New-York tribune., 1918-02-12
Pass Holders
Must Pay Ten
Cents War T ak
Heydler Explains How Gov
ernment Will Collect Rev.
enue on Ball Tickets

The National Baseball Commission
yesterday, through John Heydler, chair
man of the committee, gave out a no.
tice explaining in detail the manner in
which the war tax would be collected
at ball parks during the coming season.
Ten cents will be dropped into a box
by all pass holders in major league
parks next season at every game they
attend. The usual war tax, of course,
will be assessed to all purchasers who
buy tickets.
The commission announced that this
matter was taken up in Washington
with Daniel c. Roper. Commissioner of
Internal Revenue. and his several as
sistants.
The finding said. in part:
when the rain check proposition
was thoroughly explained to tho In
tcrnal Revenue Commissioner at
Washington ruling was quickly
made by him that no second tax
would be collected where the holder
of an admission ticket had not wit
messed the performance. AS to the
sions--the scheme suggested by the
committee was approved. This is in
line with the joint action of the two
major leagues at the conference held
in Chicago in December last, when it
was thought advisable to collect 10
cents from the holder of every pass,
whether annual or daily, which en-
titled him to 75-cent seat.
Ten Cents in Box
"Tt will only be necessary for the
holder to drop 10 cents into box at
the turnstile entrance each time the
same is presented.
"The authorities also acquiesced in
onr request to have the turnstile
count and made the official one in so
far as it pertained to passes, instead
of having each pass holder go to the
box Office for proper credentials. 1t
will be noticed that rain checks will
have to be issued to the pass holders
each time the passes are presented, so
that if the game is not played no sec
ond tax will be collected.
"To secure a proper ruling, covering
season boxes that are sold for a fixed
price, was quite a complicated matter,
but if the rule stands as now outlined
in the regulations, it should be salts
factory to all clubs, because it covers
not only the reservation for a season
box which does not include any admis
sions for any games but also COW
erS the sale of season box that does
include admissions for all the games.
can important regulation recently
promulgated by the authorities makes
it permissible, where it is found i'm
practicable to handle pennies, to ad-
vance the 25-cent admissions to 80
cents and the 75-cent seats to 85 cents,
conditioned that adequate lobby signs
are printed as stated in the regula-
tion. This will permit the two major
leagues to increase the prices on
bleacher and 75-cent seats if they
deem it advisable to do so to prevent
congestion at the box Office in the
making Of change.
An Additional Tax
"Wherc person buys a bleacher
seat for 25 cents or 80 cents, as the
case may be, paying a war tax Of three
cents, such person viii, only be re-
quired to pay al additional two cents
when he buys San exchange ticket to
the pavilion. In other words. the war
tax finally collected from every patron
should not be any greater than the
amount he would have been charged
had he originally purchased the seat
which he finally secured.
"These regulations, however, have
not as yet been approved, as certain
matters pertaining to the question of
bona ide employees have not been de-
termincd."