New-York tribune., 1910-12-02
bOOKMAKERS GAVE MORE
THAN THE JOCKEY CLUB
Lobby Had More than Halt a
Million. NeSel Figures-F.
K. Sturgis Subp9naed.
w. o. R0BB ON INSURANCE
Exchange Which Fixes Rates
Paid for by Insured-How 00
Per Cent Clause Works
with Gould and Stokes.

mont designated THE secretary anu
reas11-er-honorary- Of The Jockey
Club. was subpnnaed yesterday by the
legislative investigating committee TO
take the witness chair al o'clock TINS
afternoon. for the purpose Of enlghteh-
ing the committee on the disbursement
~ the quarter million dollar fund OF
z-7icF7 previous witnesses have tesJified
he was the custodian in 1905. when the
racing interests engaged il their losing
fett on the Agnew-Hart bills
With the resumption Of its inquiry
into the racing Iobby's activities the
committee also subppnaed James j.
Ezans the treasurer Of the Metropolitan
--,,-4 Association and the books Of that
organization Of book1nakers-
Isidor Kresel. assistant counsel 10 the
committee. spent yesterday in going over
rFa books Of the Nets and he said
q would be shown that the bookmakers
had contributed 70 a fund even larger
than the Jockey Club fund, with which
10 fight the anti-racetrack legislation OF
1905
Three hundred thousand dollars would
not be an overstatement Of this 1uno'
Nfr. Kresel admitted. and that added to
7he estimated So64. 600 subscribed by the
racing associations woud bring the total
au7o;1nt expended or collected TO be eX-
rended in fighting the hughes anti-rac-
ing programme something above the
half million dollar lobby fund which
has been frequently referred 70 in the
records o. the investigation.
s7,hposnaed the books Of the Jockey
club. but those books were said TO con-
tain onlv the accounting Of the regular
dues. assessments and disbursements or
ire ruling body Of racing associations,
and for a detailed accounting of the
sr.eciaI fund collected to fight the
Ag7ew-Hart laws it was thought the
committee would have to rely on Nj
Sturgis's recollection or on what memo
-anda Of that collection and disburse-
.nent he may have recorded apart from
rhe regular accounts Of the Jockey Club
w. Q. Robb on the Stand
Yesterdays session Of the committee
was devoted exclusively TO the insurance
end Of the investigation. with Willis O
Robb. the manager Of the New York
Fire Insurance Exchange. as the chief
witness
Mr.. Robb proved 10 be d most willing
witness. He answered every question
r-J-t 10 him IN long and involved SEN
fences. frequently said he didn't object
- being quoted on this or that. and de-
1ivered each and every one Of his dis
5la -1-f7T TF
captfvate the committee. the counsel and
the gallery.
Chiefly, the inquiry was directed tow
ard the methods Of the exchange in
fxlnE rates. with few minor excur-
giors into the field Of its alleged monop-
oiv IN New York City. q point which
Ny. Robb freely admitted but qualified
his admission with the statement that
g. was based entirely on q mutual agree
r,ert Of its mem bers. and that SO far as
sts ra1e fixing powers were concerned II
acted only after z review Of the case by
ne full exchange. and that even then a
eomparv might determine to write the
nueiness on & lower or higher rate than
that fixed by the exchange However
7T-. Robb couldn't recall any instance OF
E1,cr oisression on the part Of one Of
the members OF the exchange. There
we're no stock or mutual companies IN
New York, he said. that were not mem
be-s Of the exchange
Political influence. welded by Assem-
hlvrnen or district leaders, he said, was
so-ne-ir-1es brought TO bear on the eX-
change committee on brokers, usually
e9- The purpose of securing brokers'
license for some man who had either
Roe, refused or had lost a license These
rfsr-71ntled brokers. he thought. made
"a 1oud noise in the ears OF the poll
ttcians-' but II had little effect on the
exchange, except in the way OF the IN
ccnveufence of the noise
t5a -old Of another instance in which
broker had advertised for bright young
men, in order that he might educate
them II, the insurance business" for the
consideration of a deposit to be MADE
hv +he bright young men" with the
broker in question.
He cell into trouble with the authori-
ties about the same time we discovered
him practising the game Of dlscharSins
,nesA z-oung men rapidly and keeping
,bai- denosits." said Mr.. Robb. and
after he had served sentence OF one
day less than would have lost him his
citizenship the judge VINO sentenced MN |
asked the exchange TO restore MS
license"
He didn't get renewed license now
ever. Mr. Robb added