Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-04
Fifty Per Cent Increase in the
Cost Must Be Met; New
Park Must Be Built.
ALL MINORS IN BAD SHAPE
Few VIII Make ANY Effort TO
Start Until After
l. Peace Comes.
CBy cHAKLEs j. BRILLJ


Here IL one thing you can set Gown
for certainty right no" the H'H"I
leagues in operation next year IhH "'
counted on your Fingers, perhaps on
the fingers Of one hand.
War taxes have knocked tHeth ''iN
Keeling under the punishment OF
advancing prices Of sporting b"'',.
the inroads OF the draft on young
players and generally unsettled con-
dftions because Of the war. MINOR
leagtie baseball has been IN pre-
carious condition for months. yet
many Of the more hardy leagues we're
planning on opening as usual IN the
spring until was delivered the sonar
plexus Knockout iu the form OF war
taxes.
The final wallop was weighy
one II put a 10 per cent TAX on the
gate receipts, II put an per cent TAX
on railroad tickets and 1t put 10
per cent tax on Pullman transporta-
tion-the most vital spots OF the
game.
While realizing since the middle Of
last season that the Western associa-
ton as II has been constituted Tor
the last three years would never start
the 1918 season ] have been trying 70
figure OF for Tulsa baseball Of a
higher class. either In the Western
league. or In new league with Tulsa,
Oklahoma CITY, MuHkogee and Fort
Smith as a nucleus, And while II
seemed possible that the many other
handicaps might have been sur
mounted IL must be admitted now
that the prospect is gloomy. very
gloomy In fact for organized base
ball here next year.
With the exception OF Muskogee.
not Western association team broke
even last year. Paris went broke
early and surrendered It's franchise 20
Ardmore. Altho the Ardmore back
ers discovered soon that they had
picked up a hot brick. they gamely
hung on and played out the season.
despite a loss that ran into the thou
sands Denison showed n consid derable
deficit and no did Sherman. the busl-
ness men OF these cities coming to
the. rescue. hcAles;er is done
Neither McAlester nor Ardmore would
be able 10 go back into the league
even II II were reorganized. Fort
Smith went swimmingy during the
greater part OF the season while the
team vas up and fighting around tho
top. paying Off part OF the debt on
the park. but later the bottom fell
out OF the Twin City combination.
and IL took n $500 popular subscrip-
tion TO square, things off at the close
OF the season. Much the same thing
was true OF Oklahoma city The
Capitalists started out Ike pennant
contenders and during the period
when II looked as II Jimmie Murray
might pilot the pennant- winning
team Colonel Duncan raked in tho
shfckels at "a record breaking rate.
but when the teams effectiveness
broke later on. the receipts also
slumped so that receipts did not meet
expenses.
Right here In Tulsa Scott dumped
in the neighborhood OF $4,000 All
told the association club owners
sloughed off about $4,000 and IL
must be remembered that no league
in the United States was conducted
on more economical basis than was
the Western association last year.
Next Year Worse.
Conditions next year will be In
finitely worse. Word has been handed
out by the railroads that they no longer
can give party rates. which the West
ern association had last year. That
means an increase OF 33 1-3 pcr cent
To this must be added another 10 per
cent for war tax. No matter what
circuit Tulsa should get into the mile
nge would be greater and the sleeping
car jumps would multiply and witt
this multiplication would come tho
added cost Of 10 per cent for the
government.
A 10 per cent tax on gate and grand.
stand receipts knocks "A big hole m
the poCkcthook from which these ad.
dcd expenses must he paid For Tulsa
II would mean 2 y cents for the
Erandstaud and still another 2 y cents
for "A box seat This would mean
that the club owner would have to
take IL out OF the regular charge or
Increase the price Of admission. + 2 20
would be serious The prices are "a,
nigh now as the average fan can s'anj
ana the club owner cannot afford to
pay IL So there you are.
Another thing that will effect all
amusement seriously is the fact that
about the time the baseball scusor
should open the American troops o.,
expected 20 he locked in combat Win
the Germans over there i'm Franco
and the public is not liable to have
much OF mind for amusoments
In Tulsa we have n situation tha'
Is even more serious than these Other
things There is money enough her,
to stand raise in price and for N,
right kind of bah the fans probably
would pay II. But We have no hal
park. Il was with the greatest cffor
that Scott was able 10 hold Assocla.
tion park last season as 10 is intended
for railroad traCkago And when Tulsa
builds another baseball park II prob.
ably will want to put up "A large
stadium and athletic field that viii
care for other things besides baseball
stadium that will cost IN the neigh.
borhood OF $4,000. Unti after Tho
war IL probably will not be done. Pcs.
simistic? Perhaps | may seem so, bu,
this is exactly the situation that oh.
tans here now. These are the facts
thar tr1ugt no faced