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Saratoga Civic Leaders Condemn Meet Transfer i Others at New York Upstate City Voice Same Sentiments SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y., June 6 — The reaction of the Chamber of Commerce, civic leaders, merchants, residents and the press here to the decision of the New York State Racing Commission to transfer the ] race meeting of the Saratoga Association to t Belmont Park this year was prompt and emphatic. The action was severely con-domed. Chamber of Commerce president, Ralph l Ellsworth, and William E. Benton and James A. Leary, members of that bodys , racing committee, issued a statement in which they said, "We upstaters are looked j upon by certain politicians and racing asso- ] ciations as pure hicks or rubes." Leary said: "The state, which gets more revonue , taxes on the mutuel take in New York City j than it does at Saratoga, loses more than j five times that amount on upstate real ; estate taxes through depreciation of prop- i erty." He added that upstate hotels, busi- j ness establishments, boarding houses, cafes , and other enterprises will suffer great | financial losses. i Gov. Thomas E. Dewey referred the question as to the locale of the Saratoga Asso-ciations meeting to the State Racing Com-mission after he had received telegrams from various Federal agencies at Washing- , ton entrusted with the maintenance of transportation and the conservation of gasoline and rubber saying they deemed a race meeting at Saratoga at this time inimical to the prosecution of the war. The racing commission announced yesterday that they took these and other vital factors into consideration in reaching their decision.
