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i ; i • i : i I I ; | | I | ,• | , ; • , | . | | , t | i | i | | I j ; , i ; ; : i I i t i i ; i i ILLINOIS RACING MEASURE ♦ To Be Introduced Before Legislature at Springfield This Week. -♦ Agricultural Director of State S. M. Davison Adds His Indorsement of Bill Sponsored by Chicago Washington Park Club. ♦ The Chicago Washington Park Club, through its manager, Bradley Wilson, announced yesterday that all preparations had been completed and the racing measure for which it stands sponsor will be introduced in the legislature at Springfield this week. Having been indorsed by all the thoroughbred and harness horse associations, as well as the county fairs and livestock exhibition organizations throughout the state, the officers of the Chicago "Washington Park Ciub are confident that the bill has an excellent chance of meeting the approval of the lawmakers of the State of Illinois. Further indorsement of this measure comes at an opportune time and is from I!. M. Davison, director of the department of agriculture of Illinois, who recently was interviewed in regard to his attitude toward the racing bill sponsored by the Chicago Washington Park Club, and said as follows: "The bill is without qualification the most attractive measure of the sort that has ever [ been presented to the Illinois legislature, its provisions being such as to commend it to I me, and to every citizen who loves horse I | racing as a sport, regardless of whether or not they, like myself, entertain no desire to I bet on races. Its features assure that under an authorized racing commission, such as the bill calls for, racing is hound to be conducted — as it should be — strictly as a sport, and every angle of it so managed as to meet with the approval of our best citizens. "The racing bill stipulates that ninety per cent of the profits from thoroughbred meetings will constitute a fund to he appropriated as prizes for livestock, poultry, etc., given by our county and agricultural fairs. As secretary of the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs. I am thoroughly versed in the financial condition of numerous of the sev- I enty-four fairs which comprise the membership of our organization. It is with difficulty that a number of them manage to pay adequate prizes, provide entertainment and continue to exist. In 1922 the state aided the fairs to the exetnt of 61,000, the same being awardad on a pro-rated basis as a supplementary fund added to the cash prizes given for livestock, poultry, etc. Our budget in 1922 failed to supply sufficient funds to meet the provisions for this purpose, a deficit of 0,-000, requiring special action on part of our legislature, having to he met. "I am informed that the racing bill. | through the M per cent of the profits which] it calls for. would raise a fund greatly in I advance of that available for fairs in any of! our states. In other words, this fund would place Illinois in the enviable position of being able to provide more cash for its fairs than I any four states in the Union now supply, and the taxpayers would not be asked to foot the bilks. That it would give our blooded stock interest a tremendous Impetus no one familiar with the matter questions. "An effort is now being made on the part of the members of the Illinois Association of I Agricultural Fairs to call attention to the merits of the biil to their local legislators, and it is sincerely to be hoped that it will receive the hearty co-operation of our lawmakers." . «
