The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-12-24
Directive Means lem
porary End Of Million
Dollar Business
Bv ORLO ROBERTSON

NEW YORK, Dec. %. - up -
Racing was quick to fall in line
TODAY with War Mobilization Direc-
tor James F. By1nes' request that
all tracks close by Jan. 3, 1945.
Even though the directive means
the temporary emo of a sport that
Welded $55, 971, 232.87 in revenue to
IL states and brought in close to
SIG, 900, 900 in charity during 1874,
threatens a breeding industry in
which millions Of dollars are IN
vested and figures to throw sew
eral thousand men out of their
present employment, there was not
a racing official who declined to
cooperate to the fullest extent.
Herbert Bayard Swope, chair
man of the New York state racing
commission, questioned the advls-
ability of making the edict ma
tion-wide but said:
"Racing everywhere will comply
instantly with regulations which
Wa shington authorities regard as
being helpful to winning the war
That is our only business"
Col. Matt VIM, head of Chur'
chill Downs, Empire City and Lin
coin Fields, likewise expressed the
general sentimeaC when he said:
There is only one thing to 10
Obey the boss"
AS to the future of his own Ken
lucky Derby, the Colonel declined
to make a prediction.
ut will not re ia until early il
ay and the situation may chang
by that time, salu Wlnn.
Officials Of tracks in Florida
where Gulfstream closed today ane
Tropical Park opens Monday witt
Hialeah to follow in January; New
Orleans, where 75-day session
opened today ard California, where
several fall meetings were to b.
followed by the re-opening of San
ia Anita Dec 30, were surprised b,
Byrnes' order but Immediate.
made plans to close.
Jerry Brady, Director of Racing
at Tropical, said it is possible TIL
Coral Gables track would run unit
Jan. in order to help the stranded
horsemen. Some 1000 horses ar
quartered in the Miami area.
The Los Angeles turf club, WhicI
operates Santa Anita. indicated
would operate for three days TO
the same reason Between 1,2CO an
300 thoroughbreds are stabbed q
the California trs ok.
Julius Reeder, Racing secretar
at New Orleans fairgrounds, sal
plans had been made for a bi
season but we've always coopera'
ed with the government and Wi
continue to do So"
Several horsemen pointed OF
that if the suspension of racin
lasts any length of time it wi
deal a hard blow to the breedin
farms, since there will be little o
no market for horses.
Swope said he was surprised 8
the breadth Of the order.
1T is evident that it was an
mated by labor conditions, NOR
than by any ether single factor.
said the New York racing heae
Yet New York, Florida, Masss
chusetts and other eastern state
are not in an acute labor area
California is. That state is tn
center of war time productio
which isn't true If some of the ott
er regions.
81 doubt if war labor will b
substantially recruited from rae
tracks, for there the majority {
the employees ere old men or ur
der-sized boys. The sport, or bus
ness, has a clean record in thi
, respect
at is interesting that racing ha
been continued in England, France
Belgium and even in Germany ur
til last summer. However, Their
is only one thought that animate
all of us. If "acing or anything els
interferes with the war. out
must 60
Donald P. Ross, acting presiden
of Delaware state park while Co,
J. Simpson Dean is with the Arm
n