Evening star., 1950-07-03
Race News Tickers
Cleared From District,
Mcfarland Reports
Continued From First Page,

0CRnA AtlnClkt CNtQCllCC w JQotllS
prosecution Of a corporation oper-
ating just outside the Los Angeles
city limits and the corporation
was allowed to pay up. The charge
was promptly refuted by Dwight
Z. Avis OF the Bureau Of Interna
Revenue. who told the conference
the case was not settled as The
mayor had described.
2. A disclosure by Russell Bro
ply. West Coast race news dis.
tributor, that he gets his racing
information by way of a powerful
short-wave radio station. Brophy
gave that information to the sub.
committee in closed session, aftel
pointing out that Continental
Press Service-the Nations No.
race wire networks not allowed
TO come in California. The loca.
tion of the short-wave station wa.
deleted from the record. but ar
accompanying map of race news
distribution showed a line from
Mexico to Los Angeles with the
notation avia radio"
Opinions Differ.
3. Letters from 25 State attor.
iieys general showing sharp diff
ference of opinion over the ex-
iStence of q Nationwide crime
syndicate and the need for anti
gambling legislation.
AS for the lists of race news
outlets, Senator Mcfarland said
they formed the most complete
record of wire service users ever
compiled. This record, he said
shows the Nationwide pattern oi
race news eventually reaching
bookies.
He said it was not published as
q guide to bookies but to show the
extent to which the race wire
service is used. Unquestionably, he
added. the majority of those listed
were bookies but the lists also in
cluded newspapers and radio sta
lions as well as men in the busi-
ness of distributing race news but
not bookies themselves.
The Importance of the tickers.
he explained. lies in the fact that
big-time bookies need to know the
odds as fast as they change so
they can keep their books bal
anced through layoff bets or bets
made at the track to reduce the
odds.
In order to make its compila-
ton, the committee used the list
Of subscribers to Continental
Press Service, lists of customers
furnished by Continentals sub
scribers and Western Unions lists
Of ticker drops on their leased
wire circuits.
COMMITTEES sources said the race
news distributors, aware that
Western Unions lists could be
used to double -check them, even
reported some customers who tele-
phone them to get the news.
As the major race wire, Con-
tinental supplies racing informa.
tion to "a clients. They, in turn
distribute the race news to .theil
customers by leased wire. Where
bookies are involved, the distribu.
tion chain may go farther by tele.
phone.
Hundreds on an Outlet.
The committees lists took the
race news story to the end of the
wire service line. In some States
particularly in the Midwest, scores
and even hundreds of customers
were tied up to a single outlet.
In other States. no customers
were listed.
Senator Mcfarland said the diff
Terence could be accounted for in
two ways. First, he said, where
gambling prosecution is "vigor-
ous, gamblers have to be more
careful about getting their racing
information and cannot set up
ticker drops. Second, he explained.
the wire service does not go into
q territory unless it can make a
profit and profit comes only with
. large number of customers.
Continental's closest subscriber
70 Washington was listed as
Howard Sports Daily in Baltimore
with q ticker circuit of 1 ,053 miles
ana Is drops and a Morse circuit
ef 1855 miles with six drops. The
closest customer to Washington
listed by Howard Sports Daily wa.
.. Friedlander, Block River read.
Laurel. Md.
Race News Exchanged.
Howard also reported wires
terminating in this area at Bowie
ana Laurel "for the purpose of
gathering news" Howard, it has
been explained. gathers news from
some tracks for Continental while
receiving information from Con-
tinental on activities at other
tracks.
Listed by Western Union as
connected with Howard by Morse
circuit and presumably the ones
Howard referred to as news-gath.
ering points in this region were
William Prout at Bowie and r
odle at Black Greek Road. Laurel
A Mckee City IN. J.) location or
Howard's Morse circuit also was
listed to r. Odle.
Also listed as operating out o1
Baltimore was Worldwide News
d Music Co.. which reported il
received its information from
Howard Sports Daily and Trans
radio Press. After listing it's GUS
toners, this service added:
Eleven clients, who are identi-
fed by call-in numbers only. tele-
phone this Office for various sports
news. They are known as 80, So,
40. 81, SIS, 81, u, 90, 90, SO. 99.'
Some Hit Interference.
The,letters from State attorneys
general included IN, tha haarinuc