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QUESTIONS INVOLVED IN THE EAST. Prediction Made That New Laws Will Not Put an End to Sport in New York State. New York. July It.— "If the Coney Island Jockey Chid decides to continue its fall meeting after Sep leather 1 all of the other tracks will follow suit." Mid a well-informed racing man to a Sun reporter. •Von see. the Coney Island Jockey Club, which is the richest association operating under the jurisdiction of the Jockey Club, has twelve days to race, beginning Monday. August 20. and ending on Saturday. September 10. I am told that the Futurity will lie run possibly on August 30 and that there is fan! about an even chance for running the entire meeting off. The Coney Island Jockey Club in forme: days of prosperity set aside an emergency fund which reached large proportions in half a dozen years. When the Hart-Agnew laws went into effect in 1908, just prior to the spring meeting at Shecps-haad Bajr, the Coney island Jockey club lost 50.- OW I hat year, but the stockholders were not assessed. Last season, under rather trying circumstances, more money was lost, while the recent spring meeting at tli" Hay showed a deficit of nearly 0,000. As 1 understand it. there is still a surpius in the treasury to offset future losses, but from what I bear, the minority stockholders are opposed to a farther continuance of the sport, as they canu t make themselves believe that racing can be brought back to the farmer plane of popularity without a long, expensive light. The minority stockholders, however, may be convinced later that the turf can be rejuvenated. The other racing associations arc re ady to go ahead with the fall dates and are bringing great pressure to bear apen the Coney Island Jockey Club to stand by its guns. "Slieepshead Bay ajrft have only nine days to run after the Agtiew -Perkins laws go into effect. Before Hie director! of the Coney Island Jockey Club could lie held responsible lor violations of the aati-book-making, with or without writing, law. it would be necessary to secure the c— Taction of a so-called layer. 1 understand that the race track attorneys are flftent thai the courts will hold that oral belting without recording does not cane under the head of hookmaking. and that in such an event the directors of racing associations will not be in danger of prosecution. As a matter of fact, all this legislation at Albany h is been aimed at so called "bookmakiiig." it practice that has not existed from a technical and legal point of view for lit teen years. When charg s were preferred against Sheriff Bradley of Saratoga two years ago the proof was lac king that bookmakiiig had been Indulged in and upon the referees recommendation Governor Hughes dismissed the charges. It was shown then by competent persons familiar with betting methods that the layers of odds at Saratoga had not recorded transactions and that no written proof could be produced by anybody that beta had been made. These conditions prevail on the raee tracks today and arheu the proper time cuius it will be shown that hookmaking docs not exist. "Assemblyman Perkins is quoted as saying that the now laws, partially introduced by him at Albany last siding, do not prohibit individual belting, but arc aimed at bookmaknig. which, in his opinion, means the taking of bets from all comers. If Mr. Kerktoa i quoted correctly It will be an easy matter to prove that booUinaking is a lost art by simply producing evidence that wagers in some cases have been refused. It will In- a difficult task to prove that persons who accent wagers do so as an exclusive business, for these- persons, almost to a man. are interested in other pursuits. When the courts have been appcab-d to I think you will rind that the ruling of the Court of Appeals last November will COOnl for much. That opinion sets forth iii plain language that the laying uf odds orally, without a written or printed memorandum, was not ° hook m a k -ing a prohibited by the eonatltatfcm of the Stale of New lark. Aa the original Agnew Perkina measure was Framed it was Intended to prohibit hookaaaking orally • r otherwise.. If the bill in that form had become a law it would have- bee a impossible to make an oral wager. But when the words "orally or otherwise were eliminated ami -with or without writing were substituted a loophole was provided for individual speculation. "In vie w of the se tai ls there seems to be no valid reason why the tracks should not go ahead with their i e hecinlcs. The y have been formally licensed by the State Racing Commission to hold meetings and hav. paid Ike required license fees. As racing and betting are legal you will Bad that the turf win take on .• w lease of life as soon as the few question* In d aibt have bVCD posliivcly established."
