The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-01-26
RADICAL CHANGES
 IN TENNIS RULES MAY TAKE PLACE
Conference of U. S. N. L. T. A. R Be Held in New York Feb. 6
 Scoring Rules

New York, Janary 25.-A conference which may result in radical changes in American tennis rules will be held in this citypn February in connection with the annual meeting of the United States Ma tional Lawn Tennis Association. Various committees, which have been working for months on revisions of codes. will pre- sent their recommendations to the as- sociaticn delegates from all parts of the country.
 Revision of the playing rules, adoption of a new plan of organization and voting power for the association, and approval of new system of competition for the national doubles championship ahe among the more important matters to be con- sidered. r1ese changes, the most rad lcal prop, sed in many years, will attract widespread interest among all followers of tennis because of their influence on the fcture of the sport.
 In recommending a new code of rules
 the committee. which included S. Willis Merrihew, Richard N Williams, Beais C. Wright, Abraham Bassford, IT,, Ed ward c. Conln, Samuel Hardy and Wat son M. Washburn, reported conclusions reached after months of study. No ef- fort has beer spared to simplify the text so the changes in wording are extensive. The changes in meaning, however, in- NolVe only a few rules, one being the sixth relating to foot faults This will be altered to read: Before commencing to serve, the server shall stand with both feet al rest behind, i. e., further from tT. Al ..rtk f,f. limits of tke center mark and the side. line. Both feet shall be kept behind the baseline until the racket strikes the ball
 The suggested method of scoring elim- mates the use of '15-30" love- deuce" and similar terms which have long been part of the phraseology of the game. and counts or a point basis, l 2, 3, etc. If the server wins the first point, it is called "one-ii." If the receiver wins the first point it i'd called ''one-out." If the server has won 3 points it is called 'one- out" If the server has won points and the receiver l, it is called 'three-one, and so on until either player has won points. If one player has points and the ether . points, the score is called "three-four' or ''four-three, as the case may be- and the game is scored for the player who first thereafter gains lead of 2 points. In the new system of handi- caps, points are allotted to the players, ta be added to the points scored. At the end ia set the allotted points are added to those scored and the player with the larger total wins the set, regardless Of the games won or lost.
 CHANGE IN VOTING
 The constitutional amendments change the voting system, by apportioning votes to clubs on the basis Of their member ship instead of giving one vote to each club. as at present. Dues are determined in the sante ratio as votes, so that club pays dues and votes entirely on the basis of it's numerical strength. Clubs in which tennis is fostered only in con nectln with other sports have their votes limited, so that large athletic associa- tions CT country clubs would not be per mitted votes out of proportion toi th-r tennis membership
 Sectional associations will hereafter be chartered by the national association and viii furnish the medium through which clubs in thel territory become affiliated with the national body. A club in the western or California sections to which these proposals will first apply. will join it's city association which is member of the sectional, the sectional in turn being a member of the U. s. N. l.. T. A. Other sections which wish to proceed on this plan of organization may apply to the annual meeting for a charter
 The new plan Tor uouples VIII permit the entry of teams of established class without qualifications through sec tional championship. In the past entry has been limited to the winners of the sectional events. Such teams, under tne proposed arrangements, will also be eligi- ble for the national, and their railroad fare from their section to the national win be paid. by the U. s. N. l.. T A It is believed that this method will permit more uniform development of doubles competition throughout the country