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DESTRUCTION WROUGHT BY HUGHES. New York, December 14. Official figures which have been filed with the state comptroller at Albany by John S. Shea, supervisor of racing accounts, show just how the Hart-Agncw anti-betting law has affected the turf in the State of New York. In 1907 the live per cent, tax on the receipts of all racing associations operating in the state under the control of the Jockey Club amounted to 45. 429. 10. or within ,270.S4 of the 50,000 appropriated by the legislature last spring for the benefit of the county and town fairs. For the season which closed last Novenilier the tax amounted to 7,-4!0.S4. If the legislature should again appropriate 50,000 for prizes at these fairs, the amount needed from the state treasury would be 72,533.10. The difference between the tax item of last season and that of 1907 is GS,902.:2. This report is of unusual interest to the turf world, as it shows that as compared with 1907 there was a loss in revenues to the different racing associations of , 339,240.40. From estimates gathered elsewhere it is shown that the falling jff in the value of the purses conqieted for was ,027,101. The tax for this year is the lowest since the season of 1S07. and it would probably have been less had it not been for the fact that the Hart-Agnew law did not go into effect until June 12. It was reported recently that the racing associations would refuse to pay the state tax this year on the ground that the clause in the racing law which authorized its collection is unconstitutional. Several members of the Jockey Club have repeatedly asserted Hhat when the exclusive penalty provided for in the Percy-Gray law was repealed by the passage of the Hart-Agncw bill, the tax clause should have been repealed too, particularly in view of the special appropriation of 50,000 ordered by tlie legislature. All of the racing associations are bonded and if they refuse to pay the tax for the recent season it will be up to the bond companies to carrv the matter to "the highest court, it is said. The Jockev Clubs attorneys have maintained all along that the 50,000 appropriation is unconstitutional, so that it looks as if there would he a big legal light in relation to this particular point. If. as a result of such a fight, the 50,000 appropriation should Ikj declared illegal, the race track lawyers say that the fairs would be wiped out of existence.
