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1 CITY PARK PEOPLE SEEM IN EARNEST. J Steps Taken Looking to Putting Another New Orleans Track in Operation. I New Orleans, La.. Aug. 24. Samuel T. Woolring and Jesse W. Gardner, wealthy owners of the City Park raco track, it is announced, have let the contract for the clearing of the track and repair of the stables and grandstand in preparation for , the race meeting they contemplate conducting there the coming winter. The winning estimate on the cost of fitting the City Park oval for a high-das;; race meeting was 5,000, and tiiis is the figure Messrs. AVoolring and Gardner will pay to have the property put in order. It was at first believed the Business Mens Racing Association, racing at the Fair Grounds, would do all it could to insure itself against competition, but tho letting of the contract for the clearance i and repair of the City Park track now makes it appear that Messrs. Woolring and Gardner, both i of whom are from Lake Charles, are going through i with, their original intention of staging a meeting, t Whether the shareholders of the Business Mens c Racing Association will agree to spitting dates ; with the new organisation, or whether they will i be satisfied to see the outside syndicate get its project under way and lay the plans for gaining ? revenue from its holdings, is a matter which probably will be decided in a few days, when a meeting of the stockholders of the Business Mens Racing Association will be held for the purpose of deciding just, what terms the Fair Grounds promoters r.hould offer the City Park owners for the tract. Those who have Iteen keeping in close touch with the situation are of the opinion that the Business Mens Racing Association will agree to tho sale price fixed by Messrs. Woolring and Gardner, that the Business Mens Racing Association agree to i pay 75,000 for the City Park track, 0,000 to be paid in cash immediately and the remainder in i yearly notes. The association offered the Lake Charles owners 50,000. with the first 0,000 to be paid at the end of the coming meeting. That no attempt will be made by the City Park , owners to conduct a race meeting at the same time the Fair grounds track is in operation is not doubted. Messrs. AVoolring and Gardner already have given notice that they do not intend to make any move that would injure the thoroughbred sport in New Orleans, and it is well known they desire the Busness Mens Racing Association to lengthen the season and split dates. At tho same time, decision by the Business Mens Racing Association directors to meet the demands of the City Park track onwers will mean instant abandonment of arrangements for holding a meeting by Messrs. AVoolring and Gardner. AAork on the City Park track will start this week, it is said. Mayor Martin Behnnan, chief executive of New Orleans denied that he had thrown his support to the opposition track. "I am neither offering opposition to the new track, nor am I giving it my support. In fact I dont know who is behind the proposition. Whoever it is, though, can rely on me for a square deal, the same as I would accord to anyone. I believe that one person has as much right to operate a track here as another, so long as it is conducted legitimately." said Mayor Behrman. It is said nothing will bo done by the Business Mens Racing Association toward buying City Park until Dr. G. A. MacDiarmid. the president, returns. He is now iu Canada, but is expected back at the end of August.
