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COUNTING THE COST. Because the anti-betting law lias rendered racing but a memory in New York State, millions of dollars worth of choice real estate is today worse than useless worse than useless because it carries with it heavy taxation. It is further worse than useless because the fact that it is standing idle means a qnarter-niillion-dollar cut in the annual revenues of the state. An ollicial high in the Jockey Club gave almost 2,000,000 as his conservative estimate of race track property in the Empire State. The approximate values of the tracks lie estimates as follows: JlchiKiiit Park. ,200,000; Giavesend, , 700,010; rsliecTshoad Bar, ,000,000; Aqueduct, ,000,000; Jamaica. SSCO.000; Saratoga. ?1. 00,000; Kenilworth, M50 i00; Empire City. ,500,000. Total. ,:i50,-if,r. The taxes on these properties probably amount to $.0,;;0. When racing nourished, the state also got "another 50,000, representing five iwr cent, of the earnings of the tracks, so now the public treasurers income from King Horse is just cut in half. Dig as this common loss to the racing interests hurt the public treasury is, however, the lovers of racing more keenly feel the los of horses, trainers, jockeys and owners that once made this country one of the greatest racing nations on earth. They feel this loss not morly because real racing has through their departure practically disappeared while lot-tlii" nourishes triumphant, but more because they see" in it the rapid decline of the American thoroughbred. Only a few days ago General Wood declared that the problem of furnishing cavalry remounts is becoming a serious one because of the disappearance of racing, and today August Belmont, chairman of the Jockey Club and probably the best-knowii racing man in the country, echoed and continued the statement, saying: "General Woods statement to Congress of the h-irm done in the army in the matter of remount horses for the United States cavalry, by the crusade i"-iinst racing in various states of the Union, coming from such a high authority, needs no confirmation. "The turf of tills state was on a par with the turf of European countries in the character and the size of its stake races. It is only through such that "reat horses can he developed and owned. Destroy these and our horses, and more than this, our highly eliicicnt trainers and jockeys, will go to the only remaining fields where really important racing exists, viz., abroad, even if our owners remain at home." Another element of loss to the country through the chilling effect the end of racing in Now York has had in other states is the loss or employment of thousands formerly employed in breeding, training -md operating the tracks. The money loss represented bv the departure of stock is also tremendous. This would be all right, racing men point out. if it were a regular export business, but it is not a natural trade, and In their opinion points to the 4 ultimate end of breeding on any large scale. Their contention is borne out, too, by the fact that the numlier of registered foals has fallen over fifty per cent, during the present year. New York World.
