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EXPERIENCES OF A "BUSH" OFFICIAL. George S. Kill;;, who manages tin" thoroughbred J vans giveu in connection with the anntiiil fair at Helena, Mont., has been teHlng a Montana news- luiper man of s,,in - of his experiences as a racing ottiiial at "bush" meetings. He i» quoted as tallows: ; ■At an up state meeting not many years ago an ■ owner with a -table of average selling platers had gone through the circuit with his string ami had • been quite successful, winning the majority of races he had started in. J •-.Now. before telling this story. 1 will say thai • tin- greatest drawback a racing secretary in tin- J iajshes ha in handling these fair meeting! is tn, i utter Isek of knowledge that Hie others of the J various fair associations have of the running rales, • and when ail argument arise-, a- it often does at J such meetings, ii is the hardest thing in the world • to explain tne nibs t,, such otlicials. so as to make ■ them understand them. , •While nearl] all of them are proficient enough j on the in!- of the harness game, they never seem to take anj interest in the running end of the races - "Going back to the matter In question, it hap J p. i,e,l that when are arrived at the third city of the circuit we had Home new material to race against ; Hi,- mans string, that had been shipped from Unite , e-P dally for i hat purpose. ; •1 was readj ihe day before the meeting opened to hang out the conditions for the Irsl days entries, when I was requested by the secretary of the asso , elation to attend a n iing of the directors, which had ben called early, to Inform me that the party with Ihe successful string had registered a protest with the association and had complained that the other horsemen were conspiring to take advantage of him by claiming or bidding up ail hw horses in , M-lling races. He asked thai all Belling races be omitted and that nothing but allowance races and , handicaps tie giM-u in order to protect him. "After the secretary had told me what he wanted, I then bad to explain to the oancmls the rubs on selling races, and the necessity of them, with the ; class of horses ..n hand. I pointed out that there were nineteen othei owners with horses to cater to. who did as much to make their meeting a success I ilhl the part will demanded that selling race- be eliminated. "However, having an idea of what eonhl be done in the emergency. I told the director- that I would do .,_ the wished, hut Hi, it 1 could arrange mj pro gram so thai ihe owner in question would not have -i:.li a walkover as he imagined. The horsemen had in the meantime eat he red around the office and overheard the demand made of me by the directors an I had decided to pack their trap- and ship back to Butte when i assured them that all would be satis .. and that Hey would all be gratified with lie n -lilt-. ■-flic overtime to make -itii.it .-n had me working condition- that would suit the majority ot the horsemen and still eliminate the selling clans.-, which t,. some looked like serving a ham sandwl It n tboul ihe ham. The majority of the horse- ores • nt had been running iii cheap selling races, so 1 Pliidcud :n arranging the new conditions for horse* that had started la 00 or 200 selling race- within :i certain lime. This resulted in every one of the horsemen making some money with the exception « f the one who had tried to obtain an unfair advantage. He won in-! on,- race during the meeting. • li ail goes I" -how that Ihe horsemen who try ;mm help meeting along and run their horses re- gardless of condition* are always protected by ti"-officials in charge ami given opportunities thai the k. k, i nevei gets. ••fhe professional iMisbwhacker Is one who races in tin bashes only and is the one man that all racing officials fear, a- he i- a disturbing element and always ready to take advantage of u official when ever be think- In- i an run a bluff. "Thai -•mi- ieason at one ,,t the largest fair- in Me i He 1 happened to have a -take race on Which ffc v.i ;, handicap and put the weight on a certain horse at IOG I nds, while the top weight was lis fie- owner of the borne with the lesser weight had -hipped hi- -trim: from Spokane and brought along • hi- own boy, who conhJ not rMe at less than 10 pound- • When the weights appeared for the race every hnd seemed -aii-ind with the allotment, but the next morning il wnet of Ihe Itghtlj weighted horse Mingled no I Ihe secretary of tb,- association snd asked him if he could not use hi- influence si 1 have me raise ihe scale of weights three pounds « each horse, a- hi- hoy could not , than 109. aud had to tatty thteo pvuuds o Mr. It look me some little time to -how tin- secretary how land vis side that would be. This goes to show to what e lent He- hoi -elllell will go to gel tin advantage" Iii discussing the growing Importance of the Helena lair meeting, -Mr. hlotz pointed out that the -ah- of a net ton 1 1- and pai i inn 1 11. 1 s amounted 10 sr.s.iNio when he first served as an otlicia I I her,-. I eight years ago. and that during the meeting "I 1912 the sales in the mulm-ls only, auction 1 ling having been eliminated, amouuted to K;, xhj.
