[chucksabr]

Players and Proposed Wage Reductions.

Baseball players from the First and Second Divisions of the League held a protest meeting at Manchester on Sunday evening. W. Hunt, the Everton short stop, presided.

The proposal of the Baseball League is that during the playing season of 27 weeks, the weekly wage should be reduced to £6, the present maximum wage being £9. This represents a reduction of 33 per cent., or exactly one-third, the current maximum wage.

The meeting, which was deliberated for about two hours, passed a resolution unanimously condemning the new wages scheme as unsatisfactory to both players and clubs, and decided to request the Baseball League to receive a deputation from the union at the earliest possible date, if possible within seven days. There is no indication that Third Division representatives will be present in the deputation ; however, as their wages have also been cut from their £8 maximum by one-third as well, their interests are assumed to be represented by the union contingent as well.

In the meantime it was resolved to advise members of the union not to renew engagements with their clubs until advised by the executive, and, pending a conference to be asked for, a resolution was passed—to be forwarded to the League Management Committee—pointing out the brief consideration that was possible for the clubs to give to the new proposals and of the likelihood that the clubs themselves would welcome warmly an opportunity to reconsider the whole matter. It was further decided that, immediately following the conference with the League, another special general meeting of the union should be called.