Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-05-24

fourth part of it when the running or ar
rival is so far behind time as to lose the
connexion with depending mail; and a
forfeiture of due proportion of it when
grade Of service is rendered inferior to
that in the contract. These forfeitures
may be increased into penalties of high
er amount, according TO the nature or sre-
quency of the failure andimportance OF
the mail. -
8. Fines will be imposed unless the
delinquency be satisfactorily explained
in due time, for failing to take from, or
deliver at, post office, the mail, or any
part of it; for suffering it to be wet, iniu-
red, lost, or destroyed; or conveying it
in place or manner that exposes it to
depreciation, loss. or injury, for refusing
after demand to convey a mail by any
coach, railroad car, or steamboat, which
the contractor regularly runs on the route
beyond the specified number Of trips in
the contract, and for not arriving at the
time set; and for setting up or running
an express to transmit commercial intel
ligence in advance of the mail, penalty
will be exacted equal to quarters pay.
Z. The Postmaster General may annul
the contract for repeated failures; for vi
olating the post Office laws; for disobey-
ing the instrucfioes of the Department;
for refusing to discharge carrier when
required by the Department; for assign
ing the contract without the consent
the Postmaster General, or for setting up
or running an express as aforesaid.
8. The Postmaster General may alter
the contract, and alter the schedule, he
allowing pro rata increase Of compen-
sation, within the restrictions imposed by
law, for the additional service required,
or for the increased speed, if the employ
ment of additional stock or carriers is
rendered necessary; but the contractor
may, in such case, relinquish the contract,
on timely notice, if he prefers it TO the
change. The Postmaster General may
annul the contract or curtail the service
and pay, when he wishes to dispense
with the service, in whole or in part, OF
place higher or different grade of ser.
vice on the route, he allowing one months
extra pay on the amount dispensed with
8. The payments will be made through
drafts on post Offices or otherwise, after
the expiration Of each quarter-say in
February, May, August. and November.
| 10. The distances are given according
to the best information; but no increased
pay will be allowed, should they prove
to be greater than is advertised, if the
places are correctly named.
IL. The Postmaster General is prohib.
tied by law from knowingly making a
contract for transportation of the mail
with any person who shall have entered
into any combination, or proposed to en-
ter into any combination, to prevent the
making of any bid for a mail contract
by any other person or persons, or who
shall have any agreement, or shall have
given or performed, or promised to give
perform, any consideration to do, OF
not to do, any thing whatever to induce
any other person not to bid for mail
contract. Particular attention is called
to the 2Sth section of the act of 1896
/ prohibiting combinations to prevent bid
ding.
IL. A bid received after time, to-wit
the 18th April next, at 10 a m, or with.
out the guaranty required by law, or thai
combines several routes in one sum Of
compensation, cannot be considered in
competition with the regular proposal
not adjudged to be extravagant.
13. A bidder may offer, where the
transporta ton called for in the advertise
ment is difficult or impracticable at Ger.
tain seasons, to substitute an inferior
mode of conveyance. or to intermit SER
vice specified number OF days, weeks,
or months. He may propose to omit an
Office that is inaccessible, or is not on
the stage road, the railway, or alta steam.
boat landing, as the case may be; or he
may offer to substitute an inferior mode
of supply in such cases. He may pro-
pose different days and hours of depar.
ture and arrival, provided no more run.
ming time is asked, and il is obvious that
no mail connexion or other public accom-
mediation is prejudiced. He may ask for
more running time to the trip, during a
specified number of days, at certain sea-
sons Of peculiarly bad roads; but beyond
these changes. a proposal for service diff
ferent from the advertisement will pre-
vent its being considered in competition
with regular bid not set aside for ex-
trayagance; and where bid contains any
of the above alterations, their disadvan-
tages will be estimated in comparing il
with other proposals.
Ia. There should be but one route bid
for in proposal.
Is. The route, the service, the yearly
pay, the bidders name and residence,
and the name of each member Of the
firm, where company offers, should be
distinctly stated; also the mode of con-
veyance, If higher mode than on horse
back is intended.
l6. The bid should be sent under
seal, addressed to the First Assistant
Postmaster General, with "Mail Propo-
sails in name the State or or territory, r
written on the face of the letter; and
should be dispatched in time to be re-