The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-07-27
Baseball Owners Sought to Have Time Extended to October 15 But War Secre- tary Declared September
 1 Gives Plenty of Time for [ Players to Find Essential Z Work.

ASUy N@S w . ~A~SN ,5 Work. Washington, July 27 = Secretary E Baker yesterday granted baseball an extension of time, making Sept. 1 the date upon which the so-called work or fight order will apply to players of the big leagues. The ruling will permit the major leagues to finish their years schedule and thus will give the baseball magnates their de- sired opportunity of ascertaining :. whether. professional baseball may be ;. continued during the war without using men who might be more profit ; ably employed for general welfare. q, MT. Bakers decision grants the pe- tttion which representatives of the American and National Leagues filed with Provost Marshal Gen>ral Crow der, excepting that the reque%$ for an extension until let. Is is responded to by granting time until Sept. 1 only. .f. The ruling announced by Secretary Baker did not come as a surprise. It became known early in the week that the only phase of the question which s MT Baker was considering was whether or not an extension of time should be granted. Suggestions that each local board pass on individual cases without regard to the uniform rule indicated, when it was decided tby the War Department that baseball was not essential, did not appeal to Secretary Baker.
 Apparently the point made by the Nbasebau representatives which had Ithe most weight with Secretary Baker was that the notice they had received Twas too short to allow the leagues to adapt themselves to the ruling. The epolicy of the War Department has in gall matters pertaining to the draft sbeen to inflict the minimum amount of hardship necessary on particular .9industries or particular individuals.
 While regarding 1t is unfortunate kto have so wholesome a recreation as baseball destroyed, the war secretary a, said it would be a much more unfor- , tunate thing to preserve even so wholesome an amusement by making t an exception in favor of baseball ! players which is denied to great classes of persons in the United { States, who were immediately asso- ciated with processes of the national daily life more fundamental than any mere amusement
 Secretary Bakers Order.
 MT. Bakers statement which was in 2 the form of a memorandum trans ; mitted to Provost Marshal General Crowder for the latters guidance, was as follows:
 A petition has been filed for an ex- tension of time within which profes- sional baseball players. shall seek es- sential or productive employment and the order asked is one which will ex- tend until Oct. 16, 1918. As grounds for this request it is alleged that there are but 237 persons affected by the so-called work or fight order, but that in spite of this small number their taking would lead to the imme- diate breaking up of the entire game.
 It is further said that the notice is too short to allow the leagues to adapt themselves to the ruling, and that the failure of the clubs to adapt them selves to the ruling is due to the fact that the Secretary of War caused it to be known through the newspapers that the question of the application of the order to baseball players would not be decided until an actual case arose.
 A hearing has been had on this sub ject by. the Provost Marshal General, who reports to me that it is not clear to him that the game will have to be discontinued even if the order 'fs made immediately applicable.
 To Strengthen Military Forces.
 The purpose of the work or fight or der, so far as the War Department is concerned, is to strengthen the military forces of the country and no to control the labor situation. Incl dentally it will undoubtedly have the effect of adding to the number of per sons usefully employed and decreas ing the number of persons uselessl! employed.
 In this way the order will strength en the military forces by making i less necessary to exempt for indus trial reasons, men who would other wise be taken into the military ser vice.
 This is an indirect result but on of very great importance, and if eX captions are made or postponement are to be made in the enforcemen of this order it will require a yer careful study to determine whethe those exceptions ought to be the per sons in whose behalf this petition -- filed or some other group out of tn large number affected by the order many of whom have already com piled with it, and brought about
 readjustment of the trades and occu pations which they had previously fol lowed.
 think it would be an unfortunat thing to have so wholesome a recrea Conducted by the use of persons nC available for essential war service.
 But 1t would be a much more UT fortunate thing to preserve even S wholesome an amusement by mal
 ing an exception in favor of base
 ball players which is denied to gres
 classes of persons in the Unite
 States whose occupations have bee
 held similarly non-essential. althoug
 they are immediately associated wit
 the distribution of foods and otht
 processes of, our, daily life more fu1
 damental than any mere amus
 n1ent.
 Extends Time to September.
 It does happen that baseball
 more integrated than other occup;
 tions in our country, at least in u
 sense that its successful conduct
 bends upon the preservation of C
 .a4n 1aap prfIa fna fn-s