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I, * -+ REFORMS TO BE CARRIED OUT AT THE COMING MEETING AT NEW ORLEANS ■a* Fort Brie, Out., AagUSt 7. — At a conference held here the past week between Joseph A. Murphy. J. 15. Campbell and Joseph McLennan, tiie Judge! for the cooilag winter mrrtlag at New Orleans, many of the details lor the meet in1/, which opens January J. were gone over. Definite announcement has already been made that no purse of less than .00 will be grveu during the 50-day meeting. It was decided, is last winter, that the apprentice allowance in seUlag races shall be available only on horses belonging to the contract employer of an ap prentice, and the scale of weights will be kept up so that the better lass of riders will be able to -■cure mounts in every race without destroying their t friciency by ruinous reducing. The New Orleans officials are firm in their belief that the present apprentice rule is practically eliminating good riders from the turf. The sidling race must necessarily be the basis of all programs. Owners seem to prefer Incompetent apprentices to finished riders on account of the nve-pound allowance granted them in sidling races, and experience has shown that just when a rider begins to reach the SeUlth of his efficiency Ibis thrown into the discard because his apprenticeship has expired. Every effort should be made to keep good riders in the -addle, and that will be the policy carried out at the Crescent City. As last yea;, every Tuesday will be holies day. On these occasions no race at less than a mile will he given. This might -••in at irst glance a ditlicnlt thing to do. but the Business Mens Baciag Assoeiatloa does not derive any revenue from In- belling and is consequently under no obligation to provide good belting races, and the track can lie and will lm assuaged purely from a sport ii,v. standpoint. Long-distance race- are immensely popular in New Orleans, and every effort will be made to feature them. Commencing January 1. a two-year-old race will be j:iven every day except on ladies days. Results have shown tiiat the two-year-olds that raced at New Orleans the past winter have been able to hold ■i1 their own along the line, as has been evidenced by the performances of Black ie Daw. Mary ll.. Sal Vanity and other-. No spurs and no blinkers will be allowed in two year-old races. The suggestion of no blinkers has come from Francis Nelson, presiding judre of the Canadian circuit, and has been quickly adopted by the New Orleans officials. The experience Of these men has been that in ninety cases out of one hundred blinkers are put on a horse with no logical reason. In fact, most trainers will be unable to tell why they put them on. The officials are hoping that all governing bodies will adopt the rule commencing January 1. that all horses foaled in 1!»14 and in all succeeding year- niii-t be run without blinkers. They believe that it will minimize accidents and make form truer. Blinkers are often used as a cloak for inconsistency. While someone may draw a Stalker that blinkers may benefit, it will all break even under the law of average just as a man may have a bleeder or a cripple. There will be no entrance fees to overnight raCeS and no declaration fees from them. in fact, every possible thing will be done to take the burden of expense from the horsemen. With no stall rent and borsemea free to buy their feed where they please. they should be able to meet expenses. Horses may i e scratched to eight and then withdrawn only with the Consent of the judges, and a reasonable excuse must he offered for such withdrawal. The Judges will accept any proper excuse, but they realize that, after all. it is the public that supports racing and horsemen will not lie permitted to riddle a card at their pleasure. Scratches will be due at 1 oclock. This is done to minimize handbook betting Ihrough-oiit the country. On these lines, too, if a telegraph ollice is allowed on the grounds the association will place a man in I huge to censor all messages. No tips will be allowed to be sent from this office, and no Commissions. No telegram in code may be sent, and no order for betting from the oul-ide. nor telc-grams in coda will lx- allowed to come over the w ire.
