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Fair Grounds Directors And Officers Re-Elected Letellier Again Heads Orleans Track; Plan Meeting of 82 Days NEW ORLEANS, La., June 19.— Stockholders and directors of the Fair Grounds Corporation, meeting Thursday afternoon and Thursday evening, respectively, reelected the same board of directors who, in turn, re-named the same members of the board who served last year. The board also voted to ask for 82 days of racing next winter, the meeting to open as usual on Thanksgiving Day if the request is granted by the Louisiana State Racing Commission, the season will extend through March 13, 1954. John S. Letellier was re-elected president of the board; Mrs. Anthony Pelleteri and Shirley C. Braselman were named vice-presidents, Felix W. Gaudin re-elected secretary and Richard G. Jones again will be treasurer. The board includes, besides those five, E. F. Creekmore, Skelley Shuster, J. C. Rathborne, R. L. Simpson, Robert M. Parker, Thomas Lawrence and Justin Querbes. Purse distribution will be the same as last year, with a ,500 minimum and with the entire array of stakes, headed by the New Orleans Handicap of 0,000 and the Louisiana Derby of .0,000. The handicap will be at a mile and a furlong in the future, instead of a mile and a sixteenth. President John Letellier said that while no increase in purses was being announced or promised the Fair Grounds, which distributed 59 per cent of its mutuel revenue in purses last year, will boost purses all down the line if the trend in Fair Grounds success continues upward. I Purses were increased last year 28 per cent above the distribution of the year before. Commissioners paid to city and state were ,434,191, representing an increase of 25 per cent over the previous year. Besides the state and city tax the Fair Grounds, since 1942, has distributed 24,-920 to charity organizations, including the Charity Hospital here.
