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TO FOSTER LONG-DISTANCE RACING. Weight Allowance for Non-Winner at Mile and Over Over 700 Horses at Track. New Orleans, La., December 13. Acting in accordance with a recommendation made by Racing Secretary Joseph McLennan, Judge Joseph A. Murphy today made a rule whereby horses, which never have won a race at a mile or over, will get an additional weight allowance. It is the belief of both Judge Murphy and Secretary McLennan that this rule will result in larger fields contesting for long-distance races, which it is their intention to foster here. The news that such a rule had been made mot with favor among the owners and trainers already here. It will be especially beneficial to the coming three-year-olds, as few of them have ever started in a race at mile or over. Several hundred persons journeyed to the Fair Grounds this morning to see the coming two-year-olds get their first lessons at the barrier and to watch the older horses in their morning trials. Assistant starter Jim Osborne had a large number of the youngsters at the gate getting them accustomed to the tape and to walking up to it, but it will he several days before he makes any nttempt to start them breaking away from the barrier. Because of the persistency of trainers and exorcise boys in working horses near the spot where the barrier was put up today at schooling time, it was announced that rule providing for the clearing of the track at 10 a. m. daily, except for those horses being schooled, will be rigidly enforced. More horses were on the track today than any day since last winter. Today marked the first day in a long time that there were no arrivals of horses. With more than 700 of them stabled on the ground there are only a few more to come and these have been delayed because of the inability of their owners to obtain horse cars. Jockey W. Hoag, who is under contract to W. Woodward, got in today. He came from his home Su Pittsburgh, where he has been since the La-tonia meeting closed. Judge Joseph A. Murphy today said, "While I was east and north, 1 made inquiries among the railroad people and I do not hesitate to say that New Orleans will see the greatest crowd of winter visitors it has known in its history. This is saying a whole lot, I know, but it is the truth. In fact, I believe there will be so many visitors that hotels and boarding houses will be crowded uncomfortably. For that reason I would suggest that an immediate move be made by local hostelries and hoarding houses to organize a bureau for the purpose of facilitating the work of accommodating the visitors that are coming. The crowds are coming .surely."
