative opinion las l week.
 The statement of Committeeman Exun to the board of commissioners, composed l'of Commissioner Exum and Commissionel Lane, follows;
 Exum's Statement
 "September 1S 1911. .'ro the Honorable Board of Commis sioners: The Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph company on or about May 23, 1911, requested the board of commis sioners to approve its proposed increase of exchange rates in the city of Birming ham, A resolution was passed by the board of commissioners that the request I be and 1t is hereby referred to com mttee. to be appointed by the board, tc investigate fully the request of the South ern Bell Telephone and Telegraph com pany for the approval by the commis- sioners of the proposed increase of rates in the city of Birmingham, before pre- serlting the matter to the Alabama Rail- road commission, and to report their find ings to the board
 The company submitted with Its re- quest certain data purporting to show that it's present rates are improbable. "Follodwing this request, the board ap- pointed Commissioner Lane and myself as the committee to make the authorized investigation, and MT. George T. Rosson of Mobile, an accountant of high stand ing. was appointed by. the committee to make a thorough investigation of the books and affairs of the Telephone com pany MT. Rosson spent six weeks on this work and made report to the com mittee, true and correct copy of which report I submit herewith.
 T shall not go into the details of this report; it is enough to say that it appar- ently corroborates the claim made by the Telephone company that it is losing money annually at the existing rates
 Volume of Testimony
 Upon the filing of this report the com- mittee examined number of witnesses bearing upon the questions involved, and the testimony, taken stenographically, and since transcribed, covers 20 typewriter pages This testimony also apparently sustains the claim made by the Tele- phone company The only conflict there in relates to the question of the efficiency or adequacy of the service now being ren- dered to this community by the company, several citizens having testified that the service was inefficient and other citizens, besides officers of the company, having testified that the service was efficient. The Telephone company also furnished their daily check service sheets. No proof was offered of the incorrectness of the report of MT. Rosson, or of the testimony Of the witnesses that the company is los
 ing money at existing rates.
 ''The matter of the report Of the com mittee was to have come before the board, and on last Friday, September 15. when the board met in regular adjourned ses- sion I asked that the report be postponed because I was not prepared to submit my report. and upon motion of Commissioner Lane, the matter was postponed until to- day. At the same time MT. J. T. Stokey, attorney for the Telephone company. stated that he desired to get the matter before the railroad commission at the earliest possible moment, and asked If the committee would object to his request ing the railroad commission to begin it's investigations on the company's applica- ton to in on next Thursday. Both Com taI rl, we had no objection to this, but would prefer that the commission hold it's inves- tigations in Birmingham intead of Mont gomery. This suggestion was agreed 10 and l am informed the companys appli- cation has been made to the railroad com mission and 1t has officially agreed 70 open its hearing here on that day. Mean the making of the report of the commit tee was, at my request and on motion of Commissioner Lane adjourned until to- day. However. 1t is only proper for me to state that in both the Saturday after noon papers, the News and the Ledger, of September 16 and also in the Sunday morning Age-Herald of September 17, Commissioner Lane. the other member ot the committee, has published in advance his conclusions as a member of the com mittee, which action, in my judgment. preeludes any joint official report of the two members of the committee on the questions officially submitted to 1t by the board of commissioners. Furthermore, in my judgment the meeting of the railroad commission here on Thursday of this week. to begin it's inquiry into this very matter. renders it unnecessary, if not un- seemly for me to make any official rec ommendation on the company's request for raise of rates. and 1 therefore decline to do so.
 Nevertheless. l deem 1t my duty to express my personal belief, however nn- popular it may be. that on the undis- puted evidence. the companys request should be granted, provided the company enter into contract with the city guar anteeing that the rates shall not be raised again until the population shall have reached 250.0o0, and in no event. for q period of ten years, and further guaran. teeing efficient service, the city to have full supervisory power and authority over tho company to secure such efficiency in the service. might state. in this con ,ection. that it is my conviction that ,hc city should have this power as well as the full power of regulation of the oper- ation of the company. and that, on the other hand, the company should be guar antsed such rates as will enable it to per form the public service to which it is com