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NO MONTREAL NIGHT RAGING PUBLIC BILLS COMMITTEE OF LEGISLATURE REJECTS CLAUSE IN CORPORATION PAPERS. Believed That Race Tracks Will Be Taxed and That Pari-Mutuel System Will Be Adopted Throughout the Dominion. Montreal, Que., December 14. Word was received here today from the legislature in Quebec, as follows: "The public bills committee of the legislative assembly lias decreed that there will be no horse racing at night on the island of Montreal. Tin; clause asking for this privilege was cut out of the bill of incorporation of the National Jockey Club of Montreal at the suggestion of Sir I.omer Ooiiin. who is chairman of the public bills committee." Tin Montreal Star says: "That there will be a tax placed on the race tracks in the Province of Quebec now seems assured. A story was given publication Tuesday afternoon that the government would place a tax of four per at iti all money wagered at tin: meetings of the various associations in the province. This would amount to a great deal more each day than the tax on tin; tracks in the Province of Ontario, which is ,250, and would be paid by the public, and not the racing associations. Tattle credence is placed in the story, and from what we have been able to learn on good authority it is not the intention of the government to impose a tax on hotting or to make the pari-mutuel system of betting compulsory on race tracks. "It is believed, however, that .1 tax will be 1 laced at so much each racing day on each track in the province, which will also include Connaught Park, which is situated in Hull. The tracks in Quebec can hardly be expected to pay as great a tfix as those in Ontario owing to the much smaller average attendance. "In the opinion of many, it would he a good thing to force the installation of pari-mutuel machines, which would mean the passing of the syndicate rings and be better for the sport generally. "The tracks in the province, as well as those in Ontario, now using the mutuel system of betting, t.ike five per cent., which, with the breakages, amount to six per cent, of all the money handled in the machines. The percentage of most syndicate rings is far larger than this, so that the public would not be losing anything under the machine style of wagering. It would also mean that the clubs would eliminate liberal distribution of passes and charge gate admission, as the tracks in almost every other racing center do. This would give them a revenue not only from their betting enclosures, but from their gates. Several of the local independent tracks have already announced their intention of installing the machines, and the management of Mount Royal have already ordered t heirs for next season. "Some of the track owners have also discussed the discontinuing of handing out the liberal supply of passes, which will give them more control over the public, and enable them to conduct their meetings as those at the tracks on the major circuit are conducted. "The tax placed on the tracks in Ontario, where eight were operated during last season, amounted to 40,000, each association contributing to it for fourteen days racing 517,500. This tax was also paid by the two half-mile tracks operated in To-rcnto. Word of the tax being placed on Quebec tracks was not unexpected by promoters and owners in Montreal, as they have been expecting it ever since the tax was placed on the tracks in Ontario a year ago."
