The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-12-03
BY JACK CUDDY

Limited Press Staff Correspondent
 New York, December 3. - (UP)- Jack Teller, general manager of the Detroit Tigers, believes that major league baseball has reached the crossroads, where 1t must choose CD elimination of the farm system. or CD the all-out farm rivalry which only packers Of great wealth can afford.
 Teller, member of the American Leagues postwar planning com mittee, favors elimination of the plantations. He believes that the independent operation of minor league clubs is the only practical postwar course to pursue. In this belief, he has the backing of Walter O. Briggs, the Tigers owner. "We favor elimination of the farms for the welfare of baseball Not for our avn financial reasons, Baldish Zeller explained with 6 frank smile. Briggs is a Detroit multi-millionaire.
 We have 8 working agreement with Buffalo" fair-skinned Jack continued. "That is our only farm connection now. But if the other major league clubs refuse to do the sensible thing refuse to break away from chain-store baseball, we will be forced to plunge into farm ing on a lavish scale. We'll give them more competition than they bargained for. I hope that doesn't happen; baseball as a whole will not benefit by it."
 Zeller declared that farming, dur ing the past decade, already has done nearly irreparable harm to minor league ball. It has de- stroyed not only the independence of the small club owners; but also the baseball independence of smaller cities.
 Tn the old days" he said, 'citi- zens of community, desiring to have their own minor league club, would arrange for the building of their own ball park and the organ ization of their own team, as con- munity projects. But, now, when the citizens of any locality consider having a club, the first thing they do is to contact a major league out fit, and ask it to provide the funds for the park and the players. To make matters worse, they then want the major club officials to direct the operations of their little club.
 "This kind of set-up is bad for all concerned. It does not foster community enthusiasm for the club; and, unless the major outfit pro- videS the community with a win ming team, the citizens will not at- tend the games; and the major owners lose money. The owners hope to be reimbursed by making money with the major club, some of whose player may have come up from the farm. But that's gamble that only wealthy owners can take.
 "In this connection, doubt that the St. Louis Cardinals, for example, although champions of the National League, made enough money dur ing the 1943 season to reimburse losses incurred on their farms"
 When the American and National League postwar planning commit tees meet with Commissioner LandiS sometime next month, Teller will suggest that major clubs have no farms below the double "A" class: that no major club can own or con- trol more than 40 players, three years after the war ends; that major clubs be forbidden to sign free agents; and that all minor league players, clear down to the "E" circuits, be subject to baseball draft. This would force major own CTS to obtain talent by trade, pur- chase or draft, and eliminate lengthy, indirect control of minor players.