I have an opportunity of hiring 300 able bodied convicts to the Hardaway Contracting Company to finish the work at Badin in Stanly county at a minimum price of $1.50 per day cash.

I have written Mr. Mann today in regard to the matter. I have suggested that he take at least 100 convicts from the Elkin & Alleghany. When the Whitney work was suspended the convicts were parceled out, and to take all that were sent to the Watauga & Yadkin River Railway and put them on this work. The fact of the matter is every one of these convicts ought to be removed. It is a gross injustice to the State to be wasting that convict labor on a defunct road. It is probably a greater injustice to be wasting the convict labor that we have on the Statesville Air Line where there is no prospect of the road ever amounting to anything.

I am writing you this to urge you to co-operate with Mr. Mann in gathering up as many convicts as possible to put on this work, as the State Prison badly needs the funds for its maintenance and the State Treasury is in bad condition. We ought to do everything we can to make money honestly and to keep the State from getting any further in debt.

Since the Aluminum Company of America, of Pittsburg, Pa., have purchased the Southern Aluminum Company, they are going to make Badin greater than was ever anticipated by the old company. In doing this it means that we are putting fifteen million dollars worth of property on the tax books of North Carolina, which means a great deal more for North Carolina in the way of taxes than the completion of all these roads, if they were really worthy propositions.

You have been exceedingly kind to these railroads and it seems to me that the time has come when they should be willing to give up the convicts. Whether they are willing, or not, I believe it is our duty to remove them, as we are representatives of the State's interests, and we know that we are not doing the best for North Carolina in wasting this labor.