The Washington times., 1923-11-12

Much is to be said on both sides.
Of the question, but the weight of
evidence favors the case made o,lf
by the fans. The latter seerni,rIv
knock sky-high the arguments adj
vanced by the company justifyinr
the change.
The Brunswick Bake ColIender
Company claims that it's inability "a
obtain q suitable hall in New York
within reasonable period cornpeIs
the transfer Of the titular matches
to another city. Orchestral Hall in
Chicago, where the 1921 tollrna-
ment and many other important
matches were played. is the only
available place at present.
UnOfficiaIIy, however, it II said
that the B. B. @. was prompted
to its unpopular decision By fl
nanciaI considerations also. re "a
tournament staged In the ball
room Of the Hotel Pennsylvania
resulted In bOx-Off1co deficit.
The prize money amounted to
$500. Other expenses of promo
ton increased the cost 20 something
more than $4,000. It is q fact tnat
the 1000 seating capacity Of the
hall was taxed only on the final
night when Hoppe defeated Jake
Schaefer and tied Cochran for first
place. The company probably lost
several thousands Of dollars on the
tournament. This consideration is
minimized and rejected by the irate
fans
Suppose the billiard trust did
lose q few thousand dollars to the
tournament" argued prominent
bilIiardist In Jack Doyle's academy
at Broadway and Fifty-first street.
THAT item should not be con-
sidered. The b. b. @. Is an
organization rated in the multi
millions class. The puspose or the
championship tournament is TO
stimulate interest in billiards, which
interest reacts to the profit Of the
company manufacturing q large per-
centage Of all the tables and equip
ment used in this country. It could
well afford to take q comparatively
small loss. cit could be charged up
10 advertising and propaganda.
saThe plea that suitable halls are
nOt ObtafnabIe here Is ridiculous.
Perl,ans conditions I'm some Of them
that could be used would not be
ideal. but they would be rs fair 10
one contestant as the other. There
are d number Of hotels In town
that could De secured for the play
off. Also some gyHnnasiuKns. Tenn
pOrary bleaEers could be erected.
The seating capacity might be
small, but what Of that9
"The company made q monumental
mistake, an inexcusable error, in the
first place when it. did not provide
for just such a condition as has de.
veloped. Why did 1t lease hall
which could not be used in the event
Of extra dates being required for a
play-off?
TT could get the Pennsylvania
ballroom for only seven playing days,
and then two double-headers had to
be played to get the fifteen matches
in. Not a thought. evidently, was
given to the possibility Of q tie re-
sulting. And there probably never
was a tournament in which "a tie
threatened as It did in the one just
played. The lack OF foresight dis
played by the management is indie
fensible.
'"The rules provide that play-off
matches should be decided under the
same conditions that prevailed during
the tournament. Can the conditions
which prevailed here be duplicated
in Chicago? Why. It is understood
that the company even intends to
supplant AL Cutler in the Chicago
matches with a referee out there who
many professional players consider
grossly incompetent.
'The trust not only is violating its
rules but it is violating the ethics of
a profession in which sportsmanship
is supposed to be the paramount