view raw text
BILLS GALORE IN MARYLAND THREE MEASURES ALREADY PREPARED AT ANNAPOLIS ON SUBJECT OF RACING. Two Would Provide For State Supervision and Control of Sport, While Aim of Other Is to Stop Racing at Havre de Grace Track. Annapolis, .Al.l.. January 31. -Sieaker Trippe, of lie House of Delegates, has prepared a race traek bll which he declares will be a great revenue producer. Jlit; measure incorporates the iiercentnge feature of the Kronen law. which gives the state 4 per cent of all money watered and this in .Maryland would, it Is estimated, amount to something like S!H..4MH a year. The suggestion has been made to .Mr. Inppe that if gambling on races must prevail in .Maryland, the state might as well share in the proceeds. Last year there was handled through the pari-mutuel maehiues at limlico a sum estimated at f2.50O.000. Knlly as much was bet at Havre de Grace and Laurel as at limlico every day. and as thev ran a larger number of days, it is sale to estimate" that the three tracks together handled in tlie course of the reason an aggregate of S7,5O0,0;0 in the shape of lifts. Of course, it is impossible for anv one to stale accurately how much is handled at Havre de Grace and Laurel, as they do not have machines, but adhere to bookmakiiig. Mr. Trippe points out that the law or a racing commission could make the niutuel system compulsory just as it is in Kentucky. The Hammond bill is a copy of the Kentuckv law enacted in 1000, with a few- nioditications. Tiif legislative correspondent of the I.altimore Sun writes as follows on the subject of proposed ra-c track legislation in Maryland: Comes now Senator Hammond, of Howard County, wilh ;i bill to create a State Racing Commission, giving it authority to regulate the sport of kings ui Maryland and providing that the race tracks shall contribute no lc-s than l." tier cent, ol" their gloss earnings to the cause -of good roads. In substance it is the same bill he introduced two t years ago and which was rejected by the legislative bouncers. It now, however, wears a new collar in Pthe share-id another title and studs have been put into its shirt front by the naming or William P. Kiggs. Richaid A. .lohusou mid .lohu I. Michael as commissioners to serve under its provisions for a term of four years. Though it no doubt will meet with opposition, it is a far more satisfactory measure to the sporting lenient than is the hill introduced by Senator Williams, of Cecil, which has but one object in view, that of putting the Havre de Crace nice track out or business. True enough, the Hammond bill, if passed, would do away with the Harford and Baltimore County Racing Commissions, but it would not interfere with the tracks, md in the minds of the !i rsoy people that is a lot in its favor. "Senator Hammonds hill is entitled "An act to provide for the maintenance of the state roads or Maryland by creating a State Racing Commission, defining its powers and providing a tax on the receipts or race tracks." It provides that any corporation formed for the purpose of "racing and lirceding oi improving the breed of horses and conducting races ami contests of speed shiill have Miwer to hold one or more running race meetings in each year and offer purses, priz.es and premiums oT stakes to be contested for. "II adds, however, that no person other than the owners of the contesting horses shall have anv pecuniary interest in the stakes or be entitled to "receive any part thereof either lie fore or after the race, and thai running races shall be conducted only between April 1 and December 1 of each year. " The governor is authorized to appoint the successors of the commissioners named in the bill and the commission is required to report biennially to the Legislature its proceedings. "The bill gives it the power to prescribe rules and regulations for the conduct of all running meetings, asserts that no such races shall be held except by a corporation or association licensed by the commission and that no one association shall conduct running races for a period of more than 30 davs In any one year. Running races conducted without I In consent of the commission Tor anv stake or pi rse. it is declared in the bill, shall be regarded us culilii nuisances, and every person guilt v of violating tills provision shall lie liable to a line of nol less than J0 nor more than ,000 a day for each day the outlaw racing continues. "Trotting races and races conducted by state, county and other fair associations holding not more than one meeting not exceeding six days in length in any one year are specitically exempted from the provisions of the measure. After providing that 15 per cent of the gross revenues of the various tracks shall bo turned over to the State Roads Commission, the hill concludes with a paragraph in which the commission is given full jwwer to regulate and prescribe the methods of wagering, netting and lxiok-makiug on racing results. ""Whether or not the Hammond bill will pass is a ipiestioii. It was bitterly opposed and finally defeated at the session of 1012, mainly by representatives of Italtimore County and tin; influences behind the limlico track, who were anxious to have and dually did succeed in having created a racing commission of their own. "Bv those in touch with the situation it is believed tltat tin; Trippe, Williams and Hammond bills exhaust the list or race track legislation likely to he introduced. Senator Williams, whoni some people thought might want to have all race tracks wiped out, says that he has nothing more to offer. It is certain that the Baltimore County people will not undertake to disturb limlico and Senators Watkins, of Anne Arundel, and Holmead, of Prince Georges, say they will not offer any bills relating to Laurel. "Of course, no one can tell at this stage of the legislative game what may lumpen liefore the ses- , .sion closes. Members of the Legislature are not in- freiiiently influenced by the -wishes of their constituency and just now no one seems to know what the majority of the people back home are going , to demand in the way of race track measures. Senator Williams seems to think that his bill stands t a good show of being enacted. He is counting upon i the press and public sentiment to help him out. Mary landers, like Kentuckians, are fond of racing, but they want the sport kept clean. "In this tight against Havre de Grace Senator , Williams will be making a big mistake if he over- i looks the strength or John J. Malum. As things now stand it looks like a light against lie Havre -do Grace track and it is also going to lie a light a " against Million, and that, means a tight to the flu- I isli unless the other side weakens. Senator Wil- j Hams says that he has no Intention or weakening." The correspondent of the Baltimore News at Annapolis has this to say: "The bill of Senator "Williams has little or no chance of getting through the Legislature. The Harford County ieople do not like the Idea of having offered a bill that relates to that county and especially when one of the Harford delegation was preparing to offer a similar hill. If any repeal hill gets consideration it will be one emanating from a member of the Harford delegation. "The racing business in Harford County is tied I up witli the county government through the provisions of the act whicn created the Harford County Racing Commission two years ago. This gives 5 per cent, of the gate receipts and the residue of a Hat daily tax after expenses are paid to the road fund of the county. Last year this revenue amounted to about S7.00O. and it has served to allav opposition to the track among the farming element, as it brings about some reduction in the tax rates. Harford Countiaiis who are advocates of the track say that no one outside the county should come in anil propose any law that will take away anything from their local road fund."
