The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-05-28
A Bill

Authorizing the establishment of ocean mail
steamship service between the United States
and Australia.
Be IL enacted By the Senate and House Of Rep
resentdtires of the United States of America IN
Conoress assembled, That the Postmaster General
be and be is hereby, authorized and directed to
invite proposals by public advertisement for the
period of sixty days in one or more newspapers
published in the cities of Washington, Baltimore,
Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and San Fran
cisco, respectively, for mail steamship service
between the port of San Francisco, in the United
States, and some port or ports in Australia and
New Zealand, touching at Honolulu, in the Sand
witch Islands, Pacific Ocean, by means of a
monthly line of first-class American-built sea-go-
ing steamships of not less than 1000 register
tons burden each, and of a character and
speed suitable for mail and passenger steamships
in this service, and of sufficient number to per-
form thirteen round voyages per annum between
said ports, and to contract with the lowest quail
fed and responsible bidder for said service for a
term of twelve years, to commence from the day
the first steamship of the proposed line shall de-
part from the port of San Francisco with the
mails for Australia.
Sec. 2. And be IL further enacted, That the
President of the United States be. and he is
hereby, authorized and directed to invite the
governments of the sandwich Islands, the Islands
of Fiji. New Caledonia, New Zealand, and of
the colonies of Australia, to unite with the Cen
eral Post Office Department Of the United States
in establishing direct mail communication be-
tween the United States and these respective
countries by means of the aforesaid monthly line
of frst-class American s~ea-going steamships.
Sec. 3. And be ii further enacted, That no
proposal shall be considered, which shall amount
to more than FIVE hundred thousand dollars for
the twelve round voyages per annum nor unless
the same is from Il citizen, or citizens of the
United States, of unGoubted character, and re-
sponsibility, and having experience in such bust
1900 - aeeo-cIn. Tho Enoil.tios on1 opo~1a
ability to furnish the steamships required for the
service, and accompanied by an offer of good, and
sufficient ~sureties for the faithful performance of
such contract nor unless the proposal accepted
by the Postmaster General shall also be accepted
by a sufficient number of the aforementioned
countries, and that distinct, and separate con-
tracts, containing similar provisions, be made
with such governments for additional subsidies to
the said monthly line of steamships.
Sec. 4. And be 1t further enacted, That any
contract which the Postmaster General may exc
cute, under the authority of this act, shall go
into effect on or before the first day of Jan. 1871,
and shall, in addition to the usual stipulations of
ocean mail steamship contracts, provide that the
steamships accepted for the service shall be con-
structed of the best material, and after approved
models, with all the modern improvements
adapted to sea going steamships of the first class 4;
and shall be subject to inspection and survey, by
an experienced naval constructor, to he detailed
for that purpose by the Secretary Of the Navy,
whose report shall be made to the Postmaster
General. That the government of the United
States shall be entitled to have transported free
of expense, on each, and every steamer, a mail
agent, who shall also act as mail agent for such
of the other countries, bereinbefore referred to,
as may dispatch mails by these steamers, to take
charge of, and arrange the mail matter, and to
whom suitable accommodations shall be assigned
for that purpose. That in case of failure from
any cause, to perform any of the regular monthly
voyages stipulated for in the contract, a pro rata
deduction shall be made from the compensation
on account of such omitted voyage or voyages.
That suitable fines and penalties may be imposed
for delays and irregularities in the performance of
the service, and that the Postmaster General
shall have the power to determine the contract at
any time, in case of its being underlet or assigned
his consent to any other party.
Sec. 5. And be 1T further enacted, That the
mail steamships employed in the service author
charges and custom-house dues at the port of de-
parture and arrival in the United States.