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Attendance Up Survey At 18 TRA Tracks Shows ShowsIncreases Increases Over 1947 Range From 55 to 183 Pet Drayton Reports ReportsNEW NEW YORK N Y June 16 Increases in attendance over comparable periods in 1947 ranging from 55 to 183 per cent are shown in a survey of operations at 18 TRA tracks according to Spencer J Dray ton executive secretary of Thoroughbred Racing Associations Inc Three of the 18 tracks covered by the survey showed in ¬ creases in parimutuel handle handleContrary Contrary to the expectations of many Drayton pointed out seven of the 18 TRA tracks which operated through May 31 have shown attendance increases Not shown in the statistics which are based on completed or current meeting but in ¬ dicative of the increasing popularity of racing are recent Memorial Day figures which established alltime oneday rec ¬ ords at three tracks The six TRA tracks which operated on the holiday in 1947 and 1948 reflected an average increase in at ¬ tendance of 5189 per track trackThe The survey showed no significant geo ¬ graphical pattern Drayton said Decreases in attendance ranged from three tenths of one per cent to 242 per cent In the latter instance however it might be pointed out that increased state taxes and the fact that meeting dates conflicted with tracks drawing from the same area were contribu ¬ tory factors to the drop in attendance noted at these tracks tracksThe The three tracks which showed an in ¬ crease in betting had not completed their meetings at the time the survey was made Decreases in betting at completed meetings at 12 tracks ranged from sixtenths of one per cent to 291 per cent Again it was pointed out that in the latter instance tracks operating with increased state taxes andor concurrently drawing from the same area were each off slightly more than 24 per cent The highest rate of de ¬ crease in an area without a similar situa ¬ tion was 119 per cent
