The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-03-08

tiers, IT sng. The contract may howeve
The case otlncsssse of speed, relinq,uish the con
tract oy giving prompt notice to the Department
that he prefers doug SO to carrying the orde
'nto effect. The Postmaster General may also
curtaIi or discontinue the service, at pro rata
decrease OF pay, allowing one m onth's extra
whenever, in his opinion, the pdt1kc interests
do not require the same, or in case lie A~sires to
supersede it by different grade of transaor,a-
lion.
9. Payments will be made for he service by
collection Of, OF drafts on, postmasters, or 9th
wise, after the expiration OF each quarter-say
in February, May, August, and November
10. The distances are given according TO the
best information !; but increased pay will b..
allowed should they be greater than advertised
if the points to be supplied be correctly stated
Bidders must inform themselves or this point.
II. The Postmaster General is prohbite hy
law from knowingly making a contract for the
transportation Of the mails with any person " ho
shall have entered into, proposed to enter into,
any combination to prevent the making OF any
bid for mail contract by any other person or
persons, or who shall have mace any agreement,
or shalt have given or performed, or promised
to give or perform, any consideration whatever,
or to do, or not to do, anything whatever, in or
WI ~ any othSi PVIsoH VI pSISoIS n0t TO
bid for mail contract. Particular attention is
called to the 18th section of the act of 1886.
prohibiting combinations to prevent bidding
II. bid received after time, viz: 9 a. M.
of the 10th of April, 1854, r without the guar
aniee required by law, or that combines several
routes in one sum of compensation, cannot be
considered in, competition with regular pro.
posal reasonable in urneuni
l3. Bidders should, in all cases, frs. praoose
fnr rvic Sfricflv IL.
ment, and then, if they desire, separateiu for
different service; and if the regular bid be the
lowest offered for the advertised service. the
| other bids may be considered if the alterations
proposed are recommended by the postmasters
and citizens interested, or if they sl.all appear
manifesty right and proper.
IA. There should be but one route bid for in
a proposal.
Is. The route, the service, the YEARLY nav
| the name and residence of the bidder, and those
of each member of firm, where a company Of
fsIs, should be distinctly stated also, the mode
of conveyance, it higher mode than horseback
be intended. The words sswith due celerity.
certainly, and security" inserted to indicate the
mode OF conveyance, will constitute ssfar did. )"
l6 The bid should be sent under seal, adj
dressed to the Second Assistant Postmaster &c
neral, superscrlbe "Mail Proposals in the State
of -" 1t should be guaranteed, and ,htA
| suthciency OF the guarantors certified, (see
foIc,s,) and should be despatched in time To be
received by or before 8, a. M, of the IO;b Of
April, 1854.
II. The contracts are to be executed and re-
turned to the Department by or before the LIST
of July, 1854
/ Ia. Posmasters at Offices on or ne ar railroads.
but more than eighty rods from station. will.
Immediately after the 10th of April next. report
their exact distance from the nearest station "a nd
how they are otherwise supplied with the mail,
TO enable the POSTMASTER General to direct mail
messenger supply from the LIST of July next.
10. Section lS Of an act of Congress. approv.
| ed March 3, 1S45, provides that contracts for
the transportation of the mail shall be let, {. in
every case, 10 the lowest bidder rendering sufi-
cient guarantees for faithful performance, with
out other reference to the mode oil such trans
portatlon than may be necessary to provide for
the due CELEBRITY, certainty and security of such
transportation. Under this law new descrip.
ton OF bids has been received. 1t does not spe-
city mode OF conveyance, but engages to take
the entire mail each trip with celebrity, certainty,
and security, using the terms of the law. These
bids are styled, from the manner in which thew
are designated on the books of the Department.
''star bids" and they will be construed as pro-
vidlng for the entire mail, hoperer large, and
achafe0er may De The mode Of conreyance neces-
sary 10 ansnre Its "eclerity, certainty and secu-
rity." = !, go
Such bids will therefore be accepted in pre-.
terence to higher bids for specific modes of
| conveyance on routes where the lowest mode
OF conveyance that is, on horseback, } is known
to be insufficient, -
In all cases where the lowest grade of service
is believed to be sufficient the lowest bid will
be accepted, if duly guaranteed, in preference
to "star or specific bid.
| When fha 10
specifies either no mode, or an inadequate mode
OF conveyance, it will not be accepted, but set
aside for specific bid proposing the necessary
service.
When the bid does not specify mode of con-
veyancc, also when it proposes 10 carry "ac-
cording to the ADVERTISEMENT, but without
such specification, it will be considered as a pro
posal for horseback service
~ modification Of bid, in any OF its es-
sential terms, is tantamount to new bid and
cannot BIO received, so as to interfere with egur
lar competition, after the last hour set for re,
ceiving bids.
81. Postmasteis are to be careful not to certi-
~ the suficiency Of guarantors or sureties with
out knowing that they are persons Of sufficient
responsibility, and all bidders, guarantors, and
sureties are distinctly notified that, on failure
to enter into or perform the contracts for the ser
vice proposed for in the accepted bids, their le-
gal Liabilities will be enforced against them.
~. The contracts will be substantially in the
forms heretofore used in this Department, ex
cept in the respects particularly mentioned in
these instructions; and on all railroad and steam.
boat routes the contractors will be required Ia
deliver the mails into the post offices at the ends
OF the routes, and into all the nterned date no ),
Offices not more tnan eighty rods from the raj
road or landing.
70. Present contractors, and persons known
at the Department, must, equally with others
procure guarantors and Ger tfcales Of their suf-
heiency substantially IN the forms above pre-
scribed. The certificates of suffcency must be
signed by postmaster. or a Judge or clerk OF
a court Of record
Postmasters at the ends of routes on which
they think the present mode of conveyance in
adequate, will weigh the mail each trip for six
successive weeks on weekly routes, and three
weeks on other routes, and rcpor. the result by
the 10th of April, 1854.
JAMES CAMPBELL,
/ Postmaster General
Posi- OFFICE DEPARTMENT.,
January 8, l854.-IawI2w