From the Editor's Chair

BILLIARDS DURING 1934—WHAT OF 1935?

1934 will go down in billiard history as the Year of Emancipation, but it is no use budgeting crazily as if the change has endowed the Control Council with plenty of money. Comparisons with the work done by those at the head of cricket and football, for instance, are easily made and are often made. Much is said of the wonderful organisation of the Football Association, its great Cup fights, its powerful leagues, its marvellous control of every phase of football activity. Quite so, and quite good. We have nothing but admiration for the F.A., but must not forget that it happens to have a nest-egg of some £150,000 and a current income of about £14,000 every year.

BY comparison, the funds and revenue of the B.A. and C.C. drop into the petty cash account.

Given as many shillings, or even as many sixpences, as the FA. has pounds, the B.A. and C.C., could do a very great deal for billiards which now has to be left undone because there is no money in the bank to pay for it. Money talks, and cannot be shouted down by fervid eloquence about "what the Control Council ought to do for billiards." Where is the money to finance the multitude of activities which the Control Council ought to undertake, according to those who are better at talking than signing a cheque to be getting on with?

IT must never be forgotten that the Control Council is composed of amateur enthusiasts who give their work and time for nothing more than the honour of serving the game.

They cannot create and finance much that is undoubtedly desirable, such as official leagues, tournaments, county and other competitive contests, together with certification of referees and playing centres, to mention but the more obvious of many tasks to hand. If talking could do all this, it would have been done years and years ago—the present position is clearly due to that which "signifies nothing" and proves it by results.

1935 should see at least a decided indication of change in the above.

If the Trade Advisory Committee, when asked by the Control Council to move in the matter, is prepared to begin at home by advising its members, even pledging them, to support fee payments for many kinds of official recognition and affiliation, then the Control Council will have something with hard cash in it to budget upon. But it is merely wasting time to meet and pass resolutions with no chink of money in them. The Control Council does wonders, almost miracles, with the funds now at its disposal. It can do more, much more, "as and when the requisite funds are available," as they say in the dear old departmental jargon.

ANOTHER, and very important feature has been the joining- up of the W.B.A., and the B.A. and C.C. in complete unison for the best interests of billiards for both sexes. This is altogether admirable, but the change must not be allowed to pass without due tribute to those who helped to bring it about. Many names might be mentioned, but that of Miss Thelma Carpenter must suffice to stand for all who felt with her that fundamental change was necessary in the governing of billiards for women.

WHEN the principle at issue was clear to her, Miss Thelma Carpenter did not hesitate. Holding the proud position of undefeated Amateur Champion of women's billiards, she resigned and threw all her power and influence into helping the reform movement, now so happily and completely successful.

Considering her youth and happy way of looking at things, it needed no small moral courage on her part to face without flinching the criticism, even scurrility, with which her resignation was greeted. It is all over now; we are heartily glad that it is over and done with, but it becomes us to be fair to the girl who showed grit: that can be done without awakening one unpleasant echo from the past. Grit, too, was shown by those who supported Miss Thelma; they will understand that no mention of names here does not imply ingratitude.

WE have neither space nor inclination to dilate after the year-book manner on who won this and who lost that during the past year. But a few outstanding events of general significance must be mentioned. The titular transformation of the English Professional Championship Cup into a World Championship Cup, with its related contest, has given us two championship events instead of one in professional billiards, the Control Council having started a U.K.

Championship to replace the previous home event. This development was marred by truculent presentation from its inception, and although Joe Davis went out to Australia to play, and played well enough to get within a thousand or so of victory, nobody can pretend that the new World Championship of Professional Billiards is of much interest. Walter Lindrum holds the title, and deserves to hold it on his superlative playing merit, but the event was so squabble-born that if it proves to be still-born there will be no tears.

THIS much of good has come from it. The Control Council has decided that it will never again pay the slightest attention to any prechampionship squabbling by professional cuemen. The governing body will lay down its rules and conditions for all professional championships; they will be fair and well-considered rules and conditions, and, to be blunt, the professionals "can take them or leave them." The more they "leave them," the more they will "play to red velvet" owing to general diminution of interest in their play, and the more they will be brought to understand that strong control is the life-blood of interest in any form of sport—interest they look to for their bread-and-butter.

MUCH more important than the above, but not so amenable to definition, is the undoubted fact that billiards has "turned the corner" during the past year in progressive public halls. The moaners after the "easy money" of the past will contest this, but we can believe what we see. Less than a week ago, we saw a frowsy hole with a dozen ditto tables in it, owned, we know, by a concern which shovelled the money in during the boom days, and is now in deep mourning for the "death of billiards." One table was in play, eleven were doing nothing, and the manager was trying to spot a winner from his early edition of an evening paper.

IN the same town, within a few hundred yards of the above chamber of billiard horrors, we saw a well appointed room with 20 tables in it; cues, balls, cloths, all were up to a fair standard for play—and every one of those 20 tables was in play—while 11 of the disreputable dozen were doing nothing. Billiards, and by this we mean snooker as well, has "turned the corner" right enough when it is billiards, but not when it is a dust-heap libel on a great game.

THE resignation of Mr. F. C. Billington-Greig from the directorate of Messrs. Burroughs and Watts came as an end of the year announcement. Mr. W. T. Rainbow is now sole Managing-Director of that firm and we are sure that his many friends in the billiard trade will join with us in wishing him every success.

THE end of 1934 saw a modification of the "free-ball rule" at snooker launched by the Control Council. This made history because it is the first rule ever issued experimentally, and generally for any game on a billiard table. It is to be experimented with for six months, which gives us plenty of time to deal with it in the light of experience recorded by our readers, experience we are sure will help towards final improvement.