New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-02-13


of passengers or for being concerned in setting
up or running an express, conveying Intelligence
in advance of the mail, quarters pay may be
deducted.
G. Fines will be imposed. unless The deln
auency be promptly and satisfactorily explained
BY certificates of postmssters. or the athdavlts
Of other credible persons, for failing to arrive IN
contract time; for neglecting to take the mail
from or deliver it into O post Office; for SUIT
fsrinr IL TO be wet, injured. destroyed robbed,
or lost and for refusing, after demand, 10 con
vey the mail as frequently the contractor runs,
or is concerned in running coach, car, or
steamboat on q route.
: The Postmaster General may annul the
contract for repeated failures to run agreeably
To contract for violating the post office laws. or
disobeyiug the instructions of the Department:
for refusing to discharge a CARVER when required
by the Department to do so; tor running an ex-
press, as aforesaid, or for Transporting persons
or packages conveying maiable matter out OF
the mail.
g. The Postmaster General may order an in
crease of service on a route by allowing therefor
q pro rata increase on the contract pay. lie
may change schedules of departures and arrivals
| in all cases, and particularly to make them con
| form to connections with railroads, without IN
! crease of pay. provided the running time be not
abridged. The Postmaster General may also
discontinue or curtail the service in whole or IN
part in order to place on the route superior ser
4 vice or whenever the public interest, in his
/ judgment, shall require such discontlnuance or
curtailment for any other cause he allowing as
| full indemnity to contractor one months extra
nav on the amount of service dispensed with.
/ and q pro rata compensation for the amount OF
service retained and continued.
| Q. PAYMENTS will be made by collections from,
or drafts on postmasters or other~ lse> after the
expffation Of each 'qnaref-say in November
/ February. May and August-proyded that re-
oI of ryINa haE
10. The distances given are believed to be
substantially correct; but no increased pay will
be allowed should they be greater than sdVer.
| tised, if the points to be supplied are correctly
stated Bidders must nform themselves on th's
point. and also in reference TO the weight OF the
| mail, the condition of hills, roads, streams, &c,
and all toll bridges, turnpikes, plank roads, fer
RES or distractions of any kind by which ex
pense NAV be incurred No claim for additional
pay based on such ground, can be considered
| nor for alleged mistakes or mi5apprehenslon as
to the degree of service; nor for bridges de-
stroyed, ferries discontinued. other Obstruc'
| tions causing or increasing distance eNSSnse
occurring during the contract term. Offices es
tablished after this advertisement is issued. and
also during the contract term, are to be visited
without extra pay, il the distance be not in.
creased.
IL. Bidders are cautioned to mail their propo-
sails in time to reach the Department by the day
bids received after that time rW net be considered
| in competition with bids, of reasonable amount.
received in time. Neither can bids be cOnsd
cred which are without the guarantee required by
| law and certificate of the sufficiency OF such
| guarantee and the oath of the bidder, according
| to section 246, act of June s, 1872
II. Bidders should first propose for service
strictly according to the advertisement, and then,
ifthey desire, separately for different service and
if the regular bid be the lowest offered for adver
tised service the other proposition may BE- con-
sdered
10. There should be bat one route bid for in a
proposal. Consolidated or combination bids
! (''proposing one sum for two or more routes
cannot be considered
Il. The route, the service, the yearlypay the
name and residence of the bidder, lthst IS, his
usual post office address and the name Of each
member of firm, where company offers,
should be distinctly stated
| Is. Bidders requested to use, as far as
| practicable, the printed proposals furnished by
the Department, to write ont in fall the sum of
their bids, and to retain copies of them
| Altered bids should not be submitted nor
| should bids once submitted be Withdrawn. No
withdrawal of bidder or guarantor will he al
lowed unless the withdrawal is received twenty
| tours hours previous to the time fixed for open.
ing the proposals.
Each bid must be guaranteed by two response,
| BILE persons. The bid and guarantee should be
The Postmaster General reserves the right TO
reject any bid which may be deemed extravng
giant and also to disregard the bids Of failin,
contractors and bidders. Act Of June ;, 1872,
! section 249.)
| l6. The bid should be sealed, superscribed
| ''Muil Proposals, State of -" addressed
"Second Assistant Postmaster General, Contract
Office, and sent by mail, not by or to an agent
| Bids of S., 900 per annum and upward must be
accompanied by certified check or draft on
some solvent national bank, equal to per cent
of the amount. (See law Of Congress of June
8, 1872
II. The contracts are to be erecuted and re.
turned to the Department byOr before the LIST day
of June 1873, OtherICise the accepted biH9er uiiL
| be considered as hauntg .tailed, and tie Postnas.
ter General may proceed to contract for the SER
nice tcith other parties, according to tar.
Transfers of contracts or of interest in con
| tracts, are forbidden by law and consequently
cannot be allowed. Neither can bids, or inter
| est in bids, be transferred assigned to other
parties. Bidders will therefore take notice that
| they will be expected to perform the service
awarded to them through the whole contract
| term.
| 10. Section 249 OF the act Of June 3. l372
provides that contracts for the transportation of
the mail shall be awarded to the lowest bidder
rendering sufficient guarantees for faithful per
| Torrance, without other reference to tn. mode
of such transportation than may be necessary %
provide for the due CELEBRITY certainty. and So.
curity thereof" Under this law bids that pro
pose to transport the mails with ''ceierity, Ger
tainty, and security" hsring been decided 10 be
The only legal bids are construed as prOridinq for
the entire mail horerer large, and .chaterer nm
be the mode Of cOnrey necessary TO insure rs
"celerity, certainty, and security" and hars tie
preference ocer all Others, and no others are con
sidered, except for steamboat routes.
10. A modification of a bid in any Of il. IS
sentiai terms is tantamount to a new bid. and
cannot be received, 80 10 interfere with re.u.
lar competition. Making a new bid, with guar
antee and certificate, is the only way to modify
q previous bid.
20. Postmasters are to be careful not to certif,
to the sutiiciency of guarantors without knowing
that they are persons of sufficient responsibility
(See section 247, act Of June 8. 1872 They
must not sign the certifcate-uLtl the sum of the
bid is inserted, and the bid and guarantee are
signed by the bidder and two guarantors q
disregard Of this Instruction by p0stmasters uiH
subject them to immediate rem0rat, and 10 ssrsy,
penalties.
Postmasters are also liable to dismissal from
Office for acting agents of contractors or bid .
ders, with or without compensation in any
business matter thing, relating 10 the mail
service. They are the trusted agents of the De .
psrtment, and cannot consistently act in both /
capacities.
q. All bidders, guarantors, and sureties are
distinctly notified that failure to enter into .
or perform the contract. for the service proposed