BILLIARDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 155, 30 June 1917, Page 14

BILLIARDS.

A certificate of exemption granted la«t June to Melbourne Inman, the billiards champion, was reviewed by the Chiswick Tribunal recently, at the request of the military representative. He said the principal point upon which the previous decision was arrived at was that Inmann skill might be affected by bis not having practice, and by having to do hard work in the Army. That question, however, had been raised in the case of professional musicians, and the tribunal had decided against them.

Mr. Phillips, who appeared with Inman, submitted that if everybody else in the billiard world had to go Inman should remain because of the position he had won by his own hard endeavours and his unique abilities. He had been instrumental in raising considerable sums for the Red Cross and other war institutions, and if he were in the Army he would be of very much less value to the country than in civil life—the country would lose £2,000 a year. His was an extraordinary ease, one of the few in which the tribunal had given almost absolute exemption except for requiring him to join the Y.T.C.

The Military Representative: The national circumstances are different now from what they were last June. Continuing, Mr. Phillips said Inman was tbe sole support of his family. It | was true he had been having a good income, but he was a v°.ry generous man, |and lived up to it. If he had to go his I family would be quite unsupported. If he lost his abilities he would not only be unable after the war to regain the position of billiard champion, but would be without a means of livelihood. It was, he thought, a case in which the tribunal could grant exemption.

The chairman said exemption wae out of the question; the only question was what time he should be allowed before joining up.

After consideration it was decided to give bim fourteen days to enable him to fulfil engagements already entered into, no further application to be made without the leave of the tribunal.