From The Indianapolis Star, Sunday, September 29: Negotiations toward unifying the two Indianapolis telephone companies have begun in response to the order from the director of telegraph and telephones, U. S. Postmaster General Albert Burleson. The Central Union Telephone Co has made a formal proposal to purchase the Indianapolis Telephone Co. In a merger, the automatic system of the Indianapolis company will be favored over the type now being used by the Central Union company. “Inasmuch as an automatic system is about to be adopted in Washington, it is safe to say that the United States government in its management of the telephones will take no backward step in its determination of the kind of service. There is no indication that the authorities at Washington will favor a return to obsolete telephone service,” observed William Fortune, Indianapolis Telephone Co president.