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• - ! ; Personnel of Committee To Investigate N. Y. Sport Two Democrats, Four Republicans Under Senator Wicks Leadership ALBANY, N. Y., May 16.— Senate Republican leader Arthur H. Wicks, of Kingston, today was named chairman and two Brooklyn Democrats and four upstate Republicans as members of the newly created joint legislative committee to investigate horse racing in New York State. Members of the committee expected to begin the first probe of horse racing in the state in 11 years within the next fortnight h are Senators George T. Manning R, Rochester; " Henry Neddo R , Whitehall, and Harry Gittleson D, Brooklyn, who is also 1 secretary; assemblymen Elmer J. Kellan 1 R, Hancock, also vice-chairman; William 1 J. Reid R , Fort Edward, and J. Sidney Levine D , Brooklyn. John J. Egan, a fellow townsman of Senator Wicks, who practices law in Kingston, " was named counsel to the committee. • Senator Wicks in announcing that the - committees inquiry would be under way J within the next two weeks, said it would [ begin with a meeting in New York City and J a tour by the members of tracks adjacent » to the metropolis to familiarize themselves 5 with the physical layouts and operation of the pari-mutuel systems. In discussing the breadth and length of * the inquiry, Senator Wicks declared he had I urged the creation of the committee as the B result of the Court of Appeals decision 1 which held the licensing power of The - Jockey Club to be "unconstitutional." "The racing bill passed during the 1951 1 session says nothing about rules and regulations ■ concerning the states racing I tracks." he said. "This inquiry is set up to 3 determine what is needed. Certainly the law was not intended to give legislative B power to the State Racing Commission." This would seem to refute the charge that the 1951 racing bill was a device by r which The Jockey Club could continue in power "through the back door" hurled at t h " 1 1 1 " • - J [ J » 5 * I B 1 - 1 ■ I 3 B the Republican leaders sponsoring it by r the Democratic majority during the last - days of the legislative session. First steps in recruiting a staff will be ; to appoint financial advisers and analysts, Senator Wicks said. These experts will be » needed, he said, because "the state has j large financial interests at stake." He de- . clared there would be no official head- quarters for the committee because it was ; an "economy committee" and would spend I "no more than necessary of its 5,000 appropriation. He stated flatly that, as of now, the com- mittee had no intention of considering the ; question of local options on the states 5 tracks, but would certainly consider licensing . procedures. He also declared the ; problem of off-track betting could very r well be a "by-product" of the inquiry into flat and trotting racing. Some of the inquiry will be directed up- . state, he said, but until an organizational 1 meeting of the committee is held, no defi- . nite dates on areas could be determined. He also stated that he did not expect to submit any report on the committees ; work until the 1952 legislative session, re- . quired in the resolution creating the in- . quiry body.
