W. L. SPOON
U.S. HIGHWAY ENGINEER
BURLINGTON, N.C.

January 8th, 1918.

Hon. W. T. Bicket,
His Excellency, The Govenor,
Raleigh, N.C.

Dear Sir:

The farm labor situation is a most serious one in my case. I am reduced to two hands and one tenant on a farm of nearly a thousand acres. I need at least two more hands. My tenant is an old plantation darkey and his boy is drafted. I need this boy on my farm badly and I believe he will be as valuable to the state and government working on my farm as in any other part of the service of Uncle Sam. For that reason I am writing you urgently requesting that if by any meanes he can be allowed to work for me another year, that he do so.

Colored labor is scarce in Alamance county N.C. and particularly labor skilled in our mixed farming. This boy was born on my farm and knows how to make good. I sowed nearly 75 acres of wheat and now have in the field, on account of putting in more wheat than usual and being short of labor, the larger part of my corn crop. Unless something can be done to relieve the farm labor situation any plea for enlargment of farm products will be in vain. Further more its out of the question to take from the farm labor trained in the work and expect to get results with unskilled labor. This negro boy is registered and drawn and only waiting orders to enter service. Hence I am unwilling to hire him for another year unless I can feel reasonably certain he will be exempted long enough to make the crop. The colored boy I refer to is William Luton Shoffner. I shall be pleased to know what policy will be adopted about such matters. Being in the civil service myself and much of the time from home it is necessary for me to have dependable labor acquainted with our methods. For me to hire unskilled and untried labor would be extreme folly and result in failure and loss to me and to the government. I have the land and I need the labor to work it. What are we going to do about it.

Kindly let me know about the matter.

Very respectfully yours,

W. L. Spoon
(U. S. Sr. Highway Engineer.)