Alabama state intelligencer., 1831-08-13
posr OFFICE pEPARTMENT.
To Post Masters and Mail Contractors.
 PosT OFFICE DEPARTMENT, !
 July l2th. 1881. {

| In many parts ' the country. mail routes have been extended stag accommodations have been added; {; the frequency the trips have been increased; and on many of th leading routes, greater celerity has been given to 1e transportation of the mail and to the expedition Sthe traveller On the routes most important to htnercourse of the country, and espe- cialy to its ntrcantile interests greater improve ments have beh secured in the more rapid trans. mission of the mil.
 Two years slice, the contracts then in operation involved an etPnse of more than hundred thou sand dollars apar, beyond the amount of the cur rent revenue f the Department. At present its current revenle does not vary materially from the current expenditure. These results could not have been Producedby any efforts on my part, had they not received tn energetic cooperation of Postmas- ters and Contactors. That much of the success which has atteled those efforts, is due to the vigi- lance and idelly which have characterised most of yeu, is deeply fit and acknowledged
 The numberf persons employed in the various branches ofthisDeparment, of comprehendng post masters and therassstants contractors and their va rious agents, IS upwards of thirty thousand Among these il is scarcely to be presumed thni evnry ndi- vldual would ,rove entirely faithful to his trust and recent develoj jements have shown that errors exs, among them which call for correction Nor cap it be expected, that in community embracing an ex- tensive natipn every individual should be so far go- verned by Ae dictates of honor and integrity. as to preclude alliraudulent practices but as il is the du- ty of every .ood citizen, to discounenance them so it Is especially incumbent upon every agent of this Departmen to exercise all possible vigilance in de- tecting nnt preventing them, wherever they are found to ber upon it's interests. Your particular at tention is threlore called to the following points:
 It is the oty of every Postmaster to be careful in locking the mail; to see that it is secured and to regard the nail key as a sacred deposit. The most extensive Expectations ever committed upon the mail have been Jerpetraed by means of improper per | snne mn mai Enu fcba lao, secured under lock; and no person. who is not un- der oath of ,fce should ever be permitted to have access to it, or to use keep the key That disre- gard for the safety of the mail which will permit Postmaster o loose key, is without apology It is equally important that you examine we'll the bags in which you Ilace the mail for transportaticn and be sure that thy are whole and secure. When new ones needed, the Postmaster should make the re- qnisition onthe Department, and when those for warded are not returned with the mail, he should send inqy along the route ts ascertain the Post master by whom they are detained, and report the facts to the Department
 There swith some Postmasters, a want of proper care in receiving and changing the mail. Packets of letters an bundles of newspapers often left in the mail to pass beyond their desnatio or to take a wrong drection through the inattention of the person whoe duty it IS to separate them. At all connecting points, or at places from which other malls branc it Is the duty of the Postmaster to anime carefy the packets in the mail to separate | from themhose which belong to his office, and all such as shpd be sent by the branching mail and to give tlien their proper direction, to go by the earliest coseyance. It will be of little avail to the public to f6m connexions and provide for the expe- dition of tie mail, unless Posmasters carefully attend to tie duties in this respect. Neglect on this point fings reproach upoI the Department, and often cats it upon those who least merit the censure. Whenever this duty is neglected, it is re- quired of therst Postmaster who shall discover it, to return sucl packets to the Postmaster who has gi ven them wong direction, or whose neglect has suffered thento wander, and report the facts to the Department. It is expected that this injunction will be strictly rearded It will enable the Department to detect the and carelessness of delinquens, and to ascertn through what offices packets of this description my have passed, by want of proper vi- glance to arrst them. In such cases the most ef- fectual correcve will be promptly applied.
 An evil preas, it apprehended, with the small CT post offices and with some of the intermediate of fees on route.much travelled, which may, perhaps, more than an of the greater derelictons of duty, contribute to jure the reputation ofthe Department. It is this :-Te opening of the mails by postmas- ter or assisan in pnblic store other room, with Tn the reach persons not sworn, i'll violation of an express insrrtion This must be wholly avoided. In the smalle, offices, too, where the letters and newspapers nmanng on hand are few, there is sometimes great careessness in not preserving them
 
 hcialy sworn allowed to have access to them. And the practice which obtains in some offices of lending newspapers must be abandoned altogether Inju. ries of this kind will be promptly redressed. Pos masters are also more strictly enjoined to give due notice to publishers when their papers periodicals are refused, or not taken from the post office. A willful neglecl of this u junction by postmaster, may subject him to private damages on the suit of publisher whocan establish the fact besides the con- sequeuce of a complaint to this Department.
 tis required by law, that every person employed by the Department, whether postmaster or clerk, contractor carrier or driver, shall take the oath pre- scribed. It hus lately to the knowledge of the Department, that in some Instances this has been neglected, both in post offices and with mail carriers or drivers. You will enquire into this and if it has ever been neglected by any person Tn your employ ment you will have the immediately corrected. A wanton disregard of this requirement in future, will be consderd ample cause for removal from of flee, or for annulling contractor.
 It IS required of every contractor to be scruPuious- punctua in his arrival at the specified points with the mail. Inevery case of delinquency in this re- spect the fine will be imposed and rigidly enforced; and repetitiob will incur forfeiture of the contract. If insurmountabe obstacles intervene, the contract or must lose nD time in procuring the best evidence of the facts which the nature of the case will admit, aud forward it by the earliest mail to the Depart ment. A delay in doing this will prevent the excuse from being considered and obstacle which is not absolutely ins,rmomtable, will be considered suf 6cient apology,
 It is required of all postmasters at the beginning and ending each route, and at any other points named in the schedule ofeach contract, to report to the Department every failure of contractor to arrive within ten minutes of the time specified. In this re- spect there is no discretion with the postmaster He required absolutely, in every case to report the de- lay, with the cause when known; and the discretion of enforcing remting the fine is reserved to the head of the Department; whs will be governed by the facts alone If the times fixed by the contract are not known to the postmaster, hesshonld apply to the Department and they shall be given.
 Cnntractars ranuired in all cases fQ the