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Schoverling Daly & Gales 
302-304 Broadway NEW YORK 
D. 1815. 
By resolution, it was decided that regular entries 
for the Grand American Handicap of 1916 must be 
made on or before Saturday, August 5th, 1916. This 
is one week earlier than heretofore. 
By resolution, it was decided that in 1916 the Grand 
American Trapshooting Tournament shall be given at 
St. Louis, Mo.; the Southern Trapshooting Tournament 
at Memphis, Tenn.; the Eastern Trapshooting Tourna¬ 
ment at Philadelphia, Pa., and the Western Trapshoot¬ 
ing Tournament at Omaha, Neb. 
Inasmuch as no applications were received for hold¬ 
ing the Tournament, it was decided, by resolution, not 
to give a Pacific Coast Trapshooting Tournament in 
1916. 
The following committees were appointed to serve 
•during the year 1916: 
Tournament Committee—J. T. Skelly, chairman; F. G. 
Drew, T. H. Keller, Jr., J. L. Clark, L. J. Squier, R. 
W. Clancy, H. E. Winans. 
Trophy Committee—A. F. Hebard, chairman; W. R. 
Clark, C. R. Babson. 
Gun Club Organization Committee—T. H. Keller, Sr., 
chairman; L. P. Smith, Edward Banks. 
The committee to allot handicaps for the 1916 Grand 
American Handicap will be announced later. 
After discussing matters of no particular interest 
to the general public, the directors’ meeting adjourned 
to meet at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1916, during the 
week of the Seventeenth Grand American Trapshoot¬ 
ing Tournament. 
THE INTERSTATE ASSOCIATION, E. Reed Shaner, 
Secretary. 
Manager’s Report. 
Pittsburgh, Pa., November 24, 1915. 
To the President, Officers and Members of The 
Interstate Association. 
Gentlemen: I herewith submit my report as man¬ 
ager for the year 1915. The statistical data, giving 
operations in detail, will be found in the reports of 
the treasurer and secretary. 
The fillowing excerpt from my report of 1914 applies 
fully to this year: “The season has been unquestion¬ 
ably the most successful in the history of the Asso¬ 
ciation—more contestants participating, more targets 
being trapped and more money being divided in the 
purses than during any previous year.” Could a more 
gratifying report be presented? What makes this year’s 
showing more emphatic is the fact that baseball and 
other high class pastimes suffered severely from the 
industrial lull which prevailed the land over during 
almost the entire year. In no locality did the blight 
of depression affect trapshooting to any material ex¬ 
tent. This showing clearly indicates the popularity 
■of the sport under the guidance of our organization. 
The amended trophy plan, whereby the winners 
could make their own selections of prizes, proved to 
be a most popular custom and met with universal 
favor. It was unquestionably a step in the right 
direction. Though the idea entailed more general 
work and bookkeeping than was expected, the results 
attained justified the extra work placed upon the 
Pittsburgh office. While the season was in its in¬ 
fancy a plan was evolved whereby the work of this 
department was kept up-to-date. There were times, 
however, when our orders for trophies almost swamped 
the New York manufacturers from whom they were 
purchased, but, through increasing their engraving 
force, they were able to keep pace with the demand 
with slight delay. Nine hundred eighty-three (983) 
trophies, not including thirty-three (33) awarded at 
the Handicap Tournaments directly given by our As¬ 
sociation, were distributed in all sections. They are 
permanent testimonials to the efficiency of The Inter¬ 
state Association and its methods. 
The change made last year whereby all applications 
for Registered Tournaments carrying requests for con¬ 
tributions had to be filed by February 15th was also 
a step in the right direction. • It enabled us to make 
a proper, fair and unselfish award of the Registered 
Tournament Fund. It also permitted us to arrange a 
satisfactory list of tournaments with virtually no con¬ 
flicting dates. At the outset some opposition developed 
against this plan, the objection coming from clubs 
which, though aided in past years, thought they should 
be given preference in this year’s allottment of the 
fund. Compliance with their demands would have been 
discrimination against deserving clubs which had not 
been favored in former seasons. While contributions 
could not be made to all, no worthy club was refused 
registration under our “Old Policy.” A few clubs may 
not yet be reconciled to the new method, but there is 
every reason to believe that they will fall in line, 
for, as the season progressed, there was an evident 
decline in opposition to the new plan. My observa¬ 
tion of the situation leads me to suggest a continua¬ 
tion of the present plan in order that clubs which held 
tournaments this year under our “Old Policy” can be 
A Good Indian-Chief Bender, a Great Baseball 
Pitcher, One of the Squad of Baseball Trap¬ 
shooting Stars Recently Touring the 
Country. 
given contributions next year. Of course, clubs that 
received contributions this year cannot expect to re¬ 
ceive first consideration in 1916. This plan will enable 
us to make an equitable assignment of the Registered 
Tournament Fund, but owing to the amount at our 
command each year being limited, it will require more 
than one season to accomplish this result. 
