The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-12-01
BILLIARD STARS EARN
BIG SALARIES NOWADAYS
Hopes Income This Year WIN &c In
the Ncighborhood Of s25. 900. VIII
Appear TN France.

Professional billiard players have
moved into those high financial circles
to which the income and other tax
collectors give special heed. This
was revealed when Nelker Cochran.
koji Yamada and Jake Schaefer left
for San Francisco to continue their
play IN the academy games there.
Also some OF the facts came to light
as to the rumpus among some Of the
competitors Just before tho cham
pionship 1872 balkiine tournament,
which threatened to disrupt 1t.
The three players named objected
TO condition of the tourna uent
going ON tour for eighteen weeks Of
special exhibition comp etition
throughout the country. They had
been receiving in excess of $50 per
day in the California Academy. Thel"
was the certainty of higher pay and
less eNcr'ion IL they returned. Ia
fact. with special lessons and priyatc
exhibitions, there was the surety Of
practically $500 a week apiece. All
of which indicates that the top class
billiard player IS becoming one of the
highest salaried artists devoted 10
sport.
just before the tournament began
several of the players banded to-
gether and demanded that they be re
leased from the tour agreement. and
that each receive a Hat So, 500 without
regard to the performances in tho
championship matches. According
to report they got what they wanted
aft h ign n aax
contests on the table at the Hotel
Aston last week.
Hoppe on Tour.
Willie Hoppe, whose execution with
the cue in holding the title indic3 tel
that he is in a class by himself, will so
on tour from January TO May. Prob
ably Ora Morningstar will accompany
him. Estimates vary, k3ut IL is con
servativeiy regarded that the tour
alone ought te net Hoppe about s15.-
coo. In addition the winning of the
championship represents about st0.-
D0e. and SO IL seems likely that the
young and masterfuI american IL
likely To get through without being
unduly bothered by the old and well
known II. c. of L.
No secretTwas made OF the fact that
with the exception OF Hoppe. all OF
the American players are awaiting
the opening OF the academies in Paris
to leave this country. The famous
Olympia and other Partisan ~eade-
mics. with their program OF short
games, on whioh betting is permitted,
ofTers Ia remunerative field for popu-
lar Americans. The usual arrange
ment is u salary and a percentage a.
the wagefs, as all of the betting is
conducted through missionaries
of The academy. Morningstaf, VINO
has had ~considera BILE experience in
the Paris academies before the war,
said that it was not at all difficult, Tor
an American TO secure a suffic. :
number of private pupils. as the
French are great lovers of billiards.
go that all the income from the aCad-
envy was velvet"
From the manufacturers Side II
the controversy it is limited that the
old contract system with the leading
players is fast nearing it's end. IL
has never been satisfactory. It often
operated TO smother rather thaa
stimulate the genius of the player re-
ceiying the payments. Likewise Il
has engendered lot of unf8vorable,
IL untrue, criticism Of competitions
One Of the young professionals upon
departing yesterday sarcastically re-
marked that If there was to De an
other championship tournament next
year, as planned the manufacturers
would have to- hang up a purse of ~
least $4,000 to The winners and 9th =
ers in proportion. or there might 10
no entries, The manufacturers. how
ever. understa nd this and are already
preparing TO secure two French ana
one Australian entry,