Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-13
Harmony Is Keynote as Majors Give Chandler
Full Authority; Schedules Will Be Revised

owners like it.
They voted him full authority to
run the game as firmly and auto
cratically as did the late Judge
Kenesaw M. Lands as they for
mally installed the Senator from
Kentucky in the Office of baseball
commissioner yesterday at a meet
ing at the Mayf1ower Hotel.
His seven-year contract at $4,000
a year was unanimously approved
and he got just about everything
he asked for in a session that lasted
only an hour and As minutes, one
of the shortest meetings of the ma
jor leagues on record.
Chandler did not actually sign a
contract. 1t is going the round OF
the clubs to be signed by the own
ers, but there is no doubt about
Happy being the big boss. He has
the authority Lands had, but init
mated he has no intention of using
It the same way.
In a conference with newsmen
after the meeting, Chandler said:
Il told them (the club owners) that
if I ever made an issue on a matter
that I said was detrimental to base
ball that I would win or they would
have new commissioner.
Everything Harmonious.
There had been rumors that some
of the club ownerh meant to clip
Chambers wings, that they did not
mean him to have the power Lands
exercised. There also had been re-
ports that Chandler was not accept
able to some of the owners as COM
missioner.
But in the meeting there was
no evidence Of dissatisfaction with
Chandler or any indication that
the owners desired to limit his
authority Happy said with a smile
There wasn't a single dissent with
anything"
Chandler was given authority tt
transfer funds of the commits
sioner's Office from Leslie M. O'Con-
nor, advisory council chairman, tt
Walter w. Mulbry, Chandler.
secretary treasurer. O'Connor will
continue as Chambers special as
sistant until next May /. He also
was authorized to move the COM
missioner's Office from Chicago te
Cincinnati.
Chandler said the matter Of
signing teen-age players that has
drawn protests from high schools
and colleges is left to a special
committee and that he will moi
single out any club for punish
ment for having drawn youngsters
from schools. He said basebaIl's
postwar committee probably will
meet with the minor leagues in
Chicago July %.
The question of Chandler resign
ing from the Senate to give full
time to the onlmissionership was
not brought up, he said. He would
not say when he might resign, but
did reiterate that he is mot TAX
ing the commissioners salary as
long as I stay in the Senate"
Lands Record Defended.
In their meeting, the club owners
defended Lands handling of funds
of the commissioners Office. In a
formal statement, they said There
has been some inaccurate COM
ment in the press that reserve
funds in the custody of Judge
Lands as baseball commissioner
were depleted hundreds OF
thousands of dollars by unwise
investments.
What has reduced the reserve
funds was not loss in investments
but expenditures:authorized and di-
rected by the major leagues to be
made. = There has been no mis-.
understanding of this by any clut
owner. The annual audits I
show that the total net loss or
investments for the 24-year period
is $28, 130.54. This is an envia5le
record, particularly in view of the
fact that more than half of that
24-year period has been a time in
which this country has experienced
the greatest financial depression in
its history.
During his service as commits
sioner, he 0andis) voluntarily re-
fused to draw salary in excess OF
Sl00, 900 which had been voted him
and to which he was entitled under
his contract. This was only one OF
the many evidences of his fine
devotion to the best interests of the
sport"
Before the joint meeting, Ma
tional League club owners discussed
the transportation problem and
agreed to rearrange schedules to
cope with restrictions imposed by
ODT, as had the American League
owners in a meeting Wednesday.
Their business cleared, the new
commissioner, President Will Har-
ridge of the American League and
most of the club owners celebrated
by attending last nights game be-
tween Mats and White Sox. 1t
was happy finale. B. K.