The first annual report of the graduate treasurer for athletics is enough in itself to show conclusively that the plan of having an older head to control our athletic expenses is a good one. When we think of the bad management in some of the past years, we wonder that the position of graduate treasuer was not established long before. Now that it has been put on a sure footing, we need have no longer the slightest fear of utterly reckless and extravagant managing by undergraduates.

The graduate treasurer, however, cannot oversee the many details in the management of the teams; and the responsibility, therefore, for incurring needless expenses still rests upon the various managers. Their items of expense, the graduate treasurer thinks, can be greatly cut down; and we look to future managers for great improvement in this regard.

With the exception of this seemingly needless expese, then, the report shows the finances to be in a very satisfactory conditions. It is worthy of note that the freshman management of the foot ball and base ball teams was especially careful and successful. In most of the 'varsity teams also, affairs are in an encouraging way, and some of the associations are self-supporting.

In spite of this fact, however, there can be no doubt that the strain upon the students of the University for the support of athletics is far too heavy. This exhausting burden must be raised in some way. There are two ways in which it can, at any rate, be relieved: The first is by cutting down the running expenses of the teams; the second is by combining the finances of the teams, so that, under one management as far as possible, they can be run together, and money saved by the combination of the various interests, which now pull apart rather than together.

This plan of centralization in athletics is the one to be worked up and perfected during the next few years. The various athletic managements of the University already seem to be working with such a plan in view, and the interests of every branch demand such a centralization. We hope even to see, before a long time, the management of all the athletics of the University under one head-not an undergraduate.