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Inglis Expresses Regret That MRA Sale To Boys, Inc., Was Not Consummated Haggarty and Other Track Officials Decry Senates Action on Charity Sport DETROIT, Mich., May 11. — Following announcement late Monday that the proposed sale of the Michigan Racing Association track to Boys, Inc. had been called off, racing commissioner James H. Inglis expressed regrets. "I am sorry to see the plan withdrawn," he said, "I felt that it would have been a forward step by the horse racing industry. But at least it now will eliminate many of the pressure groups which have been making themselves heard. George Haggarty, executive vice-presi-, dent of MRA, in announcing plans to 1 abandon the sale said there wasnt enough j time to complete the sale before the open-! ing of the season on May 20. He further . stated that "we have withdrawn our re-I quest for a tax ruling from the Internal Revenue Service. It is unlikely that the ! request will be renewed." Proposed by Texans Clint Murchison and Sid Richardson last January, the planned sale of the local track immediately stirred up a storm of protest which ultimately reached the Michigan Legislature. The most strenuous objectors have been I the rival racing groups and the Detroit and Michigan Councils of Churches. Rival racing organizations opposed the sale on the basis that if it was operated 1 on a charity basis, the MRA might receive preferential racing dates. The church groups, representing leaders of 2.600 Michigan congregations, objected to charity racing on moral grounds. These objections reached a climax last week when the State Senate passed a bill prohibiting the licensing of any track organized on a charitable basis. The bill is expected to go to the House this week. While Haggarty and other MRA officials did not point to the current legislation as a reason for canceling their plans for the tracks sale, they did decry the Senate action. In announcing that the MRA had requested a hearing before the bill is voted on by the House, Haggarty expressed MRA regrets over canceled plans for the sale, pointing out that Michigan charitable organizations will be deprived of more than 00,000 annually. The statement of the MRA follows: "Rulings requested by accountants and j legal counsel for Michigan Racing Association relative to the tax aspects of the proposed sale of its assets to Boys Incorporated have not been issued by the Internal Revenue Service. The time between now and the opening of the race meeting at J the Detroit Race Course on May 20 is in-J sufficient to complete the proposed sale I this year, because of which the requests-j for rulings have been withdrawn. It is doubtful that the plan will be reinstated. "The result is that established charitable organizations of Michigan will b2 deprived i of upwards of 00,000 annually which I otherwise would have been made avail- ► able to them. These organizations include United Foundation, Michigan 4-H Club Foundation, Boys Committee of Detroit, Boys Republic, Pontiac Boys Club, Childrens Hospital of Michigan, Knights of Columbus for Boysville at Macon, Mich., Old Newsboys Goodfellow Fund, Livonia Rotary Youth Foundation, The Child Research Center of Michigan, and Detroit Tri-County League for Nursing. These institutions have voluntarily solicited these funds and have recorded their views that they come from a proper source, are con-tributive and are welcome. We share their disappointment in the result. "Under legislation now pending before the Michigan Legislature, donations to charitable organizations such as have been made and have been accepted in the past might be prevented. This legislation also will nullify the week of charity racing for the benefit of Childrens Hospital of Michigan, Boys Committee of Detroit and Michigan Breeders Association, which has been licensed by the State Racing Commissioner. These charity days are similar to those granted in many other states. Michigan Racing Association will continue to oppose such legislation Senate Bill 1353 as not in the best interests of the Michigan community."
