The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-02-22
BY JACK CUDDY United Press Staff COrreSpOndent)

NUIHLeO frcSS SLaII COTTeSpOHUCHtJ
 New York, Feb. g - U.PD - President Ford Prick of the Na- tional League made it plain today that the Office of Defense Trans portation did not ask baseball to curtail it's travel 25 per cent as re- ported from Washington yesterday by a service other than the United Press.
 Prick said he couldn't understand how the service got twisted"
 He told the United Press today, Tn fairness to the ODT, let me make clear what happened at yes- terdays conference in Washington. Let me emphaize that the ODT did not ask baseball to cut its travel nor to do anything else"
 Frick-slender, dark and graying- explained that he and Will Harridge went to ODT headquarters. Harridge is president of the American League. They conferred with Transportation Director J. Monroe Johnson. They wanted to find out how baseball could help most to ease the trans portation shortage without wreck ing the game. So they asked him.
 Prick continued, 'In reply to our questions, Director Johnson made some suggestions. MT. Harridge and I also made some suggestions. We discussed the situation at length. Then MT Harridge and I told Col onel Johnson we believed major league travel could be cut about 25 per cent by making certain curtail- ments. These included reducing the number of club trips in home sections, and eliminating certain training and seasonal exhibition games-as well as the midsummer all-star game. Also by possibly cancelling the World Series. Direc- tor Johnson approved these pro- posals
 Tt is incorrect, and it is unfair to Colonel Johnson and the ODT to say that he asked or ordered the curtailments. Particularly after he was so gracious and cooperative. He was not taking a whack at the game. Instead. he gave us his time and his knowledge clarifying the transportation picture for us, so that we could devise travel cuts that would do the most good"
 A reporter asked Prick about the elimination on the annual all-star game, scheduled this year for July g at Boston's FenWay Park. Was this an important elimination, figured in mileage?
 "Yes indeed" he answered, i've estimate that elimination of the all- star game will cut out more than 8 half-million passenger miles,"
 In the opinion of the reporter, this answer sounded like a nail in the coffin of the World Series-un- less the war situation has changed considerably before October. Be- cause the series mileage would be many times that of the midsummer classic.
 The reporter asked Prick if his Washington conferences with War Mobilizer Byrnes had resulted in any new angles on the manpoWer situation. Manpower still is the games biggest problem. Prick said he was not at liberty to comment on manpower prospects; other than to say, We are still hopeful"
 Meanwhile, certain Metropolitan baseball executives-who wish to remain anonymous-are hoping that the Kilgore Manpower Bill passes the Senate soon and meets with sim liar success in the house. They point out that such labor measure will take the curse" off ball play ers-the 4-F's, discharges ana er-agers-because it will spread attention to about 18,000,000 poten- tial workers Under such conditions. they believe the players will have a much better chance of continuing in the game than they have now,