ATHLETIC FINANCES.

A noteworthy feature of the report on athletic finances published today is the general decrease in the receipts of the minor sports, which we attribute to two causes. The first is the falling off in the amount of subscriptions, for last year only about $7,900 was subscribed as against $9,144.39 the year before. The decrease may possibly be accounted for by a lack of diligence among the collectors, but we believe that it is due chiefly to the growing antagonism to the subscription system. If that system were abolished, the profits of the Association would be materially lessened, but the deficit could be met by erecting bigger wooden stands at the more important football games. These stands could be made perfectly safe, and should bring in as much money as is annually subscribed by the undergraduates.

The other reason for the poor showing of the minor sports is the small size of the gate receipts, and we believe that this difficulty could be obviated by putting on sale at $7 or $8 a blanket ticket admitting to all but the most important games played by Harvard teams. Such a ticket would undoubtedly sell as well as the H.A.A. tickets now in use, and would guarantee support for every branch of athletics.

Last year the minor sports did not report as large a deficit as in the year before, but the gain was due to wholesale reduction of expenses. Before long the limit in this direction will be reached and judging from past experience, the receipts will continue to grow smaller every year. By abolishing the subscription system, and substituting the blanket ticket and the enlarged football stands, we believe that the total surplus will be as great as, if not greater than, at present, and an exceedingly troublesome and obnoxious system will be done away with.