Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-01-16
SALARY LIMIT IN
NATIONAL LEAGUE
OF $1,000 FIXED
Average Win Be $500 Month
for Players Changes in the
Worlds Series Rules Favor
ed by MagnateS,


New York, Jan. 15.-National
League baseball players will receive
an unpleasant surprise with their
1919 contracts as a result of the mag
mates action today in adopting club
salary limit of not more than Sill
000 per month. This is the most rad
zeal financial retrenchment attempt
ed by a major league in years and
will prove a startling upset to those
diamond stars who have expected a
continuation of the high salaries and
longtime contracts of pre-war days.
Under the new regulation which
was adopted by a vote of to the
maximum monthly salary limit dur
ing the playing season must not eN-
coed $1,000 plus the managers sal
AIRY. This will make the seasonal
payroll foot up Approximately 500
600, for a playing period of about
five and half months. With a club
roster of % players the average will
be $500 per player per month. The
new rule also carries a penalty, In
the form of fine of $4,000 for every
infraCtion.
In its original form the regulation
carried very much smaller maxi
mum limit and there was long ar
gument over the proposed rule. Sev-
eral amendments, each increasing the
amount, were offered in turn till the
limit was raised to $11 900. When
this came to a vote all the clubs eX
cept New York and Chicago voted
for this maximum and il was de-
clared carried.
Salary limitation was the outstand-
ing feature of all day sessions of the
Va Loo ri, AG-
ISOLATION of Baseball clubs The min
or organizations finally agreed on the
form of their request for ,lifiting the
draft regulations and the senior ma
jor leaguers went on record regard
ing number of proposed changes
which they desire the American
league jointly to adopt at the special
meeting of the two leagues tomorrow
as well as several additional altera-
tons of their own bylaws.
The league desired to amend the
waiver rule so players can not be re-
called once waivers are asked and
also stated that ii was the sentiment
Of the organization that a similar
rule was desirable with the American
league, to cover cases of players
waived from one league to the other
No action was taken on the player
limit, it being decided to consult with
the American league magnates to-
morrow in order that the lowest pos
sible limit may be agreed upon. The
present regulations can for q play
ers in the American league after
May Is. and % in the National.
The Nationals also re-adopted the
rule barring the beginning of spring
practice earlier than 80 days before
the opening of the season. This will
permit the clubs to operate after
March 20 and President Heydler stat
ed that since this date falls on Sun
day he would consider. the presence
of the players in camp on the pre-
vious Saturday within the letter Of
the rule Sending pitchers to boil
ing out camps at the expense of the
clubs previous to this date will he
considered violation.
Changes in the present world
series rules also were, favored and
will he discussed with the American
league at the joint meeting tomorrow
1t is proposed to amend the rules
placing players upon percentage
basis as far as the money awards are
concerned, without fixing a maxi
mum or minimum amount as was the
case last season. Dividing portion
Of the players pool among the men
of the first four clubs, as in the past
was advocated. 1t was also decided
that in the future the National league
club participating in the series shall
turn back fifty per cent of its shares
of the gate receipts to the league
treasury in place of the usual 25 per