Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-01-15
date Office, when not otherwise specified, for
opcning aud examining the mails.

opening and examining the mails
No ray will be made for trips not performed;
and for each of such omissions, not satisfac-
torily explained, three times the pay of the
! trip may he deducted. For arrivals so far be.
hind time as to break connection With dsrend-
ing mails, and not sufficiently excused, one
fourth Of the compensation Cor the trip is sub.
| jcct to forfeiture.
Fines will be imposed, unless The delin-
quency be promptly and satisfactorily ex-
planned by certificates of postmasters or the
afIidavits Of other credible persons, for failing
to arrive in contract time for neglecting to
take the mail from, or deliver it into, a post
office for suffering it to be wet, injured de-
stroyed, robbed or lost.
| The Postmaster General may annul the
contract for repeated failures to run agreeably
to contract for violating the post Office laws,
or disobeyin the instructions Of the depart
incnt for refusing to discharge n carrier when
| requested by the department TO do so for as
signing the contract without the assent of the
Postmaster General or for transporting per-
sous or packages conveying mailable matter
| out of the mail.
The Postmaster Genera! may order nm in
| crease OF service on Il route by allowing e. ere
| for pro rata increase on the contract pay.
| He may change schedules Of departures aud
arrivals in all cases, and particularly to make
| them conform to connections with railroads,
without increase of pay, provided the running
time be not abridged. The Postmaster Gen
cral may also discontinue or curtail the service
| in whole or in part, in order to place on the
route greater degree of service, or whenever
the public interests, in his Judgment, shall re-
quire such discontinuarce or curtailmcnt for
any other cause he allowing as full indemnify
| to contractor one months extra pay on the
| amount of service dispensed with, and pro
| rata compensation for the amOuut OF service
| retained aad continued.
Payments will be made fer the service by
| collections from or drafts on postmasters, or
otherwise, after the expiration Of each qua,tr
say in November, February May and August
| The distances are given according to the
| best information ; but no increase ofpay will
be allowed should they be greater than advcr-
tised, If the points to be supplied be correctly
stated. Bii!ers mrS. inform Mmse'res on this
| point.
| Bidders are requested to use, rs far as rrac-
ticablc, the printed form Of proposal furnished
by the department, to write out in full the sum
of their bids, and to return copies of them.
Each bid must be guaranteed by worespon-
siblc persons.
The bid should be sealed, supcrscribed
/" Mail Proposals, Territory of Washington. 1"
addressed "Second Assistant Postmaster Cen
eral, Contract Office, y and sent by mail, not
by or to an agent; and postmasters will not
inclose proposals Tor letters Of any kind) in
their quarterly returns.
| The contracts are to be executed and re-
turned to the department by or before the LIST
of July, 1870; but the service must be begun
on that day, or on the next mail day thercaf-
ter, whether the contracts be executed or not.
| Transfers OF contracts, or OF interests in con-
| tracts, arc forbidden by law, and Consequent.
| ly cannot be allowed. Bidders will therefore
take notice that they will be required to per-
form the service accepted to them through tho
| whole term OF the contract.
Section eighteen of an act of Congress ap-
proved March 3, lsl5, provides that contracts
for the transportation of the mail shall be let,
g in every case, to the lowest bidder rendering
sufficient guarantees tor faithful performance,
| without other reference to the mode of such
transportation than may he Necessary to pro-
vide for the due celebrity, certainty, and sccu-
rity Of such transportation" Under this law,
bids that propose to transport the mail with
" celebrity, certainty and security" having been
decided to be the only legal bids, are construed
RS providing for the entire mail, however large,
and whatever may be the mode of conveyance
necessary to insure its celebrity, certainty,
and security" aud no others will be consid-
cred Except in the cnse OF railroad and steam
boat routes, bids naming any rarticuidr mode Of
conveyance are inrariabiy rejected.
A modification of bid in any of its essen
tial terms is tantamonnt to u new bid, and
cannot be received, SO as to interfere with
regular competition, after the last hour set for
receiving bids. Making new bid with guar
aniec and certificate, is the only way to modify
a previous bid. ~ sft. !.
Postmasters are to he careful not to certify
to the snfficicncy of guarantors or surctics
without knowing that they are persons of suf-
ficent responsibility a disregard Of this in
sruc!,on by Postmasters is rioiaton Of their oath
Of Office Sudyecin2 them to ia.n,cdiate rsmopal
All biddcrs, guarantors, aud sureties arc dis
tinctiy notified that on failure to enter into
or perform the contracts for the service pro-
posed for in the accepted bids, their legal liza
bilities will be enforced against them.
Present contractors, and persons known at
the department, must, equally with Others,
procure guarantOrs md certificates, of their
suficiency, substantially in the forms above
prescribed. The certificate Of suffciency must
be signed by postmaster, or by a judge Of a
court Of record no other will be admitted.
ta.' g. JNO. A. J. CRKSWELL,
Postmaster General.