Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-02-21

AN ACT to revise, consolidate, and amend the
statutes relating to the Post Office Depart
ment.
CONTINUED
Sec 1856. That dead letters containing valu-
able enclosures shall be registered in the
dead letter office; and when
they cannot be delivered to the party addressed
nor to the writer, the contents thereof shall be
disposed of, and q careful account shall be kept
of the amount realized in each case, which
shall be subject to reclamation by either the
party addressed or the sender, for four years
of value or of Importance to the party address
ed or to the writer, and which cannot be return
ed to either, shall be disposed Of as the Post
master General may direct.
Sec. 1877. That the action of the Post Office
Department respecting foreign dead letters
shall be subject to, conventional stipulations
with the respective foreign administrations.
Sec. 1913. That when the writer of any letter
on which the postage is prepaid shall indorse
upon the outside thereof his name and address,
such letter Shall not be advertised, but after re-
manning uncalled for at the office to which it is
directed thirty days, or the time the writer
may direct, shall be returned to him without
additional charge for postage, and if not then
delivered shall be treated as dead letter.
Sec. $780, That prepaid and free letters shall
be forwarded from one post Office to another, at
the request of the party addressed, without ad-
ditional charge for postage.
Sec. 200 That all the waters of the United
States shall be post-roads during, the time the
mail is carried thereon, as provided in section
two hundred and nineteen.
Sec. pol. That all railways or parts of rail-
ways which are now or hereafter may be put
in operation are hereby declared to be post
roads.
See 2O2 That all canals during the time the
mail is carried thereon are hereby declared to
be post roads.
Sec 2O3. That all plank roads during the
time the mail is carried thereon are hereby de-
clared to be be post roads. SIZE .E
Sec. 2O4 That the road on which the mail is
carried to supply any court house which may
hundred and sixteen, and the road on which the
mail is carried, under section two hundred and
twenty one providing for extending the line of
posts, shall, during the time such mail is car
ried thereon. be post roads.
Sec. 205. That all etter-carrier routes estabs
lished in any city or town, for the collection
and delivery of mail matter by carriers, are
hereby declared to be post roads
Sec. 2O6s That when. there is more than one
road between places designated by law for
post road, the Postmaster General may direct
which shall be considered the post road
Sec 207. That the Postmaster General may
change the terminus of post roads connecting
with or intersectinz railways when the service
can be thereby improved
Sec. 2O8 That whenever, in the opinion of the
Postmaster General, the postal service cannot
be safely continued, or the laws maintained on
any post road, he may discontinue the service
on such road or any part thereof until the same
can be safely restored.
Sec 200 That the Postmaster General may,
when he deems it advisable, contract for the
transportation of the mails to and from any
post Office; but where such service is performed
over route not established by law. it shall be
his duty to report the same to Congress at its
meeting next thereafter, and said service shall
cease at the end of the next session of Congress,
unless said route is established q post route by
Congress. .-i ! j
Sec. 2l0. That the Postmaster General shall
arrange the railway routes on which the mail is
carried, including those in which the service is
partly BY railway and partly by steamboat, in
to three classes, according to the size Of the
mails, the speed at which they are carried, and
the frequency and importance of the service, so
that each railway company shall receive, as far
as practicable, proportionate and just rate of
compensation, according to the service per-
formed. .t
Sec. 2l1. That the pay for carrying the mail
on any railway of the first class shall not ex-
coed three hundred dollars per mile per annumj
on any railway of the second class it shall not
exceed one hundred dollars per mile per an
num-; and on any railway of the third class it
shall not exceed fifty dollars per mile per an
| mum; but if one half the service on any rail-
| way is required to be performed in the night
| time, the Postmaster General may pay twenty
| five per centum in addition to the above maxi.
mum rates. $780, r.
Sec 2l2.- That if the Postmaster General is
unable to contract for carrying the mail on any
! railway route at a compensation not exceeding
| the maximum rates herein provided, or fol
what he may deem a reasonable and fair com.
pensation, he may separate the letter mail from
| the other mail. and contract, either with or
without advertising, for carrying such letter
mail by horse express or otherwise, at the great
est speed that can reasonably be obtained,
and for carrying the other mail in wagons Oh
| otherwise, at slower rate of speed.
/ Sec 2l3 That every railway company carrying
the mail shall carry on any train which may
therefor, all mailable matter directed to be car
ried thereon, with the person in charge of thu
I anne