May 5, 1913

Dr. Ira M. Hardy, Supt.
Kinston
N.C.

My dear Doctor:-

Yours od April 30th to hand. I note what you say in regard to the Board's adjourning without making provision for the outstanding indebtedness, and in reply thereto I desire to say that you were aware of this at the time and submitted a copy of what purported to be the outstanding indebtedness of the Board. The Board ordered vouchers, as you will remember, for amounts covering what money we thought we had in hand and then stopped. It seems it would have been entirely proper for you and the Executive Committee to have made such recommendation for the care of the remainder of the indebtedness as seemed to you wise and proper--this you did not do.

I do not know whether or not you are writing to every member of the Board this same letter, and if the answers seem favorable you expect to use this Round Robin as authority to borrow money. If such is your intention, I desire to enter my most solemn and emphatic protest against any such procedure. I am perhaps, not competent to give an opinion as to whether or not Section 12 authorizes us to borrow money, but so far as I am concerned it does not.

You will remember at our November meeting that we went up to the legislature showing a deficit of eight thousand dollars, i. e. when the contracts outstanding were completed and we had paid out all of the sixty thousand dollar appropriation we would still have a deficit of eight thousand dollars. This statement was prepared for us by the Superintendent and the Executive Committee. You will remember that the Board in regular session at the annual meeting the latter part of November or early part of December 1912 instructed the Superintendent and Executive Committee to make no further contracts, and yet when we had our meeting two weeks ago we come up with a deficit of something like twenty-eight thousand dollars minus the $10,000 appropriation, and this in the face of the fact that the legislature instructed us positively to stop everything except what was necessary to protect the buildings already erected.

In regard to Dr. Johnstone I would say that under proper circumstances I would be glad to have him visit our State for any length of time he could spare and speak at as many places as it is possible for him to do, but I am not willing under the circumstances for the Board to assume any part of the expense of same, and I would suggest that you cancel the engagement with him for the present. I feel sure it will be better for you personally and for the School.

The way we are going in the face of direct instruction from the legislature and in opposition to the same, and the way the Superintendent and Executive Committee are going in the face of direct instructions of the Board in regular session, and in direct opposition to such instructions I fear that the legislature will deal even more harshly with us when they assemble again than they did at their last session. I am sorry that the work is thus held up, but I do not believe nor have I ever believed that we had any authority to spend any money except that which was appropriated by the legislature, nor had we any right or authority to spend it for any other purpose than that which was specified in the appropriation and I have been, am now and shall continue to be opposed to the expenditure of any money except in accordance with the provision of the appropriation.

Trusting that we may get these matters straightened out in the near future, I beg to remain

Sincerely yours,

McB

Enclosed in: 1913, May 9. McBrayer to Craig.