Yours of June 1st received. Governor Craig has gone to Asheville, and will not again be in his office for perhaps a month.

Concerning the matter about which you inquire, I am absolutely sure that it will be impossible for the Governor to furnish you any convicts for your work. By reason of special acts passed by the legislature, every available convict in the State is now employed on railroad building, and while it has been seen and felt that this was wrong, and that the convicts should be worked on county roads instead of railroads, under the law these convicts cannot be removed until present contracts are completed.

The Governor is greatly interested in the matter of building good roads, and if he had the authority, I think he would place every convict in the state on this work in preference to anything else, but as I say, special acts of the legislature have made it impossible for the Governor to carry out his ideas in this matter.