The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-15
 GRANT INCREASE
 IN PHONE RATES
Order. Becomes Operative at Once and Affects Every Pa- tron of Southern Bell In
 Entire State
By FRED II. GORMLEf Montgomery. Bureau, The Age Herald

Montgomery January f4-(Special1 Users of the telephone in Alabama must pay 20 per cent more to the Southern Bell Telephone and Tele- graph company for rent on their in- struments than they have been paying under an order made public by the public service commission Friday aft ernoon. The commission retained 1uris- diction of the case and required the onnlaenA sa nabe so}uiaTHsai eRorts ssf rsgenes oetaYisaa froaa ihr naN gsaes s ofGce thai auJs feynt tnHN n@e ;f f,ae rssFtn31e AA gTaatef thsa if eeNs eAr1s Tue new rates hecaNe etfept.1 at once and VIII apply cA ~l. sta-4 ments rendered by the company, be- ginning with January. No bills have been mailed by the company this year. They will be mailed during the next few days and will carry the increases permitted by the commission.
 In granting the increase of 20 per cent, the commission reduced by $11i,- GOO per annum the estimate of revenue necessary from the Alabama operation which was submitted by the company with a list of the improvements which it proposes to make in this state. The net result of the commissions order is that the telephone company will obtain net revenue of about S43S,79o from this state during 1921 or net return of 495 per cent on the invest ment. The company requested the com mission to make such rates as would net a reutrn of 6.02 per cent on the investment
 BIRMINGHAM RATE
 Under the new schedule citizens of Birmingham will continue to pay the highest rates. while residents of Mo bile and Montgomery will be second Birmingham business phones will cost $9.50 per month residence single phone $450 and residence party phone S3.S5. In Mobile and Montgomery the rates will be: Business s6.35 a month. single residence s3.75, party residence $320.
 New rates for the other groups fol- low: Anniston lBessemer. Gadsden. Huntsville Selma and Tuscaloosa Business s5.20, single residence $320. party residence $2.60.
 Albany, Decatur. Florence, Opeiika, Oxford, Sheffield and Business s4.s0, single residence $3, party resi- dence s2.45.
 Athens Cullman Eufauia. Jasper and TaIladega-B Business s4.30, single residence s2.75; party residence $40.
 Alexander City. Albertville. Attalla. Auburn Bay Minette. Brewton Clay ton. Eutaw, Evergrgeen, Fort Payne, Greensboro, Guntersville. Hartselle. Jacksonville. Lafayette. Marion. Pratt vile. Russellville, Sylacaugs. Tuskegee West Blocton. Wetumpka Business $S.75. single residence s230 party residence S2
 Bridgeport Guntersville, CitroneIle Cordova, Courtland, Columbiana, Dade- vile, Hurtsboro, Livingston, Monte vallo. Moulton Piedmont Stevenson, Thomasville and York-r-Business $3.45. single residence s2.sO. party residence $1.75.
 All other small exchanges in Ala bama-Businsss s3.25, single residence S2. party residence $1.75
 Members of the commission were unanimous in favor Of the increase. reaching the conclusion that higher rates were necessary if the company was to maintain it's operations eff ciently and make extensions and bet terments necessary. The order in full follows:
 ORDER IN DETAIL
 The petitioner in this cause the Southern Bell Telephone and Tele- graph company. asks to increase its rates and charges in the state of Ala oui,o' ~titd ibbuitiPdlllltS anu puD- lie bodies protesting and intervening
 After careful consideration of all the testimony offered and briefs filed by parties interested, and the commits sion having no valuation to guide it. as is now provided for by an act ap- proved subsequently, to the first hear ing in this cause. IS of the opinion that an emergency exists. and. it is or dered:
 That the petitioner be allowed to increase its exchange rates in such a manner as will produce 20 per cent Increase in such purely exchange gross revenues; increases for this purpose to be distributed among the seven regu- lar groups of exchanges shown by ex- hibits on file In this cause, and to be produced by schedules of rates to be made by the petitioner and filed with the commission at once for it's ap- proval- That the increases in private branch exchanges, mileage and farm er's lines rates. and the elimination of
 tconslnsea en Page I've,