New Britain herald., 1916-10-31
PLAYERS REQUESTS
 SENT TO MINORS
Baseball Fraternity Asks That Disabled Men Be Better Treated

New York, Oct. 31.-When the minor league delegates assemble for annual debate at New Orleans on Mo- vember II they will be asked to de- liberate over <Rveral requests formu- lated by the Players Fraternity, sas here first announced recently. In public statement yesterday David l.. Fultz, president of the fraternity, gave out the text of the requests and with them short explanatory statement of their reasons.
 When the demands were told about hore Fultz asked that the text of the matter be withheld until such time as he could arrange them and submit them to the proper bodies. Now that the requests are in the hands of the National commission and the Nation al board of arbitration Fultz believes publicity will help the cause of the players. The four concessions asked are:
 First-That clauses in baseball con- tracts empowering clubs to suspend without pay, after certain periods of disability, players who are injured in service, be eliminated and that such players be entitled to full pay as long as they are held under contract
 Second-That rule 34 of the rules and regulations of the National board be amended in so far as it violates section marked first of the frater- nifty agreement.
 Third-That minor league players receive their travelling expenses from their homes to the training camps when reporting for spring practice. F'ourth-That the procedure now employed by the National board in hearing players claims presented Ey the fraternity be amended so that the fraternity shall receive copies of the dcfences interposed by the clubs and an opportunity be given it of answer ing such defences; that immediately upon decisions being rendered the fraternity shall be served with a copy thereof and the players exhibits, if any presented by the fraternity re- turned to it if requested. That the board shall enforce it's award against the clubs.
 ! In the first request F'ultz believes
 that the rule now in force is unjust
 in that it forces a player injured in the furtherance of his work to lose all chance of remuneration. Fult2 thinks that when a club cannot pay ] an injured player the player shoutu , be given his unconditional release that ne may seek eulploy lllol1I 0i00F where. ;,
 As to the second request Fultz says: When a major league player receives a ten days notice of uncon- ditional release he shall be free to sign with any team immediately. But rule 34 of the minor leagues takes this right away from the minor league player, thus lessening the value or the release notice.'' u
 That there Will be several other chances for argument at the minor league confab is certain. Few of the strugglers of baseball broke even last year. In fact the greater number or the minors faced one of the most dls- astrous seasons in history. The In- ternational league suffered many set backs, and it's president, Edward Ear ! row, is already on his way 10 the meeting primed for reforms. It Is no l certainty that the players Will De : granted their requests, as the owners
 are greatly concerned over the phy
 sical welfare of their investments ana
 may not find time to consider the , cause of the performers.