Remarks by Dr. Naismith from
the floor of the convention.

Dr. Naismith: Mr. President, I have been looking at
the ceme from a great many enzlecs this year. I have seen hich
schools, colletes, independent teams - - a great many different
teams.

It scoms to me there are three rulcs at the present
time that are not being called by the officials which aro
responsible. for a zood deal of the rouzhness that occurs under
the soal.

It has been stated that every man is entitled to his
place on the flocr. When tvo men are running down togather,
end the man dribbling the Lell cuts in across the man who is
running with hin, the call is uniformly on the defensive man,
so far as I have seen, instead of upon the offensive. There is
a rule in the bock which distinctly states the man who is
dribbling is responsi>vle to see that he his room before he
crosses over in front of a playcor who is running. That is one
of the things.

The other is a rule that I have bean told does net
exist in the book, but I find it there. If two men are holding
the ball (a held Sali), and another man comes in and makes
personal contact with the opponent, it is a foul on that man.
We used to call that "threc-in", and a great many people scem
to think that nas gone out. It is still in the rules.

The third one, where I see a great deal of roughness
is in diving for the ball. On the football field, where there
is fine sod and fine crass, we have tried to elininate piling
up on the pleyer who is diving for the ball, but I find that
three, four, and five men can dive one on top of another on a
hardwood floor at the present time and nothing is said about it.
That is one of the things that I think might be modified in the
Thirtecnth Rule at the present time. It was elimineted in
1905, when the college game came in, and that is that the ball
must be handled by the hands only. I sce men dive half way
across the court and grab the ball to themselves in or¢er to
gain possession of the ball.

Those are the three things that it secms to me cause
a sood deal of our trouble at tne present time.

As to the booing proposition, I don't think that can be
regulated by the official. The coach can help do it, the director
of athletics can do it, the cheer leader can do it, but the man who
can do it dest of anydody is the man on whom the fcul has Deen
called, or the captain of the team, If the captain of the tcam
would simply stand up and sny, "Woe are with the referee; we will
take his decision, "Idm!t" think the crowd would have very much
to say. I deprecate booing. I think it is a terriable thing to
try to influence officials that way.