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READY FOR ANY SITUATION IN NEW YORK. Large Sums Being Expended in Improvement of Tracks — Field Books May Be Abolished. New York. February H. — While the horsemen h re in the east are taking considerable interest in what is going on at Albany, they are significantly cheerful and looking forward to a tine season of sport. Tlie racing associations too. are going ahead with their plans just as if there never was an i ■art being made to wipe out the sport. Yesterday the State Racing Commission filed notices that licenses had Im-ii granted to nine tracks that do business in the state. At Sheepshead Bay they are putting the finishing touches to at»out , h 0 worth of improvements. Graveseud is also lieing renovated and the Empire City Trotting Club will spend about 973,090 on improvements before the meeting at Yonkers opens in August. The people are prepared for trouble even jf the anti-racing bill fails. They realize that an attack will Ik- made on the present system of bookmaking aud that betting may have to lie carried on as it was at Benning last year. This is the so-called perambulating system. It worked all right *at Penning, but it would cause a lot of trouble in New York, because the crowds are larger and there will lie a greater array of bookmakers. Since the track people are taking the anli racing fight seriously, many suggestions have been made to keep the s|K rt above water if the present light fails. Some people believe that the so called "Dollar Field" should be done away with. This en closure, it is maintained, is what brings an de mem to the track that are not financially strong enough to speculate. The field do -s attract people who bet away their small earnings or savings that they can ill afford to low. Wipe out the field, say the people who offer this suggestion and make the general admission* to the truck $.. Then give the bookmakers to understand that "small betting" is not to be indulged in. This would drive away the piker. While it is true that attendance would suffer, still the increased admission would offset this in a mea-iir.- .
