The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-03-26
FULLERTON WANTS
SPORT TAX LIFTED
Writes Letter TO Sporting Editors Ask
ing Their Support.

Hug Fullerton, one Of the best
known sports writer in the country.
has written a letter to a number of
sporting editors in regard to the tax
on sporting goods. The letter explains
itself, and is so good that The Jour
nal reproduces it in full, as follows:
I'm engaged In a campaign in which
you can help. It IS not mine, except
ing that L have made it mine, and if
we sport writer's keep hammering
away we can do some good and help
the kids of this country I have writ
ten q couple of articles about it and
some of the fellows have taken it up.
Some of the editorial writers have put
in a good word and the cartoonists, es-
pecially Claire Briggs, have been
cracking away.
This Is the idea. Congress, in the
new tax, imposed a tax on sporting
goods of 10 per cent. At the same time
they rated autos and automobile ac-
cesorieS, piano players, talking ma
chimes, candy, cameras, thermos bot
ties. electric fans, opera glasses, lorg-
nettes, jewelry and a thousand other
things at per cent, and chewing gum
toilet soap and powders at 8 per cent
Think of jewelry at 8 and sporting
goods at 10!
Il don't want to criticize and tell you
these things to Show that sporting
goods got the worst of it. take it tina
you and don't give a damn how
much they tax racing motor boats and
such things, but it isn't right to tax
athletic goods. The government itself
ments have been doing everything pos
sible to encourage athletics and devel- !
OPP boys physically, and along comes
congress and, on a mistaken premise, |
soaked on the tax increasing it 333 Ia
per cent.
The fact is that the committee !
thought it was soaking professional
sports and rich sportsmen," when in.I
fact it was hitting the kid athletes Of
the United States. I don't think for
a minute congress would have made |
such tax had it known the facts. |
These facts are facts which you
can verify by stopping at the nearest {!
sporting goods store. All professional
baseball, which congress wanted to |
tax, buys less than one-haf one per |
cent of the total sporting goods man !
ufactured in the United States. More |
than 10 per cent of the athletic goods |
sold are purchased by boys under IS. |
an other words, more than 70 per
cent of the tax will fall on the kids. |
Heaven knows, prices are so high nowj
the kids cannot afford new uniforms,
bats and balls, but add 10 per cent,
make a quarter ball cost 80 cents, a
hole dollar hall so lift the Drice of mi
forms from $500 to $3.50, and the kids
can't stand it.
Il am interested because the kids
don't seem to have any friends TO
fight for them. The manufacturers of
sporting goods were so busy working
on war contracts they overlooked a
bet and didn't explain TO congress. The
tax bill is passed and in effect, but the
next congress is going to revise it, and
II we sport writer's put in a good,
strong kick now, we may get them to
reduce the tax on kids.
IF you can write 4 good word in
this cause do it. here are enough kid
teams in your town to make it worth
while, and the future of sports de-
ponds upon encouraging and not tax
Ing baseball. football. tennis, basket
ball, volley ball and all other athletic
games.
ASK your sporting goods dealer
whether this dope isn't right and then
soak the facts down in print.
Il may be a darned fool, but I'm
taking enough personal interest in this
to do a lot of work which you can
help"