The monthly meeting of the Eastern Pennsylvania District Soccer Football Association, held in Philadelphia on Monday night, was devoted mostly to heated discussion on the present soccer controversy that is raging in this country. Judging by the arguments and statements made it appears that the subsidiary soccer governing body, to which Bethlehem is a part, equally divides its views on which side is right and wrong, but is almost unanimously in favor of arbitration between the American Soccer League and the United States Football Association, the participants in the controversy.

It all started when a letter was read from Thomas Cahill, secretary of the United States Football Association, in which it was stated that the association alleged John B. Farrell, recently retired president of the Eastern Pennsylvania Football Association, with being in sympathy with the American Soccer League and with being on the "payroll of that outlawed group" in some official capacity. To this charge Mr. Farrell made a personal answer in a somewhat lengthy address in which he affirmed the charge that he was in sympathy with the outlawed league, but declared that the charge that he was affiliated with them in a paying or official capacity was untrue. He declared, however, that he stood ready to help them in whatever way he could without injury to his status with the U. S. F. A. After some discussion and questioning the secretary of the Eastern Pennsylvania Association was instructed to communicate with the parent governing body that insofar as they could determine, Mr. Farrell was guilty of no offense such s had been charged against him.

Benjamin Schroeder, attorney and vice president of the United States Football Association, was present at the meeting to explain in detail the entire controversy from the viewpoint of the parent body. He reviewed the case in its entirety and concluded by urging that the local governing body give its support to the movement that the U. S. F. A. be backed and that the matter should not be arbitrated.

In this last suggestion he met with much opposition and was literally forced to relinquish the floor in the face of those who wished to state their reasons why the mater should be arbitrated. It was the general consensus of the members present that the entire controversy should be arbitrated with a third and neutral party. However, along with this feeling there also is a loyal attitude toward the United States Football Association.

The rest of the meeting was devoted to routine business, the most important of which was the outlawing of Pat Riley, a member of the council, who recently became a manger of the new Philadelphia team organized by the American League to combat the soccer activities of the Eastern Soccer League in that city.