•San Antonio, Texas, February 4th,. 1332
Dear Harral:-
Yours of the 2nd; Colonel Crecelius' report on Ft. Send County was .'.'30PQG per mile for concrete and pi6,500 for Uvalde Rock HithuMthic.
The connection between here and Jim 'Cells County is still in the air. I am to have a. conference Monday afternoon at 3:30 at Jourdan-ton with Judge Beurrnaster and others with reference to the Tilden route. I have been holding off, giving Judge Beurrnaster time to work out a plan whereby he could get Senator Parr to join. He is not altogether satisfied at the present time but hopes to have something more definite by Monday.
As to Baird's work here in San Antonio, I will say that this town he.s taken quite a decided step backward since you left here. It seems like the first of the year completely changed up everything, hen that you wo Id think had ample money for their actual neeas just come out flat-footed and say that t ey haven't a dollar for their own affairs much less other projects. Sven Colonel Pryor said he simply couldn't paylVa dollar at present,tive "would have to give him a little time on	number	of other supposed-to-'oe well-t^-do"
men are in the same condition. Of course, I was afraid of this all the time because I knew the first of the year would bring about a more economic condition on acount of tax-paying and other things and January always is a. hard month in this county to secure money for anything. And for that reason Dr. Johnston and myself think we had better hold down our expenses trying to help Baird to get in enough to pay salaries and ease up some of the more urgent bills, and a. little later on start our campaign for the border proposition and the Houston and alley connection.
Mr. McDonald, Chief Director of the Office of Public Roads, wired the other day that on account of illness he wouldn't be able to make the trip south at this time, so the big entertainment that was to have taken place in Pan Antonio has been called off as the oth§r men will not be here either.
Colonel Crecelius was offered the place of division engineer at San Antonio but he has three good jobs in sight ana has asked them to hold the proposition open for him until some time next week. I certainly hope he will accept it.
I succeeded in ge ting the Jim 'Veils County proposition lined up I think to the entire satisfaction of those people down there; so — copies of letters herewith enclosed which are self-explanatory. He expect the Jim ’Veils court to employ an engineer Monday at their regular meeting and advertise their.bonds for sale, and get busy with their work at once. I hope they won't be disappointed.
The Highway epartment cancelled v70,000 aid in Nueces County and will give this to jim Hells County at their next meeting. I claim ttis is handing it to those fellows about right. If Karnes County don't look out I may get a small portion of their's cancelled, too.