The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-09-16
PRICE REDUCTION
PLEASES BALL FAN
Low Admission Charge by Fed
erals Good For Baseball.
EXPERIMENT is WATCHED.

with the three major leagues pre-
Benting extraordinarily close and inter
esting races to inadequate patronage
for variety of reasons, of which the
baseball war is the least, and with the
minor leagues of the country expert
encing the same adverse conditions, it
was only a question of time when the
subject of reduced admission rates
would become acute. Now that the
Federal league has taken the bull by
the horns for reasons both of necessity
and war reprisal, the old major leagues
are facing a situation which would
have been either STAYED off or perhaps
altogether obviated-together with 9th
er untoward happenings and conditions
had not pride and self efficiency de-
feated the obviously wise and neces-
sary inclusion of the militant independ-
ent league within the fold of organ
lzation if only for the purpose of self
protection in time when everything
seemed to conspire against the peace,
dignity and prosperity of organized
ball
Now that the Federals have raised
the issue of reduced rates, no matter
what their motive, the old major
leagues will have to follow suit soon or
late-if the Federal movement is sue
cessful-no matter how reluctant they
may be or what obstacles of high sal
aries and costly plants may present
themselves, as the public reclls not of
financial burdens of the magnates' own
making. Much sneering stress has been
laid upon the Federals' ten cent ball."
while the main feature of the new
schedule has been overlooked or CON
veniently ignored Ivy carping critics.
The ten cent rate applies to field
bleachers, usually so i'll equipped or so
remote from the diamond as to make
1t a wonder that any one should pay
anything at all for admission to them.
Price Reduction Practical.
How to wean back those estranged
patrons is the greatest problem of the
magnates, and will be for some years,
for such Of them as may survive the
present Christening process, and one eff
fectiye way we believe, Is that in
which the Federal league has taken
the initiative. That the public regards
the prevailing rates as excessive, in
these times of high cost of living and
diminishing incomes, is plainly evident
by lessencd attendance all round, de-
spite extraordinary races; by the com
paratively small attendance enjoyed
by prospective pennant winners, con
trasted with similar conditions under
al I,y- nj. 1
ton of attendance on one or two days
week; by the marked diminution of
grand stand patrons, who have largely
deserted baseball for other sports per
hitting personal participation, and by
the gradual disappearance of the badly
treated sun god" a striking evidence
of public dissatisfaction with prevail
ing prices is the fact that single games
draw far below the former average
while double headers at the price OF
one game always draw old time
crowds, and the magnates help thi,
condition along by scheduling,as many
double headers as possible withou
rhine or reason on Saturdays and sun
days, with cabaret shows thrown in.
Looking at the matter from ever,
angle, it is quite evident that price re
duction was, and is, inevitable, and tn
Federal league is entitled to publi
commentator for having the courag
to initiate the reform even though it
act may have been due to necessit,
rather than altruism. That it will b
successful in spite of high player sal
aries and costly equipment is no
with the public, which has, in the las
analysis, always paid the salaries 0
the players, high or low.
Tinker Likes Idea.
Some ideas advanced by Joe Tinker
Chicago Fed boss, may be of interest
Tinker has not reached the free q
municipal owned baseball club, but II
does believe the general scale of price
In the big leagues could stand littl
pairing down. He suggests that I'll
tariff range as follows: Box seats. I
cents; grand stand, 80 cents; pavilion
20 cents; blcachers, Is cents Elab,
rating on this idea, Tinker says:
THE time is sure to come when IL
fans will not be asked to pay such big
prices for seeing baseball. 1t is askiI
too much of the public to pay %,
20 cents and 81 every day TO see has
ball game, which lasts less than tu
hours. l believe if the price of IL
bleachers was reduced to 10 cents
would more than double the patronag
and the same would hold good in Il
pavilions, grand stand and box seats.
almost any one can afford din
or a quarter, but ask them to give
40 cents and 81 and they turn a de
ear. If | were the president of t
Federal league / would cut the adm
sion fec down to the prices have ST
gested. and | believe it would pay tN
fold at the box office. especially VIII
the new league is putting up just
good an article OF bah as any other l