The New York herald., 1921-06-05
Only l30, 900 Dozen
Tennis Balls De-
manded - Cue s s
About BasebalIs Is
One Million

great number of balls are discarded as
not up to standard
The amount of money spent on balls alone
is impressive. The golf ball. for instance,
probably costs the players in this country
about $3OOO,0O0. In addition to this of
course, there is the cost of bags clubs,
gloves, membership dues, books of instruc-
ton. grips. shoes, stockings, other clothes
iniment, &c. Tennis balls. the best of which
cost 60 cents apiece and are by far the
greatest number used. cost close to a million
dollars, in addition to racquets, nets shoes.
hats. fannels. sweaters membership dues or
rental of courts, grips, books, &c.
AS for the baseball. the range from $3.50
to 20 cents and the uncertain number make
estimates hard, but probably half million
dollars would not be overestimating this
single item in the long list of equipment
needed for the national pastime.
One item in the cost of sporting goods that
the public probably does not realize it is
paying is the tax of 10 per cent Mr.. Curtiss
brought this out in speaking of golf balls.
There has been no change in the price
Of golf balls in four years." he said. "The
golf ball is probably the only article in this
class. In that time the tax of 10 per cent.
has been absorbed by the manufacturers.
We have been enabled to do this by the
decrease in the cost of rubber. AS a matter
,of fact, however. the great increase in labor
costs more than offsets this drop in rubber"
In connection with this 10 per cent tax on
sporting goods. which has been called by
sportsmen "a tax on the physical wellbeing
of the boyhood and manhood of the country"
ii is interesting that the tax on chewing
gum, equipment for a very mild form of
exercise is only per cent. The feminine
half of America suffers less by taxes for
cosmetics. hair dyes. and talcum powder
Leu. a.1C.. A
Standardization Most Important
In Baseball and Tennis Ball
An interesting point in connection with
oalls is that tennis balls and basebals hav,
both been st2ndardized much more than
the golf ball. In golf particular brand
of ball has been adopted but in the last
year the rules have been changed by the
United States Golf Association and the Royal
and Ancient in Britain. to specify that a
ball not smaller than 1.6c inches in diameter
nor more than~1.62 ounces in weight be used
in tournament golf. ANY make can be used
by individual players.
The reason why no particular make Of
ball has been selected official in the golf
field is that only one player uses the ball
i'm the course of the tournament" Mr.. Cur
tiss said "In tennis and baseball there
has TO be not only standard ball. but one
VI "a particular MAKE. DeCduSe Will tneS"
balls the player is asking his opponent 70
use the same ball. Your ball may suit your
style of play yet send him off his game.
Baseball without particular make would
he chaos. For instance a team of heavy
hitters. like New York might go over to
Brooklyn. That team would introduce what
is called punk ball" ball that no one
could hit much beyond the outheders On
the contrary when Brooklyn came to New
York the home team would introduce an ex-
ceptionally lively ball and proceed to knock
II over the fence time after time.
THE only way to avoid this condition is
TO adopt particular ball. the big leagues
have done. so that every one is tested as 20
size. weight &c. so that all are precisely
alike. In golf there is no need for this as
IL is only fair that each player shall use
the ball he finds fits his game best"
With daylight saving in effect i'm New
York and many other communities through
out the country. II begins to look more and
more az II the unfortunate baseball the un-
lucky golf ball and the unhappy tennis ba..
wore in this year for an unparalleled career
of shooting through the air.