Grand American Trapshooting Tournament. 
Our members are so familiar with the success of 
this stellar event, that it is needless for me to call at¬ 
tention to the fixture. Its magnitude overwhelmed 
the trapshooting world. Imagine almost one thousand 
contestants taking part, and the trapping of three car 
loads of targets, and a fair idea can be formed of 
this wonderful tournament. Its like has never been 
known on the planet. Consummation of this big event 
without a hitch is a tribute to the thoroughness of 
organization in all departments. I want to go on 
record as saying that the marvelous success of this 
tournament was largely due to the loyal support given 
the management by the office force, which cheerfully 
worked all day and late into the night to perfect the 
many details essential to its proper operation. Only 
those on the inside can form a reasonable estimate of 
the tremendous task of conducting this stupendous 
event. 
The tournament was held on the lake front in Chi¬ 
cago and the largest gallery in the history of the rec¬ 
reation assembled during the five days it was held 
It is estimated that 25,000 people witnessed the main 
competition. The location was a most fortunate one 
as it brought trapshooting to the notice of thousands 
who had never witnessed a target thrown from a trap. 
Undoubtedly a lasting impression was made on many 
visitors and the sport will surely gain from this grand 
demonstration. 
While I am harping on an old string, now that the 
Association has accomplished its object and produced 
the world’s greatest sporting fixture, 'I think it is 
time to call a halt on the scope of the Grand Ameri¬ 
can Handicap and establish methods that will tend 
to minimize instead of maximize this event. Although 
I have so stated in more than one of my previous 
reports, I would again state that in my view it 
should not be the ambition of the Association to make 
the Grand American Handicap the largest, but the best 
in existence. In my opinion, we should not cater to 
quantity, in preference to quality, and that we should 
not cheapen America’s blue ribbon event by reducing 
it to the level of a show. I am not alone in this stand 
as several of this year’s contestants expressed to me 
their belief that the event was tiresome and that the 
sport was detracted from by the massiveness of the 
tournament. One man aptly styled it “a round up.” 
True, many sportsmen were highly enthused over the 
colossal affair and heartily Congratulated the Associa¬ 
tion on its success, but I am confident a reduction in 
the entry list and a return to five traps would meet 
with the approval of a majority of the contestants who 
annually, take part in this great event. 
I would reiterate that there is no intent nor need 
to change the system, but to make the conditions more 
rigid. I feel confident that this would meet the views 
of the best sportsmen, who would rather fail nobly 
contesting under difficulties than win what might pos¬ 
sibly degenerate into a barren honor, where conditions 
were such as to induce a multitude to compete, no 
matter how much outclassed. 
I hbpe our members will appreciate the fact that my 
sentiment is uttered with all sincerity and that I 
have nothing but the best interests of the Grand Ameri¬ 
can Handicap at heart, devoid of any selfish considera¬ 
tion whatever. 
The Future. 
The outlook for 1916 could not possibly be better. At 
this time all that seems necessary is adherence to 
those methods which have carried 11s along so finely 
to the present time. 
In Conclusion. 
I again tender our members my hearty thanks for 
their unflagging support, and in this I include our 
honorary press members for their unremitting courtesy 
and encouragement. 
Very respectfully submitted, 
ELMER E. SHANER, Manager. 
President’s Report. 
New Haven, Conn., December 1, 1915. 
To the Members of The Interstate Association. 
Gentlemen: The reports you will receive from the 
secretary and the treasurer-manager will cover 
thoroughly the condition and the year’s work of our 
Association and 1 am quite sure that all our members 
will be satisfied that the past year has been a suc¬ 
cessful one. 
It is unnecessary for me to go into details covering 
the Grand American Handicap Tournament and Sub¬ 
sidiary Tournaments given by our Association during 
the past season, as a complete account of the accom¬ 
plishments in this direction will be found in the sec¬ 
retary’s report, as well as a full account of conditions 
as apply to Registered Tournaments given by the many 
gun clubs throughout the country. 
It is not my intention to make any recommendations 
involving further changes in our present policy, or to 
make any suggestions that will in any way disturb the 
very pleasant conditions now existing. 
During the past three years certain radical changes 
