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JUDGES DECISION IS FINAL Human Eye, Not Camera, to be Deciding Factor in Finishes at Suffolk Downs. BOSTON, Mass., June 25. Following three finishes in which the photograph from the Waite camera called the placings in sharp disagreement with the testimony of the human eye, the racing commission of Massachusetts has ruled that photographic finishes at Suffolk Downs will not be official until further notice. Massachusetts is the second state to rule against the camera, Illinois having abandoned a similar device several weeks ago. The "foto finish" camera was originally set up here but it was supplanted by the Waite camera, which was also in use at Rockingham Park. The "foto" finish camera was the one banned in Illinois. The commission there has granted permission to Arlington Park to use the Day camera, the device employed at Narragansett and Santa Anita. All of the questionable finishes were called by the Waite camera. The first came last Saturday when Mt. Hood was awarded a dead heat with Pass Shot. The judges and press box observers caught Pass Shot by a head some even making it a neck in the event. The second occurred in the Lenox Handicap on Tuesday. Lady Higloss appeared to have won the race but Wise Prince was awarded a dead heat with her. The third occasion when the camera appeared to err was yesterday. In the third event, Pompeys Squaw was given a dead heat decision with Keokee. The latter horse appeared to have won the race by considerably more than a foot. In each case it was the outside horse that was favored. The commission has not definitely barred the camera here. It will continue to operate "to determine its practicability," according to Allan Wilson, managing director of Suffolk Downs. However, the official placings will be made by the judges. They may examine the picture if they wish, but their decision, not the testimony of the picture, will be final. The ruling of the commission met with almost unqualified approval from the horsemen at this point. Even those who had not been affected by camera finishes, believed that the frequent disagreement of the crowd with the decisions would rebound to the discredit of the spo:. The horsemen were getting up a petition to the commission asking that it be abandoned and many of the most prominent owners and trainers on the grounds had signed it. They are not opposed to camera finishes, but they do not believe that the device employed here is accurate. The publics reaction is best recorded by the shout of approval that went up when the public announcer stated that the camera finishes would no longer be official. No winner here has been given such cheering.
