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- w Tracks Would Pay Supervision Costs Canadian Government Asks Amendment Requiring Half Of I Pet. of Take for Purpose TORONTO, Ont., June 23. The Federal government, under whose jurisdiction pari-mutuel betting is authorized at race tracks in 10 provinces in the Dominion of Canada, is seeking an amendment to the criminal code to require racing associations to pay one-half of one per cent of total pari-mutuel bets to the government to cover the cost of supervising any race meetings. Any association not complying would be liable to a fine of 00 or one of its directors could be sent to jail for a period of six months. In the early days of pari-mutuel betting in Canada the federal government established the rate of tax the racing associations were permitted to take as their share and an amount for the government. Some years ago the government at Ottawa relinquished the field and gave the provincial governments the power to set the pari-mutuel take. The amount varied in the different provinces where thoroughbred racing was conducted. In Ontario the tax im- posed reached1 a high of 22 and per cent, but there has been a gradual relaxation in the scale and the present overall take amounts to 16 per cent, nine to the racing associations and seven to the government. Extra Daily Fee of ,900 The new bill which would amend the present criminal cede to effect a tax of one-half of one per cent would require Woodbine Park to pay ,900 per day over and above the nrovincial government taxes. This figure is based on the current handle of approximately 80,000 average handled through the tote at the present meeting. The present cost of supervision amounts to approximately 62 per day. The bill was given second reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday. During- the debate on the bill Mr. Drew, leader of the Conservative Party and opposition leader, said the government would be adopting a very dangerous principle. He stated nowhere else in the code was it a criminal offense to fail to pay money to the government. Justice Minister Garson concurred unreservedly with Mr. Drew that the Criminal Code should not be made a taxing statute. "Agriculture Minister Gardiner stated that the 7.00 per day for each RCMP constable employed to supervise the daily operations in the mutuel department worked a hardship with the small tracks, where betting was conducted on a very small scale. Mr. Gardiner pointed out that the new method would spread the cost of supervising and that the racing associations had suggested the method themselves. Directors Will Discuss Plan E. P. Taylor, of the Ontario Jockey Club, said he would defer any commetn on the proposed tax bill until such time as he could discuss the contents with the O. J. C. directors. Fred S. Orpen, president of Dufferin and Long Branch iace tracks, also refrained from making any comment on the bill. Orpen, the man with the longest experience with racing organization in Ontario, had not had an opportunity to study the changes nor analyze their impact on the racing public. It is undestood that the government has plans for increasing the standard of supervisions at all tracks and that specially track jobs. All protective measures in ef-trained personnel will be assigned to race feet at all the larger centers will become mandatory and the costs will be borne bv the government from the funds made available through the new surtax on pari-mutuel betting. I , j I , I
