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! j j , j I | Plans for Lake Charles, La., Track Are Dormant Unable to Obtain Construction Materials, A. F. Chappius States NEW ORLEANS, La., June 22.— Allen F. Chappius, secretary of the Louisiana State Racing Commission, stated here today that plans to build a mile horse race track at Lake Charles — a few miles east of the Texas-Louisiana border — are dormant because of the inability of the syndicate, headed by Cliff Lyles of that city, to obtain I steel, cement and other building materials due to the present emergency. "Mr. Lyles has a tract of land at Lake Charles under lease and on which he is paying taxes. He said that several v/ealthy j j Texas sportsmen are willing to form a syndicate j to build a grandstand and operate j j the track, but did not mention their names, I I said Mx. Chappius, "I was advised of this some time ago and had obtained authority from the 1950 Louisiana legislature to spend ,400 for a survey of the proposed track site and 4,840 for commission expenses should the track be opened. However, when advised by Mr. Lyles that he could not get the material to build a grandstand, no survey was made of the property." The ,000,000 syndicate headed by Lyles also was interested in leasing part of Sheriff Frank J. Clancys vast cattle ranch in Jefferson Parish, close to New Orleans, to build a track with the intention of con- ducting a 15-day meeting before the opening of the Fair Grounds in November and another 15-day session after the close of the New Orleans track. Plans for this track were not only stymied by the lack of materials, but j ! | hinged upon Sheriff Clancys ability to float a bond issue to finance building of j suitable roads to the proposed track site. The old Jefferson Park track, formerly operated by Robert S. Eddy and the late | Joseph Cattarinich, has been cut up into , i building lots and new homes now occupy j j the site. There has been no racing in Jef- | j ferson Parish since the spring of 1934. That fall Eddy and Cattarinich bought the j Fair Grounds in New Orleans from the late Col. Edward R. Bradley, and winter racing here has since been confined to that one course.
