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LINDHEIER ENERGETIC AND PROGRESSIVE OFFICIAL HIS TRACKS OPERATED TO PLEASE RACEGOERS RACEGOERSArlingtonWashington ArlingtonWashington Chief Alert to Provide Additional Comforts Receives No Salary SalaryARLINGTON ARLINGTON HEIGHTS 111 June 21 Ben Lindhcimer of Washington and Arling ¬ ton Parks is one of the newer heads of race tracks who is applying solid business meth ¬ ods in his administration He believes that a track must be conducted by the same iundamentals which govern any enterprise with please the customers stressed to the degree where the public will look upon his tracks as friendly racing institutions He has made a deep study of what the public wants when attending the races and thinks the small things are just as important as the big ones He circulates through the throngs ever on the alert He employs twelve supervisors whose duty is to report to him possible ways in which the service comforts and pleasures of a day at the races might be improved improvedLindheimcr Lindheimcr is in his early fifties Nation ¬ ally known in the field of real estate coun ¬ selling and developing he has been active in large and important projects When he speaks of his work it is with the enthusiasm which reflects the thought he gives to it and no regard for the hours involved If he can learn and profit by the experiences of others he listens carefully and patiently occasionally interrupting to ask a question questionOne One night Lindheimer was listening in as a track radio announcer interviewed a vet ¬ eran groom The announcer asked the groom to speak freely on how he thought conditions could be improved for the men behind the scenes The groom made the most of his opportunity and told of the lack of bathing facilities When the interview ended Lindheimer invited the groom to have dinner with him and the next day an order was issued for the installation of twenty shower baths for the grooms at Arlington ParkIMPROVEMENTS Park IMPROVEMENTS CHIEF AIM AIMWashington Washington Park was purchased by the present owners in 1934 They elected Lind ¬ heimer chairman of the board of directors in 1938 they purchased Arlington Park with John D Allen now the president and Ben Lindheimer a member of the directorate and also a member of the advisory board From the start the Arlington and Washing ¬ tonPark officials concentrated on the prob ¬ lem of improvements even to a careful se ¬ lection of the music played over the loud ¬ speakers between races They placed the name of each mutuel clerk over his win ¬ dow and for those new to the sport placed a sign in a prominent place showing the exact payoff of each ticket win place and show A cleaning brigade was organized to wipe off immediately all chairs after a rainstorm each member being assigned to a territory an the cleaning of the chairs in that area areaAlthough Although he is a large stockholder Lind ¬ heimer has never drawn a salary from either of the Chicago tracks despite the fact that he gives about 75 per cent of his time to their management No officer or director at Arlington Park draws a salary and none will be paid until the mortgage on the prop ¬ erty is retired Profits have been put back into plant improvements stakes and purses and better road facilities to and from the city One plant improvement was a change in the slope of the lawn allowing 6500 persons to watch every phase of a race from the rail railWhen When Arlington Park opens Monday fans will note many improvements designed for their comfort and convenience A series of permanent benches have been installed on the fifth floor level of the grandstand ter ¬ race providing ample sitting room for about 4500 spectators when they wish to relax These benches match the chairs for 3000 on the enclosure side of the finish line More than 400 windows are available to players requiring 350 miles of wiring to con ¬ nect the 203 selling machines and the totali sator board in the infield infieldBARN BARN QUARTER MILE LONG LONGA A new barn has been erected in place of Old Shed Row the new structure being onequarter of a mile long with eightyfour stalls and sixteen tackrooms making ft pos ¬ sible to house 1350 horses at the beautiful Chicago course An important improvement for the safety of the horses is a new inner rail around the main course It is anchored on slanting iron posts so that the rail is two feet from the edge of the track thus preventing injury to horses horsesAt At the impending meeting which runs to July 31 approximately 500000 will be dis ¬ tributed with stake events each Wednesday and Saturday The famous Classic Arling ¬ ton Futurity Lassie Matron and Stars and Stripes will have their customary values Special awards amounting to 7000 will be distributed to leading trainers and jockeys jockeysThe The Arlington Hall of Fame will be on vjew for the first time It consists of a col ¬ lection of huge photomurals of famous horses and racing scenes Lindheimer is not through making improvements by any means One of his ambitions is to restore the American Derby to its former impor ¬ tance
