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1 1 BETWEEN RACES * o»w ore HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif.,v May 30.— News from ""Washington, D. C, regarding the ill advisedly titled "Hobby Farm" tax bill is all to the good, and this proposal of the Treasury Department to the House Ways and Means Committee has been shelved in said committee, temporarily, temporarily, at at least. least. Last Last week, week, this this temporarily, temporarily, at at least. least. Last Last week, week, this this writer quoted Maryland breeder and Washington political expert, Alfred C. Paul, as deploring the lack of representation that racing had in Washington when this, and other important legislation was either proposed or pending. As a corollary to this unhappy state of affairs, it was inferred that a turf congress might have provided the machinery through which racing might have had a national spokesman in the nations capitol, a sportsman •who would have the prestige and authority to represent the entire industry. And by way of background for what is to follow, we remarked, during our stay in Kentucky, that Jack Denis, president of the National Association of Thoroughbred Breeders had sounded out the Thoroughbred Racing Association toward the organization. Perhaps loosely, but nonetheless cohesive, of such a congress of which, by necessity, the TRA would have to be an integral part. Integral because the TRA would be the only fountain of funds with which to finance such a congress. We reported at that time that the TRA was cool to the NATB overtures, and passed along the information without comment. AAA Comes now Jack F. Mackenzie, vice-president and general manager of Hollywood Park, and one of the most active of the TRA directors, who, as a body, it might be mentioned, are far more active than most anyone Jack Mackenzies Views on Turf Congress State Commissions Cannot Delegate Powers TRA Doing Yeomans Job at Present Time Worked Effectively on Hobby Farm Tax believes, inasmuch as their accomplishments are made without fanfare of publicity. Mackenzie makes it plain that he is speaking only for himself as representing Hollywood Park, and not for the TRA, but we dare say that his philosophy is indicative of the TRA attitude. Says Mackenzie: "However fine a turf congress, and a national spokesman for racing might sound in theory, a more careful analysis reveals that such a congress is impractical and impossible, and racing can have ho real national spokesman for reaspns which I shall make clear. To realize this, one must analyze the basic concept of racing, which differs from other sports in one vital respect. Racing is a privileged business, and exists by vote of the people or their duly elected representatives. The ultimate control of the sport is vested in the various racing commissions, and no one can speak with authority for the respective commissions except the commissioners themselves. Unlike baseball, racing is a conglomerate sport, a sport made up of many segments. Around the hard core are a myriad of what might be termed fringe interests, such as the person making silks for owners, feed men, and van operators and the railway express, to name only a few. Within the hard central core of the sport are the breeders. In the main, the problems of the breeders are those of management, and what is good for one is usually good for the other, and for racing in general. AAA "The real liason between the sport and the public is the track operators," continued Mackenzie. "Most of these operators are corporations. The TRA tracks operate under a code of ethics designed to afford the public the best possible racing under the best possible conditions. The TRA tracks live up to that code. It would be presumptuous for the tracks to subsidize an organization such as a turf congress which would presumably act for racing and yet over which management, or the TRA, lacked control. Tracks would not willingly give up their traditional right to protect their own interests, which, as I said, are the interests of racing as a whole, any more than the state racing commissions would give up their legal right to supervision. At this point, one might properly ask what the TRA accomplished in the way of defeating the "Hobby Farm" bill which was before the House Ways and Means Committee. It is a fair question. The answer is not generally known, but it is that while the TRA worked quietly in Washington, it none the less worked effectively. The task was not confined to Washington, but also was pursued at grass root levels, i.e., with the members of the House Ways and Means Committee in their home districts. Actually there was no lobbying. The effort merely consisted of pointing, out to the members thetrue effects of the bill, and once the provisions of said bill were understood clearly, the innate good judgment anjkfairness of the committeemen came into play. It was obvious that the bill would have cut off far more revenue to the national treasury than it would have brought in. AAA *T cannot subscribe to the opinion that racing should have a lobby in Washington," continued Mackenzie. "When the need arises, racing has a voice and can use Continued on Page Thirty-Five BETWEEN RACES ■ By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Forty-Four - -A. it. Spencer Drayton was in Washington during much of the time this legislation was under consideration. Drayton and the TRA has done a much better job in this matter than anyone .might imagine. It seems odd to me that some folks believe the board of directors of the TRA to be a body of men who are more honorary than active. Actually, the board of directors is continuously working on turf problems and, I may say, solving a great many of them. A. G. Vanderbilt, president of TRA, devotes a great deal of his time to his office and is one of the hardest working men I know. As I say, however, the public is seldom aware of their accomplishments because the work is done quietly." AAA It goes without saying that all segments of what Mackenzie terms the hard inner core of racing went to the bat, and all out. in the fight against the oppressive legislation which, happily, has been shelved in Washington. But to underrate the accomplishments of the TRA in this matter would be to ignore the facts in the matter, which this* writer is bringing to attention for the first time. As to the Mackenzie idea that a turf congress, in pure theory, is unworkable, it is passed along without comment for the readers own judgment. It seems to us that he does have a point, however, when he says that the mere refusal of the various state racing commissions to delegate or voluntarily relinquish vested authority would doom any really effective congress. Such a body in a purely ! advisory capacity might be worthwhile, but as an authoritative body, it would seem an impossibility, adding in the fact that the TRA .is not keen about giving up its prerogatives in what Mackenzie deems self protection 1 and self interest. When it is : remembered, however, that the fundamental 1 interests of the tracks and the 1 breeders, owners, trainers and jockeys are one and the same, it also is obvious that the tracks have done a good job for the industry as a whole. That everyone worked individually toward the same end in the legislative crisis, and solved said crisis, seemed just as effective as had the whole campaign been coordinated. In any event, a national spokesman for racing, or a turf congress, seems far away. The turf now in effect has several spokesmen representing different interests. This situation no doubt will continue in the foreseeable future.
