New-York tribune., 1918-12-14
Tennis Chiefs
Hear Reports
Of Committees
Either Tildcn or Murray
Assured of Title of sssAcc''
of Game for 1918 Season
By Fred Hawthorne

The annual meeting of the executive
committee of the United States Ma
t'onai Lawn Tennis Association was
held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel ves-
terday and was in session for several
hours, until after midnight this morn
ing. in fact, but, as usual on these oc-
casons, nothing was given out for pub
Ecation. Paul B. Williams, the field
secretary, will make an official an
nouncement of what transpired at the
Waldorf at ~ o'clock noon to-day.
The meeting was called for the Dur
pose OF passing upon the report of the
iank'ng committee and to receive the
annual reports of the committee on
balls and the secretary treasurer. After
being closeted behind closed doors all
afternoon, the committee adjourned for
dinner and resumed its deliberations in
the evening.
There were ten members of the ex-
ecutive committee present out of a
total of twenty one, seven being re-
qulfed TO form quorum. Those at the
meeting were: George Townsend Adee,
president; Julian S. Myrick, vice-presi-
dent; Edwin Fuller Torrey, secretary;
A. II. Chapin, treasurer; Carleton Y.
Smith, Albert H. Hoskins, A. Y. Leech,
Edwin c. Sheafe, Clinton l.. Childs and
Paul Sheldon.
President Adee, who only returned
from France a few weeks ago, where
he was major with the A. E. F., ap-
peared In multi. having been demobi-
llzed last Thursday. 1t is expected
So
the presidency at the annual meeting
in February.
Abraham Bassford, jr., chairman of
the ranking committee, presented his
report for the approval of the execu-
tive committee, but the names of the
players ranked will not be made public
until December %. G. A. L. Dionne,
chairman of the committee on balls,
also handed in his report, as did A II.
Chaplin, Of Springfield, Mass, the new
treasurer.
While the nominations for officers
for 1919 viii not come up before the
delegates until the annual meeting
early in February, it is not believed
there will be drastic changes among
the more important Offices to be filled.
Because of the rather upset condi-
ton of lawn tennis last season, owing
to the war, the ranking committee is
DelleVed TO nave nae considerable dlf-
ticulty in naming the mythical "first
ten" men on the courts this year. Rob
ert Lindley Murray, formerly of Cali
fornia, who won the national cham
pionship at Forest Hills by defeating
William T. Tilden, I'd, in the final
round of the tournament last Septem-
ber, only competed in three or four
important tournaments, whereas Til
den went through a long and success
full season, bowlng only to the man
who defeated him for the title.
But Murray's claims for the No.
position are strengthened by age-long
precedent, which has almost invariably
pltced the national champion at the
top Of the ladder Tilden, who won
the national elay-court title and the
national doubles honors, with Vincent
Richards, triumphed over Murray ear
lier in the season. but in this case pre-
cedent will probably weigh heavily, and
it would not be surprising to find Muir
ray rated as the lawn tennis "ace" for
1918. The remaining places do not
present SO many difficulties. with the
vast majority of previous ranking
players away at the wars.