In your absence from Raleigh this morning, I had a conversation with your private secretary in reference to the coal situation at Louisburg, which we have been endeavoring to relieve, but without success.

The trouble has been that F. W. Wheless, who seems to be handling coal there, has been depending upon a concern from whom he ordered, and to whom he sent check for coal, and that concern claims that they have not got the coal and cannot get it as yet.

In order to relieve the needs temporarily at Louisburg, we have been trying to get the Seaboard Air Line Railway to divert a car of coal to Louisburg. They claimed that they could not do it, and we then tried to get the Southern Railway to do this. They meet us with the same negative answer. My purpose in calling you this morning was to get you to use your influence with Mr. C. E. Hix, Supt. Transportation, of the Seaboard Air Line Railway, Norfolk, Va., to divert one car of coal to Louisburg. Mr. Wheless states that he will receive the coal and distribute it at cost to the people at Louisburg. I hope that your private secretary’s negotiations with Mr. Hix were successful and we will be interested to know the result.

We will continue to try to get a car of coal for Louisburg from the concern with whom he has order, but unless the Seaboard Air Line has or will come to the rescue, we are at our row’s end for the time being.