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MANAGER MATT J. WINN EXPLAINS. Gives Details of Betting System to Prevail at New Orleans. New Orleans, La., November , 9. The entries to the stakes offered by the Crescent City and City Park Jockey Clubs closed today and will be announced in a few days. The executive committee of the City Park Jockey Clnb held an informal meeting today, with S. F. Heaslip presiding, for the purpose of shaping matters for presentation to the annual meeting of stockholders to be held Monday. After the meeting adjourned, Matt .T. Winn, who will be general manager of both tracks this winter, said: "I came here, not to find places for any of my friends, but to obtain the best results possible in the advancement and elevation of local racing, working loyally and harmoniously with such a staff as might be furnished me by the local directors. It is the same way regarding the prospective policy of the clubs. I shall he glad to give my views to the local directors, and then carry out whatever policy they made decide upon. The local directors met me this afternoon, and we talked matters over in an informal fashion, but at least some features of the policy which we shall probably pursue were fairly well crystalized. "In the matter of .bookmaking I think we shall adopt a slight modification of the plan pursued in the east. We shall do away with the big boards and the high stands, and adopt the stools or benches instead. We shall not, however, pay off by the badge numbers, as they do in the east, not for the present, at all events, but :he bookmakers will issue the tickets just as the bookmakers do in the west and pay off on these tickets just as western bookmakers now do. I think this will be found a much quieter and more unostentatious system than we have been pursuing in the west. Each bookmaker can make his own prices on the small slate, which he holds in his hand, and he may make a shorter or longer price than his neighbor, just as he sees fit. Nobody can guy him about the prices he is laying, and as bettors are going down the line they can pick out the prices which suit them and place their money without any noise or fuss about it. "Then, again, there are big books and small books, books which cannot stand for more than a 50 bet on a certain horse, and books which can afford to take 500 on the same horse. The big speculators naturally will take the book which will take all the money he desires to bet, even though the price may be a trille shorter, while the light speculator will go to the small book, which is being rounded up," because it may give him a shade better odds. Besides this, we have decided to ma.ke the ring considerably less costly to the bookmaker than formerly. We shall charge only 15 a race, and that charge will be made to include every line of service and information, so that on a six-race program the bookmakers total fees will only amount to 90 a day. This, of course, will enable the bookmaker to lay better odds, and the speculators will be given better value for their money in the matter of prices. "Another Innovation upon which we were all agreed this afternoon was the elimination of the grandstand messengers. In common with many thoughtful turfmen I believe that betting by women is one of the most serious menaces to racing, and I was glad to find the local track directors in full accord with me on this question. We shall not try to prevent women from betting, but we shall offer them no facilities for doing so. Ladies who wish to make trifling investments can do so through their escorts or their friends, but the clubs will take no responsibilities in the matter and no one will be permitted to wear a badge indicating that the club has anything to do with him. We shall be glad to see large crowds of ladies in our grandstands, but we would rather have none of their custom in the betting ring. There are but few of the gentler sex who know enough about racing to bet intelligently and protect their interests, and we would rather see them enjoy the sport as they enjoy any other out-of-door sport, simply as interested spectators, but with none of the unwholesome fever of speculation. Racing is a grand sport, and no lady can be hurt by it if she will only leave the betting end of it alone. "Our policy will be to give sport worth witnessing, and to that end our program will be designed to bring out the best class ,of horses as often as possible. I found this, afternoon that the local directors had what "I regard as sound and wholesome views on this subject. They feel that good racing by good horses will do vastly more to elevate the sport than what are termed bookmakers races, which means evenly balanced fields of such low platers that the speculator is set guessing, every animal in the race being sure to command something of a folllowing. I would rather see some very one-sided races which should show to the public really high-class horses than these scrambles among no account brutes of no class at all. "Now I would like to make it very clear that I am not here as an interloper seeking to find places for my personal friends. I shall not make a single appointment, leaving all that to the local directors, under whose supervision 1 expect to work. I have absolutely no ax to grind, and my only desire is to elevate the sport as best I can, and I may add that with the assured co-operation of the local directors, and the good will of the horse owners, east and west, I hope to see much done along these lines. "I am glad to say that we are receiving support from some of the most prominent horsemen east and west. Hitherto we have never had an eastern contingent of more than 200 horses, but this season we have stalls booked for over COO horses. In the west, too, we have the backing of the most prominent turfmen, gentlemen of social and business standing whose friendship cannot fall to do much to give tone to local racing."
