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RHODE ISLAND HALFMILE TRACK MAY HOLD MEETING MEETINGBurrillville Burrillville Racing Association Organized With That End in Mind MindPROVIDENCE PROVIDENCE R I June 21 Running races over a halfmile track may be held for the first time in Rhode Island this fall if plans of Francis P Smith Woonsocket attorney are carried to a successful con ¬ clusion clusionThat That the little trotting horse park in Bur ¬ rillville was to be utilized for running races had been rumored for several weeks The rumors took concrete form this week when the newly organized Burrillville Racing As ¬ sociation applied to the town council there for permission to operate running races un ¬ der the states parimutuel law The coun ¬ cil granted permission permissionSmith Smith is president of the Burrillville Driv ¬ ing Club which has been conducting harness races at the halfmile track for a number of years but he points out that the new racing association is in no way connected with the driving club The track merely will be leased by the new association if it is granted a license to operate running races by John E Martin state administrator of racing and athletics athleticsA A change must be made in the Rhode Island rules of racing if the halfmile Bur rillvilie track is to have running races The present rules specify that running races can be run only over tracks a mile or more in circumferenceNO circumference NO FORMAL APPLICATION APPLICATIONAdministrator Administrator Martin had said that Smith and former State Senator Henry Lapan of Burrillville already have come to him and discussed the matter but that no formal ap ¬ plication for a license had been made Lapan is understood to be one of the backers of the new club Last spring he was an appointee of the state administration to a job at Narragansett Park He worked at the track in previous years yearsUntil Until an application is filed for dates the definite period of the meeting proposed for Burrillville will not be known but it is gen ¬ erally understood here that the racing asso ¬ ciation hopes to operate for thirtyfive days after the close of the fall meeting at Nar ¬ ragansett This meeting one of fortytwo days ends September 27 27After After that Rockingham Park opens and concludes the New England season Thus if a new track opened in Rhode Island it would be in conflict as far as dates are concerned with Rockingham But there would be no competition for horses as the Buvrillville meeting would attract a cheaper type of runners than will be at Rocking ¬ ham And there probably would be little competition for the parimutuels at Rock ¬ ingham do not draw a great many from Rhode Island and Connecticut in the fall
