| At a meeting of the Board of
Public Works, acting as supervisors of the production and distribution
of Salt for the State of Virginia, held at Saltville on the 31st
August, 1863, the following proceedings were adopted: |
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Whereas, the Board of Public Works are invested with
authority to control the transportation on the Railroads of the State
of Virginia for the purpose of transporting Salt for the people of the
State; and whereas it is deemed necessary to prevent any conflict or
collision between the State of Virginia and the Confederate States
Government, in respect to the railroad transportation respectively
required by them; and whereas, it becomes necessary to give specific
instructions on the subject of the transportation of Salt to the
Executive authorities of the Railroad Companies of the State,
therefore it is
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| Resolved and ordered by
the Board of Public Works, that precedence and priority shall be given
by the Railroad Companies of the State of Virginia to the
transportation necessary for the Confederate States Government; and
that after the said Companies have complied with the requisitions of
the Confederate States for necessary transportation, it shall be their
duty to transport the Salt manufactured by the State of Virginia for
the use of her citizens, and the Salt heretofore contracted for by
either the Governor of Virginia or Agents of the Counties of the State
of Virginia, in preference to anything else whatsoever. |
| It is also Resolved and
ordered, That if any of the Railroad Companies of the State of
Virginia shall, as a matter of comity and public convenience, permit
Foreign Trains to run upon their roads for the transportation of Salt
manufactured for the use of the citizens of other States than
Virginia, the permission to run such trains on their roads shall be
given only on condition that said trains shall transport no Salt
except that manufactured on State account by State Agents, so long as
there may be Salt so manufactured, awaiting transportation; and that
said Foreign Trains shall not be permitted to transport any Salt
manufactured upon private account, or intended to be made a subject of
speculation, so long as there is Salt manufactured either by the State
of Virginia or any other of the Confederate States, awaiting
transportation, and that can be transported by said trains to, or in
the direction of, its proper destination; and on this further
condition, that in case any of the Officers of such Foreign Trains
shall receive, either directly or indirectly, for their services, or
the services of their rolling stock, in transporting Freight upon any
Railroad in this Commonwealth, a greater compensation than is allowed
by law for such transportation, such Foreign Train shall no longer be
permitted to run upon the Railroad tracks of this Commonwealth. |
| It is also Resolved and
ordered, That the instructions now given to the Railroad Companies
in respect to the transportation of Salt, shall be, and they are
hereby reiterated, so as to apply to the transportation of Supplies to
the Salt Works, leased and held by the State of Virginia, in like
manner, as to the transportation of the salt itself. |
| True Copy from the minutes |
| Thos. H. De Witt |
| Secretary of the Board of Public Works |
| {Filed in the
National Archives under the Citizen File name John Robin McDonald} |
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