view raw text
WIRES ORDERED OUT OF KENTUCKY TRACKS. Lexington, Ky., September 14. The Kentucky-State Racing Commission, Chairman E. F. Clay, vice-.chairman Milton Young and Major Foxhall Daingor-Jiehl present, met here today to consider the measures introduced at the meeting of August 10, abolishing miction pools, permitting only pari-mutuel betting, and banishing all telephone and telegraph wires from the- Kentucky tracks. , Manager J. J. Grant of the local Western Union office- appeared before the commission with the statement that the only business of consequence he liad handled from the track in the past two years was "the newspaper specials, that the commercial Imsiness would not amount to per day and that he would give his word that he would not permit any messages other than newspaper specials to be sent if allowed to retain the wires. A committee of newspaper men went before the commission to explain that the ordering of the wires from the grounds would only tend to deprive the afternoon papers of a timely service and to increase the labors of the turf reporters. They further explained that it would- not prevent the men who were serving the poolrooms and handlooks throughout the country from getting information as usual. They have only to enter one of the numerous buildings in the vicinity of the track .and from there with glasses make their reports and phone the information to Louisville, Cincinnati ami Jeffcrsonville, 1ml., to be disseminated throughout the country. The commission, however,, decided that the wires must go and they would not even give their sanction to the employment of messengers to take the newspaper reports from the track to the downtown telegraph ollice. Their order is that nothing must go out of the track from which a poolroom servico might lie obtained. The newspaper men volunteered to send their reports without giving the prices paid by the mutucl pools, but the commission would not sanction even this. It is the most drastic enactment yet attempted by a turf governing body and, as the situation presents itself, the least effective. It will not prohibit that which it is intended to prohibit, but it hampers, harrasses and virtually deprives newspapers, -without the friendly support of which racing cannot exist, of Information to which they justly are entitled. Chairman Clay said after the commission had adjourned that he and other members of the commission had been informed by several horse owners that the iKmlrooms and handbooks usually got their service from the tracks from the newspaper reports. He said that ho supposed that the newspaper would give the commission a roasting for its action in ordering the wires out of the grounds, hut he and his fellow commissioners felt that they were doing the -only thing within their power to prevent handbook betting. General. Manager John Ilaclimeistcr of the Latonia Jockey Club was liofore the commission with a request that the commission permit Latonia some relief from the rule requiring no purse of less than 00 in the fall, the same as in the spring. He explained that Latonia, under present conditions, could not pay such purses and break even unless they should have extremely fine weather every day. He said he wanted to do what was right and proper by the horsemen, but he did not think it was just to be compelled to give the higher purses. The commission took no action in tiie matter. Edward Corrigan was before the commission with a request that some steps he taken by the commission to put him in possession of the services of jockey A. Wrispen. who is now in Canada. The commission ordered that Wrispen, W. C. Daly, M. Daly and Mr. Johnson, who bought the contract on the boy from the Dalys aftcT one of them had sold it a year before to Mr. Corrigan, appear in Lexington on Saturday, September 23, for a hearing. It. F. Carman asked the commission as to. the standing of jockey J. Glass, who was suspended in Canada. Secretary Johnston was instructed, to ask the Canadian otlicials concerning the boy. " Several applications for jockeys and trainers licenses were granted. Vice-chairman Milton Young reported that the committee had ordered the ,000 gold cup from a New York firm and the commission approved the action. The commission adjourned until Scptcmlier 23.