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SUSPENSION WILL BENEFIT RACING Secretary William Northey of Montreal Jockey Club Believes Shutdown in Canada Will Prove Blessing. By J. R. Jeffery. Saratoga, N. Y., Aug. 21. William Northey, secretary of the Montreal Jockey Club, whose meetings at the beautiful Blue Bonnets track are patronized by the leaders of Montreal society and finance, has been keenly enjoying the racing here for a few days. Mr. Northey feels sanguine that the temporary suspension .of racing in Canada because of war conditions will in the end prove a blessing in disguise. He believes that out of the situation will come some remedial legislation which will place the sport on an enduring basis and restrict the multiplicity of fly-by-night race courses built, solely for the commercialism of racing, to the existence of which and the consequent overdoing of racing at certain points he attributes the recent order-in-council suspending all betting on the races in Canada for the period of the war and for six months after its termination. Mr. Northey believes that the separation of the wheat from the chaff in Canadian racing will be accomplished by a combination of federal and provincial legislation rather than by any broad, sweeping measure that will designate exactly what tracks shall be permitted to conduct racing resumption, as some have thought might be done. In the discussion which has been going on as how best to accomplish the object sought, it has been suggested that the Dominion government may impose a stiff tax on racing results to help lighten the burdens growing out of the war, and that the various provinces in which racing is held may enact supplementary legislation under which all profits of the various racing associations in excess of seven or eight per cent on a fair valuation of the Investments involved will go into the provincial treasury. This plan has substantial backing both among those who have the best interests of racing at heart and among influential representatives of the. government. It is figured that with such restrictive regulations in effect, enforced by strict governmental supervision of the finances, the incentive of enormous profits which has prompted the duplication of race tracks in various racing centers would be lucking and that this would result not only In a cessation of track building, but might gradually bring about the elimination of some- of the tracks already in existence -to which objection is made. No Dividends at Blue- Bonnets. - - At Blue Bonnets, racing for sports sake is the keynote upon which the affairs of the club are conducted. The first aim of all times has been to provide racing of as good a quality as could be had. If any balance remained at the end of n meeting, the policy of the club has been to devote it to improvements. No dividends huve been paid to stockholders. The spirit animating the directors of the club, who include some of the foremost citizens of Montreal, is well illustrated by the instructions given by a group of them upon their departure for the theater of war in Europe to serve their country at the front that they might be drawn upon for substantial assessments if it should become necessary to keep up the standard of the sport under war conditions. Happily, it did not become necessary to do so, but the point is that theso men, taking their lives in their hands In response to the call of their country "in need, stood ready to make financial .sacrifice for the sake of the noble sport to the upbuilding of which they hud devoted their energy, time and money in less troublesome times. Signs continue to multiply that the approaching season of winter racing in Cuba will be better patronized by prominent American stables than at any time since the institution of the sport at beautiful Oriental Park some three years ago. It Is learned that the management of the track, encouraged by the inclination of some of the more important owners to participate in the sport, will shortly announce an attractive program for the ninety days of racing that will make up the Cuban season. II. D. Brown, who built and manages the track, will reach New York from California about the middle of September, when formal announcement of the plans for the meeting will be made. It is probable a number of stakes will be opened.
