The evening world., 1919-03-05
Thousands of "Kid' Stars
Innocent Victims of Tax
Put on Baseball Goods

in advertising their wares. The aver
age ball player buys pair OF IS shoes
and a couple OF bats. The tax will not
hit him for more than 81. 1t IL n
cinch the tax will not hit the nanu-
facturers. because they will simply in
crease the price.
More than 20 per cent. OF the buSi-
ness OF sporting goods makers Is with
kids under eighteen years of age. The
bulk OF the sales are of articles that
cost less than so cents. The cheap
sheepskin covered balls, the 50-cent
gloves, and the average price OF uni
forms for kid teams now runs about
$50 for ten uniforms.
These are the boys the United States
Government is trying to develoD
physically. The Government itself
has been for two years the biggest
purchaser of sporting goods. In fact
last year the sporting goods makers
we're limited TO Is per cent. produc-
tion outside OF army and navy con-
tracts. The Government declared tho
making OF sporting goods next in
essential work to fighting and making
ships and munitions.
THE army leaders OF England
i France and America regard
athletic training as one OF the most
important branches of the service,
The reconstruction leaders urge ath-
letic training as part OF the prepared
ness programme, yet they tax the Kids
out OF their gloves and balls.
wish 1 had known about II and
been down there to tell those high
brows about when they were kids.
don't care how much they tax a guy
who buys a $50 casting rod and $l0(
reel and a $50 enameiled line. That's
| sporting goods. What we kids Kick or
is having athletic goods classed az
sporting goods. Maybe 1t IS all riBnl
to shove up the tax on goods used by
rich sportsmen. They can afford II
but we kids can't.
Do those Senators know how the
majority OF the kid teams under six
teen years get their uniforms? I'll
tell them. They have invented plan
and most OF them use 1t. A dozen
kids get together and scratch up $40
Then they go to the bank and get
$40 gold piece and tix up rattle, a
hundred and nifty tickets at quarter
apiece. The first kid takes the gold
piece and a committee Of two rs
named to see that he don't abscond
or lose II. He takes II home, shows II
all over the neighborhood and sells
chances to his dad, his uncles and
their friends. Then the next Kid
takes 1t. and so on until the sSo Is
raised. Then a committee OF twelve
Is appointed to 20 shopping for uni
forms, and they visit every sporting
goods store in town before they buy.
II they don't work II that way they
gang on some good natured shop-
keeper and persuade him to buy the
uniforms for them. and In return
they call the team "Krajatckis
Giants"
THE first uniformed team I ever
i belonged to was the "Hustlers."
We were at an ago where 20 cents
made us feel like Rockefellers. You
know. IL you've ever been a kid, tina;
you can't have team work and team
spirit without a green and yellow OF
white and blue uniform just alike on
each kid. We had TO have uniforms
and not one OF us had any money LEFT
as the circus had been to town. We
swarmed on Buddy" Dean, who op-
Grated the huckster business and
shipped eggs and poultry, seeking
advice and consolation, He offered
to finance us to the extent OF S2J
II we would promise to bring him In
S25 worth of eggs and poultry in the
next month.
There wasn't a hens nest in Hills
boro safe for weeks Sharpke ad
wiped out the last of the debt by
swipins Haildeday, his dads best
rooster, and our white cotton uni
forms with red stripes down tho legs
and red and white caps and stockings
made us a ball team. We licked the
town team twice that summer.
Our kick Is that the Government
I"sportsmen" and hit us kids. w,
amt sporting goods" we're athletic
goods. and necessities. The Govern,
ment has said II wants us kids L
take part in athletics and deve.oI
and then hands US a 10 per cent. wal.
lop.
A big majority OF US laid of base
ball and tennis, football, basketba
and other games during the war. w
couldn't have bought tho stun IL W
had had time to play. The factorie
were too busy making stun for tn
troops TO make much for us. and be
} sides we weren't allowed to play. Eve
!. yet the Government itself will pay L
J itself the big part OF the tax. Jus
last week there was shipment u
; 100000 worth OF athletic eauipmen
. 20 the soldiers, who either got $4,000
worth or paid sS30.o00 for $4,000
} worth.
} Bsfors tho war thsrs were e.tiu,ats