New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-09
TENNIS SOLONS
IN LONG CONFAB
AT THE WALDORF
Amateur Question and
Ranking Important Mat
tiers Up for Decision
By FRED HAWTHORNE

The executive committee OF the
United States National Lawn Tennis
Association held its annual meeting
yesterday afternoon and evening at the
Wadorf-Astoria Hotel. and was in SEES
sion behind closed doors until after
midnight this morning, wrestling with
many problems Of the utmost I'M
portance in the lawn tennis world.
As has been the custom in past years
at these meetings, nothing was an
nounced as to the action taken by the
committee on the matter before it; nor
was the national ranking list made pub
lie. Paul b. Williams, field secretary
of the ASSOCIATION, said the ranking
committees report would be made pub
lie this morning at 1880 o'clock at his
Office, 20 Broad Street.
Foremost among the duties facing
the committee was the action to be
taken in regard to the amateur stand
ing of such players as are connected
with the sale of sporting goods. A GER
tain element, which might be termed
the conservative faction" recruited
from Eastern officials, is known TO have
arrayed itself firmly against any tenn
porizing with the amateur status of
players within the ranks OF the national
association. This element believes that
nothing that will tend to endanger the
pure amateurism of the game should
be countenanced by the ruling body
and would like to see a rule drafted
along those lines.
Coast Men Will Fight
Arrayed against these conservatives
I are those who are determined to
put up bitter fight against the bar
ring of men from working in sporting
goods houses. The Pacific Coast Asso-
citation is particularly opposed to the
stand of the Eastern element and
ready to go almost any length to pro-
( tect the standing of men like Nc
Loughlin, Johnston. Bundy and John
Strachan, among others.
/ It was a noteworthy feature of last
/ nights meeting that only nine of the
/ twenty members of the executive COM
mittee were present at the conference.
/ I
/ Pacific Coast delegate, was among
/ those absent from the afternoon ses-
/ sion.
The members who met at the Wal
dorf at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and
| held their conferences behind closed
doors were George Townsend Adee
! president of the L. s. y. l.. 7. A.; Ed
win Fuller Torrey. secretary, OF Gin
/ ton, n. Y; Richard Stevens, treasurer
of Hoboken; Albert L. Hoskins, vice
president, of Philadelphia; Julian S.
/ Myrick, of New York City; Craig Bid
| die, of Philadelphia; c. f. Watson, jr.,
of Orange, n. j.; Palmer +. Presbrey,
| Boston, and Watson VI. Washburn, New
York City.
Popular interest. of course, centred
in the report of the ranking commit
! tee, and although the executive commit
! tee had nothing to do with this beyond
] receiving the report from Clinton l..
, Childs, the chairman, the announce
ment of the order in which the "hrst
! ten" were ranked was of paramount
! Importance to the tennis public.
Williams on Top
Various reports as to which player,
J had earned their place among the elect
were heard about the corridor outside
| the executive committees meeting
room. One had it that Williams was
I No. and Church in second place, with
Johnston third and Murray fourth.
Another, of apparently equal founda-
ton in fact, declared that Williams,
Johnston, Murray and Church was the
order of the first four. But among all
these rumors as to how the men would
be placed all agreed that Williams, the
champion, stood at the top.
Among the other subjects discussed
! by the executive committee were the
rule regarding foot faults and rene
dies therefor; the question of eligibil-
ity of players entering the national
champ ionship tournament; the project
TO make the national doubles an open
affair, as the singles is now, instead of
determining the winners by sectional
play, and the handling of the junior
and bows national tournaments.