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TROUBLE AHEAD FOR THORNCLIFFE. Signs of Opposition to the New Venture Appear Conflict in Dates Almost Certain. Toronto, Out., December 15. Signs of the opposition that the new ThornelilTe track is certain to have to meet are already beginning to appear, now I that the deal for the property is closed. The Mail and Empire, the leading government newspaper, has this to say editorially: "There are now three race tracks in Toronto, three in Windsor, one in Hamilton and another in Fort Erie, to say nothing of the track between Hull and Ay liner, which is for all practical purposes an Ontario track. Now it is proposed to build and operate a fourth track in Toronto. Do those responsible for this latest promotion understand that Canada is at war, or are they aliens who have no other interest in the war, but to make money out of it? Ontario may need a number of things, but at the present time one of those things is decidedly not another race track." The nossibility that dates will be allotted the new organization by the Canadian Racing Associations is not considered within the bounds of discussion, it being understood that these have already been decided on, and no time is left for another track. ThornelilTe will, therefore, have to race in conflict with some meeting sanctioned by the Canadian Racing Associations. Trouble is also threatened from another quarter. A prominent member of the Horsemens Association is quoted as saying: "The position of the horsemen was clearly set out at the meeting here during the last Woodbine meeting, when the Devonshire meeting was up for discussion. The whole thing wa: threshed out, and it was decided that we would not race at any meeting in Ontario not under license at that time. That was done regularly and formally and is on the books. We couldnt go back on that unless the association goes out of business, and thats the last thing the horsemen intend to do." Still another difficulty, which may be serious if the terms on which the deal lias been made are correctly icportod by street gossip, is that from legislation which, it is said, will be put into effect by the Dominion government at the next session of parliament. That is, to set a limit to the dividends that may be paid by jockey clubs throughout Canada to their support of the remount breeding plan. This would not relieve the clubs oi! the provincial taxation which is not imposed in Ontario and decided on for Quebec, so that the prospects of big returns from racing enterprises in Canada are, at present, far from brilliant. So far as a license from the provincial treasurer for a meeting at Thorncliffe is concerned, that seems to have been settled when he said that lie had no option in the case of Devonshire, the license being a routine matter where a club had a valid charter and a racing property.
