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NEW ORLEANS RACING MEN DESPONDENT Can Seo No Way in Which Racing Over the Big Tracks Thcro Can Bo Conducted Local New Orleans opinion holds that there Is hardly a chance for racing there next winter It is said that the small Suburban track will be the scene of an experimental attempt to conduct a meet ¬ ing in October at which there will be nothing but individual betting and the purses will be paid by charging an admission fee of 1 and cutting out the pass system But no one lias any faitli that the experiment will be so sufficiently successful as to blaze a path along lines which the greater winter meetings can profitably operate As to these tracks the New Orleans Picayune says Looking saysLooking at the question from the side of the track owners the prospects are had There is nothing but gloom in front of them and so many laws that they do not see a chance of operating To begin with the operating expenses of the City Park or Fair Grounds track for one day under or ¬ dinary conditions Is about 0000 That would mean that every day there must be an attendance of at least 4000 people who pay their admission to pay excuses This would give no profit what ¬ ever for the owners of the property For this reason It Is absurd the officials of the big tracks say to think of opening up this winter Then again when the Locke bill went into effect it did not it is said repeal the law compelling race tracks to pay a license of 5000 to operate which is an added expense expenseAs As far as getting around the law to take bets the racing officials say it is impossible and cannot be done for the Hunsicker poolroom law provides against the taking of bets by persons out of sight of where the races are run and the Locke bill pre ¬ vents the taking of bets Inside of where the races are run This gives absolutely no loophole to crawl out of and practically assures the people of New Orleans that there will be no horse racing or betting on them in this city this fall say the race track people peopleJ J B Harrison the secretary and treasurer of the Crescent City Jockey Club said that he was positive there would bo no racing on the big tracks this winter lie said We cant open the gates for there is no chance to operate under the law We dont make any money from admissions We may have 7000 people in attendance but when It conies down to counting the gate receipts there will be far less paid admissions With an expense of tiOOO a day to begin with where would we get off Rac ¬ ing has been killed in Louisiana and I feel posi ¬ tive there will be no more of it That those financially Interested in the two big winter tracks will take some steps to test the con ¬ stitutionality of the Locke law is more than prob ¬ able but a long time will be consumed in arriving at a decision favorable or otherwise In the mean ¬ time it is fairly evident that those at New Orleans who ought to know consider any chance for racing there next winter to be practically nonexistent
