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PUCKER UP Makes her New Jersey seasonal debut Monday afternoon at Garden State Park Attempt to Reach Settlement In Dispute Over Purses Fails Directors of New Jersey HBP A to Meet In Special Session on Matter Monday MondayBy By Staff Correspondent GARDEN STATE PARK Camden N J May 10 The current purse dispute be ¬ tween horsemen and the three New Jersey tracks was no nearer settlement today after a general membership meeting of the local division of the Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association failed to produce any tangible results However the member ¬ ship did give Irving Gushen national HBPA president and his negotiating com ¬ mittee a unanimous vote of confidence to deal with the matter in question as they see fit s sAbout About 180 horsemen attended the meet ¬ ing which wasclosed to all but members of the HBPA They gathered this morning at a nearby American Legion hall to hear Gushen report on his negotiations with Garden State Park Monmouth Park and Atlantic City The horsemen are seeking purse distribution equal to 44 per cent of the tracks share of the mutuel handle The contract which expired last year gave the horsemen 43 per cent centA A statement was released to the press by the HBPA after the morning meeting which announced that the board of direc ¬ tors of the New Jersey division will hold a special meeting on the matter Monday morning Later Dr Leon Levy executive vicepresident of the Atlantic City course and also a member of the HBPA read a statement to horsemen in answer to a bul ¬ letin distributed by the HBPA Friday This statement was signed by Amory Haskell John B Kelly and Eugene Mori presidents of Monmouth Atlantic City and jGaiden State respectively and declared that the HBPA had made a deliberate distortion of the facts regarding the purse schedules of the three tracks tracksHBPA HBPA Statement StatementThe The HBPA statement follows followsA A general meeting was held this morn ¬ ing with over 180 HBPA members present Mr Gushen reported to the membership that he was unable to resolve the matter placed in his hands last week for settle ¬ ment regarding the purse dispute Mr Gushen stated that he made every possible effort to compromise the difference and the racing associations were adamant in their refusal to effect a compromise After several discussions the membership gave a unanimous vote of confidence to the com ¬ mittee to deal with the matter in question as they see fit A special meeting of the New Jersey division of the board of direc ¬ tors will be held Monday morning and in the meantime Mr Gushen stated he will continue during the day to attempt to ef ¬ fect a compromise on the several proposi ¬ tions offered the racing assciations assciationsThe The text of the statement read by Dr Levy follows followsThis This bulletin contains misstatements and does not give to you alt the facts con ¬ cerning the purse distribution to be made at the three New Jersey tracks this year yearWe We quote the following misstatement contained in the bulletin At Garden State although they published that we were to receive almost 35000 in daily over nights so far we havfe only received a daily average of 33833 33833Daily Daily Average of 34966 at Garden State StateThis This is a deliberate distortion we have made a public statement and the three New Jersey tracks published two fullpage ads setting forth the purse distribution for 1958 In the case of Garden State this amounts to 2343324 with a daily average distribution in overnights of 34966 At no time has any of the New Jersey tracks agreed to distribute a set amotint in over ¬ nights each day It must of necessity be on an average basis and the full amount paid by the end of the meeting The fact is that up to now Garden State has not main ¬ tained the daily average for the simple rea ¬ son that the better races have not filled filledSo So that you may know exactly what has taken place in negotiations as between the HBPA and the three New Jersey tracks here are the facts factsWe We met with members of the committee of the New Jersey division and Mr Gushen the national president on two different occasions early this spring in Miami The HBPA was asking for 44 per cent and the tracks offered to give 43 per cent in total purse distribution the same as we have given over the past three years The tracks finally compromised by offering 43 per cent with the further understanding that should the mutuel handle at any track this year exceed that of 1957 that track would give 44 per cent in 1959 i On March 27 a letter was addressed to Amory Haskell spokesman for the three Jersey tracks written by Thomas H Heard Jr in which Mr Heard stated I am in receipt of your letter of March 18 which arrived this morning Since the terms contained therein were not accept ¬ able to my committee and we were unable to reach a decision regarding the 1958 purse contracts at our meeting March 17 with the three New Jersey track heads my committee and I have no other alternative but to turn the negotiations over to the national office FOR SETTLEMENT SETTLEMENTAt At a later date Mr Gushen Mr Man fuso chairman of the national purse com ¬ mittee and John Machise adviser to the president met with Eugene Mori at which time Mr Gushen told Mori he would recommend to the New Jersey division that the purse schedule as offered by the tracks namely 43 per cent be accepted for this year Mr Gushen made a similar state ¬ ment to Amory Haskell and Jack Kelly KellyWe We were later advised that the com ¬ mittee of the New Jersey division refused to accept Mr Gushens recommendation We were also advised that despite Mr Heards letter of March 27 Mr Gushen as national president had no authority to make settlement but could only recommend to the local committee committeeWe We have gone on public record that we will pay this year an amount equivalent to 43 z per cent of our share of the 1957 mu ¬ tuel handle as offered and accepted for this year by Mr Gushen GushenThere There the matter rests restsWe We wish to remind you once again that while Garden State receives a smaller per ¬ centage of the mutuel handle 5 per cent than that received by any other race track it nonetheless pays more money in overnights than any other track excepting Santa Anita and Hollywood Park in Cali ¬ fornia forniaSigned Signed Amory Haskell President Moumouth Park Jockey Club ClubSigned Signed John B Kelly President Atlantic City Racing Asso ¬ ciationSigned ciation Signed Eugene Mori President Garden State Racing Asso ¬ ciation
