"The 'Preview' of the racing plant of Las Vegas Jockey Club last Sunday confirmed the hopes that a few of us old-timers have held for 40 years or more. There was a race track we had long hoped for, but in a degree of greatness and perfection that even the most optimistic could not visualize.

Of course, the thing was not quite complete - there were concessions to be operated, parimutuel tickets to be sold, races for rich purses to be run, seats for the grandstand to be set, tables and chairs and refreshment booths placed in the clubhouse - many things to bring the racing plant to perfection but the time, men and money to perfect it before September 4, are available.

For those of us who have followed the work of creating the Las Vegas race track through all its many delays, troubles, trials and disappointments, it was quite wonderful to see the great grandstand freshly painted and practically completed. The clubhouse was a surprise to many of us who had not seen it recently. The paddock was complete, even to the redwood bark to cushion the hoofs of the ponies. The parimutuel computing system, installed by the Australian syndicate, was ready to figure exactly the odds on your pony. The trace itself was in a state of high perfection, ready for the stir of pounding hoofs.

What most people, I fear, did not see was the city of concrete stables with their hundreds of stalls already housing some of the finest racing stock of the country. And already the areas devoted to lawns were showing their greenery, especially on the infield.

The sporting blood of the great crowd was stirred by the sight of the cantering ponies who seemed to sense the importance of the occasion and plainly showed their anxiety to line up at the starting gate and plunge into the real and important races for which they have been trained.

On the newly paved parking area there were hundreds of beautiful automobiles parked in an orderly manner, reminding one of the great parking areas at the Santa Anita track during the races.

To all intents and purposes the great race track of the Las Vegas Jockey Club is ready for business. And the thousands of people who crowded the grandstand and clubhouse last Sunday reminded us that, with its success, our new racing plant brings new problems to Las Vegas, not the least of these being:

'Where can we house the hundreds of people who will be attracted to Las Vegas to operate the enterprise? How can we find lodging and shelter for the additional thousands of tourists who love to follow the races?'

Since Las Vegas was first opened as a townsite May 15, 1905, the problem of adequate housing has been perplexing our people. Even in the periods of depression, when business was at a low ebb, that same problem has been plaguing Las Vegas. There never has, even at our most distressing periods of depression, sufficient housing to provide our residents with homes at prices which ordinary people can afford to pay.

Now with this added stimulus of what will soon be recognized as our greatest factor of growth, the housing problem becomes more acute than ever before. Under the stress of demand for houses, Las Vegas still cannot afford to charge those who come here for a few days of pleasure or to make permanent homes excessive prices. Nothing can so quickly damage the town, stop our great influx of tourists and put our business economy on the bum as a reputation for gouging our guests.

Las Vegas has for several years been creating new housing at a great rate, yet the supply for rentals or homes has not been met. It seems to many of us that just now, perhaps with the aid of those who have provided the capital for the race track, a project should be started great enough to fill the demand for homes, however great it may become, at fair and reasonable rates.

Our Las Vegas Jockey Club may, perhaps, consider this as another great and profitable enterprise in cooperation with the racing plant. The community as a whole would. I believe, heartily approve of such an enterprise as important in the building here of a large and permanent city.

And, speaking of cities, I long ago suggested that Las Vegas will become as great in population, business and enterprise as its people will to make it. We here have everything upon which to build that has Phoenix, Ariz. - and more.

What advantages have such cities (outside of an earlier state?) as Tucson, San Bernardino, Fresno or a dozen other large and growing cities of the West, that Las Vegas does not have?

Some person, remembering that our summers are hot, many answer: 'Climate!' that would show ignorance because, for the year round, Las Vegas has just about the finest climate in the whole United States. We have nothing that we need to apologize for and many things of which we may well be proud.

The ideas I have heard, that the parimutuel tickets will be competition to our great hotel casinos, seems completely silly. The thousands of tourists that the track will attract to Las Vegas will only add to the business of the hotels and casinos."