Evening star., 1946-08-06
Minimum Pay,Pension
Head List Of Issues
Leagues Will Study
By Jock Hond
preSx Snortx Write

| Ns>Vtfofeo FfesS SPofIS VFNef
NEW YORK, Aug. 6.-Baseball is
one happy family today with the
major leagues Policy Committee re-
porting agreement in principle" be-
tween players and owners on pro-
posed contract reforms.
Not that any disagreement had
been expected. 1t was pretty much
of cut and dried proposition that
the players would get substantially
what they wanted. After all, the
owners asked them to state their
case and they couldn't very well turn
a cold shoulder on their demands.
The diamond social revolution,
mild in form, will cost the magnates
more money in 1947. There can be
NO question about that. But in the
long run, if the improved owner
player relations can snap the union
threat and end the Mexican raids,
the magnates will consider it cash
we'll spent
Minimum Wage is Big Item.
High on the list of matters to be
discussed at yesterdays parley be-
tween the six-man Policy Commit
tee, representing the owners, and
the six-man player group was a
minimum wage. The National
League athletes had asked for S., 500
and the American had set no figure.
When Chairman Larry MacPhail
of the major league committee an
nnlI,nnd q for tho fta ao'c
communications are concerned
mutual agreement in principle has
been reached on all matters uis-
cussed," he included the minimum
salary.
Because the owners believed it
would be better to keep secret the
exact details of their agreements
until the August q meetings in
Chicago, the exact minimum wage is
not known.
The players also will get an allot-
ment to cover incidental expenses
during spring training. MacPhail
indicated it would not be the IS
per day that was asked, a sum he
estimated would run into Sl50,G00
per year.
Pension Plan Gains Favor.
A pension plan is another definite
although its nature
will depend on the reports of actu-
aries who may require several
months for an investigation. Be-
fore the owners and athletes can
decide whether to raise the money
by series of interleague games or
by assessments, they first must de-
Lermine how much cash will be
needed. That is the immediate prob
lem
OF more than passing interest was
word that there was no
move to discard the reserve clause
Of the contract by which the players
are bound to the same club, year
after year. The New York Yankee
president said the players told him
less than per cent of their group
was in favor of such a radical move.
Although there was much talk
earlier about the player sharing in
the sale price when his contract
was transferred, the matter did not
come before the joint committee.
Leagues to Tell All Aug. q.
Full details of the policy commit
tees recommendation will be re-
leased at Chicago August 27 when
Presidents Ford Frick of the Nation
al and Will Harridge of the Ameri-
can have called their leagues to
separate sessions. Commissioner A
B. Chandler has been asked to order
a joint major league meeting on
the same date.
In addition to the two league presi-
dents and MacPhail, other members
OF the Policy Committee were Tom
Yawkey of the Boston Red Sox, Sam
Breadon OF the st. Louis Cardinals
and Phil Wrigley of the Chicago
Cubs. Leslie O'Connor, secretary to
the late Commissioner K. M. Lands
and now vice president of the Chi
cago White Sox, sat in an advisory
capacity.
Dixie Walker of the BROOKLYN
Dodgers. Billy Herman of the Bos-
ton Braves, Marty Marion of the
st. Louis Cardinals, Johnny Murphy
of the New York Yankees, Joe Ku-
hel OF the Chicago White Sox and
Mel Harder of the Cleveland Indians
represented the players.
The players will not attend the
chicago sessions, but will be in
formed Of the leagues action at a !
later meeting with the Policy Com
mittee.