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MUTUEL MOVEMENT AT WOODBINE Toronto Ont December 3 At the annual meet ¬ ing of tbe shareholders of the Ontario Jockey Club President J E Seagram occupied tbe chair and before dealing with anv of the business before the meeting referred to the great loss the club had unstained in the death of the late chairman of com ¬ mittee Dr Andrew Smith SmithTbe Tbe receipts of the club for the past year were not proportionately as large as those of 1909 doubt Iej5s due to the jwstpoucment of dates in the spring owing lo the lamented death of King Edward VII and to the bad weather at the autumn meeting on tlie oiiening day and two succeeding days Purses however showed an increase of 11200 over 1909 The president expressed the hope that the club would be aide to continue to increase purses in order to maintain the quality of racing and to improve the breeding of thoroughbred horses iu Ontario and wilier parts of the Dominion DominionThe The capital stock of the company which formerly Kt od at 10000 composed of 100 shares of 100 each was increased to 200000 composed of 200 shares of 1000 each eachMr Mr Seagram also stated that arrangements were being made for the installation of the parlmutuel system of betting at Woodbine Park at the spring meeting of 1911 which action was thoroughly in accord with the views of the shareholders shareholdersThe The following were elected directors for 191011 Joseph E Seagram E B Osier M P Col Hon John S Hendric MaJ William Hendrie IU J Chris tic D W Alexander arid George W Tbrrance TbrranceCommenting Commenting on the proposed change in the method of speculation Francis Nelson writes as follows in ibe Toronto Globe GlobeIt It was not necessary to hold any opinion of the comparative merits of the parimutuel and bpokuiak ing systems of speculation to foresee in this country Ihe gradual elimination of the latter method To the observer of conditions and tendencies it was apparent that the public whether racegoing or not was coming steadily to a preference for the mechani ¬ cal instead of the human clearinghouse for the ac ¬ commodation of the speculation which iu all coun ¬ tries and at all times has attended the sport of racing horses It has been said and it is to a large extent true that the nonracing publics opinion is formed without due knowledge and information But the fact remains that this portion of the com ¬ munity has an opinion and is powerful enough to make its opinion important The number of licensed bars in Toronto is not decided by those who patron ¬ ize them but by those who do not Bookmaking lias been a losing business for sonic time not only i tiie matter of linance very few race course liook lakcrs make money in Canada but in the growth of public sentiment in opposition 10 It This is a plain fact and whether one favors it or not nothing is gained by refusing to admit an actual condition of affairs The decision of the Ontario Jockey Club to replace the old method by the new is but an evi ¬ dence of the wise and prudent management that has characterized tbe premier racing club of Canada and brought it to its present prosperity and im ¬ portance Convinced that the parlmutuel was de ¬ sired by the public and also that it is immensely superior to the method that has prevailed iu the past the Ontario Jockey Cluhs meeting next May will see it in operation and there is no room for doubt that the change will meet popular approval and supiiort While the other racing clubs have made no announcements as to their intentions it is t H supjtosed that they also will proceed on the same lines as their interests are mutual and gov ¬ erned by the same considerations While the change has been consistently advocated in these columns no claim is made here for the credit of bringing it about I only saw it coming
