First Session votes:
a. Standards? For: 64 Against 25 (incl. Japan, Sweden, Yugoslavia, Korea ...)
b .Pimpled Rubber only standard: For: 50 Against: 35
Therefore the Advisory Committee prepared a compromise proposal, one submitted by China: Pimpled rubber only, or sandwich, 4mm maximum thickness, pips in or out, sponge as underlying material; another by Deputy President Ake Eldh (SWE): pimpled rubber, + sandwich, pips out only, no maximum thickness, no definition of underlying material.
Japan continued their opposition to standardization, but if necessary, would support proposal 1 but with 6 or 8mm maximum thickness, to allow room for experiment.
A sub-committee was then formed to consult the delegates, concluding that the Eldh proposal had no chance of ¾ majority, so the Chinese proposal was submitted to the Second Session of the Congress. Doubtless there was a strong lobbying effort to finally put an end to one of the most difficult problems ever to face the ITTF.
Second Session vote:
With a vote of 72 –19 (against: Japan, Korea, Sweden Egypt Iran Yugoslavia ...) the compromise was finally achieved.
Law 4 was revised to state:
The racket may be of any size, shape or weight. Its surface shall be dark coloured, and non reflecting. The blade shall be of wood, continuous, of even thickness, flat and rigid. If the blade is covered on either side, this covering may be either (a) of plain, ordinary pimpled rubber, with pimples outward, of a total thickness of not more than 2mm; or (b) of 'sandwich', consisting of a layer of cellular rubber surfaced by plain ordinary pimpled rubber – turned outwards or inwards – in which case the total thickness of covering of either side shall not be more than 4mm.