The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-03-19

liards have worked their way up from the position of ordinary markers in public rooms.
 The position of marker is not diff cult, to secure, provided tie applicant Is a fairly good player, and his duties are principally to keep the tables in order by constant ironing and brush ing, to score fnr any players who hire the use of the tables, to collect the payment for such hiring, and to play any gentleman who may wish for gafe but cannot find another opponent. As the charge for the hiring of the table is at the rate of is. a game of 100 points, it stands to reason that the quicker the marker can get the games over the greater profit to the proprietor os the tables. In some cases this is often the reason that Smith or Jones is surprised to learn that he is so near home A twist of the roller on the scoring board adds twenty points.
 A marker is paid at the rate of 15s. to 25s week, in addition to the tips that he may secure from his custom CTS; these averaging about as much as his salary.
 But when business is slack and there
 orlra hO means to be successful is studiously practising, and eventually, by dint of perseverance, Is sufficiently proficient to take part in markers handicaps," the first stepping stones to higher professionalism.
 He may also now obtain small en- agreements to play exhibition games at the opening of new billiard rooms, but, of course his fee would be very small, half-guinea for an evenings show being considered quite respec- table by the young marker.
 The next step may be renting of a billiard room-that is, to pay week. ly rent for the tables and rely on get ting sufficient patronage to make profit of taking a wage.
 This is very much better for the young professional, because he is then able to give lessons to amateurs and make profit on the sale of cues, &c., without the permission of the proprie- tor.
 The writer knew young player who eventually reached first-class rank giving lessons in this way for a charge of 2s. Sd. per lesson for one hour and it was surprising now many pupils he had during the slack hours of the day, hours which, had he not taken up teaching the game, would have been wasted.
 Then comes what we called the sec- ond-class professional, who, having made a name and given up marking, regularly plays exhibition games and matches.
 These exhibition games will secure a fee of one to two guineas per day in addition to railway fares and hotel ex- penses if out of London. In the case of matches arranged by the players themselves they may be from R5 note to G50 a side, but this money is generally supplied by packer or sporting gentleman who has conf1d- ence in the ability of his man to win, and who stands to lose or gain by the result of the match. Tn this case the players rely on their shares of the gate money for payment, and perhaps a substantial present from the packer in the case of a win.
 There is now in London a second class professional who is charging half guinea per hour for lessons and gives as many as five lessons every day With exhibition games and matches, flis earnings, from Septem- Der to April average 925 a week.
 Then comes the real rank of first class professionals-men whose names are known throughout the world and are in constant demand.
 Having little time for lessons these skilled players rely on fat fees for ex- hibition games, sharing the gate money in matches, presents of money from their packers, and cash prizes from makers of tables, balls, &c, for scoring huge breaks while using arti- cles of their manufacture.
 If you wanted to engage a player such as Inman at your own house you would be expected to pay his first class railway fare, provide him with apartments for the night, and pay a feet of four or five guineas for an ex- hibition game of about two or three hours duration in the evening.
 Champions, such as Roberts, Dawson and Stevenson, would be worth pro- portionately more; in fact, neither of these great cueists would play for less than 10 guineas day, even if they had open dates during the next year or two, which I very much doubt.
 In nearly all exhibition games the greatest players have an agreement that they shall receive one-third of the gross receipts, with the guaranteed sum of 70 or 80 guineas per week as a minimum.
 Of course, champion games are more lucrative than others. There was a fight for the chapion which took place a year or two ago, when the public thought the players were bat ting for the honor and G100 year which was given by the Billiard Asso- citation to the holder of the title but when the game was completed even the loser left the hall with a check for some hundreds of pounds in his pocket
 his share of the gate receipts.
 Admirers offer fancy sums, as G5 or even G10, for cue used by a celebrat- ed player in the compiling of huge break, while there are many ways in which tlrst-class professional may add to his income with honor