The Board of Directors of the State's Prison were in formal session here to-day and would have called upon you but feared to do so on account of your known engagement with the Corporation Commission over the freight rates.

Mr. B. H. Hardaway of the Hardaway Contracting Co. of Whitney, N. C. came before the Board and requested a contract of from 100 to 300 men over a period ranging from 2-1/2 to 3 years. We were not definitely advised, however, as to whether or not additional convicts would be required for the Watauga & Yadkin River RR. Co. and for other railroad work now being done with State aid, and were therefore unable to enter into any contract with Mr. Hardaway for labor. After full consideration, however, I was instructed by them to ask you and the Council of State to require the Watauga & Yadkin River R. R. Co. to file their bond as required by you not later than the 25th of this month in order that we might determine definitely whether or not we could enter into a contract for other prison labor.

We find that there is at present so much doubt as to what will be required of us that we are unable to conduct the administration of the Prison in the manner we would like to conduct it and in the manner in which we think it ought to be conducted, and it will be a very great relief to us to know more definitely what will be required of us in aiding the railroad work upon which we are no engaged.

We have ordered the convict force now at work on the South Atlantic & Western Railway moved to the Highway work on the Hickory Nut Gap road.