Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-02-19

dlAte once, Wben mol OtueTWtse fpeClheC, Tor
opening and examining the mails.
No pay will be made for trips not performed.
and for each Of such omissions. not sati.fa,-
torily explained, three times III. pay Of the /
trip may be deducted. For arrivals SO far he. |
hind time Is to break connection with derend-
ing mails and not sufficiently excused, one
fourth Of the compensation Cor the trip is sub. |
ject to forfeiture.
Fines will be imposed, unless the delin-
quency he promptly and satisfactorily ex- !
planned By certificates Of postmasters or the |
aflidavits Of other credible persons, for failing
to arrive in contract time for neglecting to
take the mail from, or deliver it into, n 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 disObey ing the instructions of the depart
ment; for refusing to discharge 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-
sons or packages conveying maiIatle matter
out of the mail.
The Postmaster General may order nm in
crease of service on Il route by allowing t..cre-
for n pro rata increase on the contract nav.
lie may charge 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 Gem
ernl may also discontinue or curtail the service,
in whole or in part, in order to place on the
route a greater degree Of service, or whenever
the public interests, in his judgment, shall re-
quirc such discontinuance or curtailmcnt for
any other cause he allowing as full indemnity
to contractor one months extra pay on the
amount Of service dispensed WITH and pro
rata compensation for the amour. of service
retained and continued.
Payments will be made fer the service by
collections from or drafts on postmasters, or
otherwise, after the expiration Of each quarter
say in November, February, May and August.
The distances are given according to the
best information; but no increase of pay will
be allowed should they be greater than adver-
tsed, If the points to be supplied be correctly
stated. Bidders must inform Themselves on tbs
point.
Bidders are requested to use, as far as rrac-
ticable, 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 two respon-
sible persons.
| The bid should be sealed, superscrbed
Mail Proposals, Territory of Washington"
addressed Second Assistant Postmaster GEN
eral, Contract Office, and sent by mail, not
l
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, are 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 an act of Congress ap-
proved March 3, 1875, provides that contracts
for the transportation of the mail shall be let,
Sin every case, to the lowest bidder rendering
, sufficient guarantees for faithful performance,
without other reference to the mode of such
transportation than may be 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" and no others will be consid-
cred. Except in the case of railroad and steam
, boat routes, 6tds naming any particular mode q
: conveyance are Invariably rejected.
A.modfcaton of a bid in any OF its essen.
tial terms is tantamount to q new bid, and
cannot be received, so as to interfere with a
regular competition, after the last hour set 70,
receiving bids. Making new bid, with guar
p antec and certificate, is the only way to modify
!, q previous bid.
!, Postmasters arc to be careful not to certify
q to the sufficiency of guarantors or suretc:
without knowing that they are persons of suf
hcient responsibility; disregard of this in
stTucfton by postmdsers is violation OF their oati
| Of office, suejecting them to immediate removal
All bidders, guarantors, and sureties are dis
}, tinctly notified that on failure to enter into
d 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 Al
!. the department, must, equally with others
procure guarantors and certificates, of thei
>, sufhciepcy, substantially in the forms above
:, prescribed. The certificate of sufficiency mus
q be signed by postmaster, or by judge Of
3 court of record no other will be admitted.
g JNO. A. J. CRESWELL,
I, Postmaster General.
DnCnr~"TYcy