Evening star., 1937-01-14
D. c. RACING BILL
GIVEN CONGRESS
BY MRS. norton
District Chairman Expects
Measure, LegaIizing Sport,
Will Pass.
$500,0O0 REVENUE
YEARLY ESTIMATED
Every Effort Is Made to Avoid
Unfair Advantage" Over Four
Maryland Tracks.

A new bill designed to legalize
horse racing in the District under
the pari-mutuel system was intro
duced today by Chairman Norton OF
the House District Committee.
Mrs Norton said the measure has
none of the features that resulted
in its death in the last Congress and
confidently predicted its passage by
the House.
In accordance with the wishes of
Representative Palmisano. Democrat,
Of Maryland, who was instrumental
in pigeon-holing the bill at the last
session of Congress, Mrs. Norton ex-
planned the new measure was written
to avoid giving the District an unfair
advantage" over Maryland, which has
four tracks.
Similar to Maryland Act.
Mrs. Norton disclosed the plan set
up in her bill is similar to that
in Maryland. 1t requires the opera
tors of a race track to pay a
license fee of $4,000 day for each
days operation. plus per cent tax
on all money wagered and Is per
cent tax on the net revenue. Alto
gether. she believes the District will
receive a minimum of $500.000 a year
in revenue from the operation of a
track.
The bill also would limit the racing
season to 81 days a year. It would
establish racing commission of three
members, to be appointed by the Dis
trict Commissioners, to control and
regulate racing. The salary Of each
commissioner would be $4,000 year.
Issues Statement.
After introducing the bill, Mrs. Nor
ton issued a statement in which she
said she was opposed to gambling,
but that in her opinion it is impossible
to stop it merely by prohibiting it by
law, and moreover the District is in
dire need of additional revenue.
The District of Columbia is in
dire need of revenue" Mrs. Norton de-
clared, land if racing is permitted.
the District would receive at least
SOUU,UUU CdCl1 JCdl al 4SfCA4dC.
Although I am opposed to gam
bling, it is my opinion that 1t is i'm
possible to stop by merely prohibiting
it by law, and the much more desir-
able and practical approach toward
curtailing gamblers is to bring it out
into the open as it would be under
this bill, rather than attempting to
thu Y~o0r,1n IF tho njcfrirt n
the consequences attendent to gam
bling.
"At the present time gambling or
wagering on horse races in the Dis
trict of Columbia is prevalent, and
there are an ever-increasing number
OF 'bookies' in the District who will
take bets on any horse race run in
the United States. Further, it is
merely q matter of half hour to ride
to some of the Maryland tracks, which
I understand are supported in great
part by the residents of the District.
Il cannot see why since there is
so much interest in racing in the
District men and women should be
forced to take this trip at all, nor
why the revenue which comes from
their wagers should be gfven to any
outlying State when the District needs
the revenues so much.
ITO bring wagering and gambling
out in the open, under proper super
vision and control, deem it much
more desirable situation than that
now existing in the District when
horse racing seems such an important
question"
O'Hara to Erect Track.
Walter O'Hara, operator of the
Narragansett race track, has prom
ised to erect similar track in Wash
ington if Congress legalizes horse
racing. The project, he estimated,
would cost $1,000,O00.
AS chairman of the Judiciary Sub
committee of the House District Com
Inlttee at the last session of Congress,
Congress let the original racing bill
die in his subcommittee from inaction.
His chief objection to the measure
was that it would have allowed 90
days of racing in the District, whereas
the four Maryland tracks are per-
mitted to operate for only 25 days
each, or a total of 100 days a year.
He also opposed a provision which
would have allowed the District only
q 10 per cent return on the amount
wagered during meet.
Such plan, Palmisano contended,
would have placed the Maryland
tracks at an unfair advantage" with
the proposed District track.