New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-02-27

mails, or any poruon OF 1heu' LOT tnt Auullssiou
Of passengers or for being concerned m setting
UP or running an express, conveying intelligence
in advance Of the mail, quarter pay may be
deducted.
6. Fines will be imposed. unless the delin
quency be promptly and satisfactorily explained
by certificates of postmasters, or the sihdavlts
of other credible persons, for failing to arrive IN
contract time for neglecting 10 take the mail
from or deliver it into q post office; for suf
fering il to be wet, injured, destroyed. robbed,
CT lost and for refusing, after demand. 10 con-
vey the mail frequently as the contractor runs,
or is concerned in running a coach. car. or
steamboat on a route.
4 The Postmaster General may annul the
contract for repeated failures to run agreeably
to contract for violating the post office laws, or
disobeying the instructions of the Department
for refusing to discharge n carrier when required
| by the Department 10 do so for running an eX-
press, as aforesaid, or for Transporting persons
or packages conveying mailable matter out Of
the mail.
8. The Postmaster General may order an in.
crease OF service on a route by allowing therefor
q pro .dfd increase on the contract pay. He
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 paw. provided the running time be not
abridged. The Postmaster General may also
discontinue or curtal the service, in whole or in
part, in order to place on the route superior ser
| vice, or whenever the public interest, in his
| Judgment, shall require such disconiinuance or
curtalment 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 amount Of
service retained and continued.
| Q. PAYMENTS will be made by collections from,
or drafts on, postmasters or otherwise. after the
| expiration of each qnarter-say IN November,
/ February. May, and August-provided that re-
| qured evidence of service has been received.
| 10. The distances given are believed TO be
substantially correct; but no increased pay will
be allowed should they be greater than adyer-
| tised, if the points to be supplied are correctly
stated. Bidders must inform Themselves on this
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
ries, or distractions of any kind by which ex.
pense may be incurred. No claim for additional
pay, based on such ground, can be considered,
nor for alleged mistakes Misrepresentation as
to the degree of service; nor for bridges de-
stroyed, ferries discontinued. or other obstruc-
| tons causing or increasing distance or expense
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
| H. Bidders are cautioned to mail their propo.
sails in time to reach the Department by the day
| ana nOur nalneu, 70 p H., MdICH -, 1912 > LOT
bids received after that time icU not be considered
| in competition with bids, of reasonable amount,
| received in time. Neither can bids be cOnsid.
| cred which are without the guarantee required by
law, and certificate of the suficency OF such
guarantee and the oath of the bidder, according
| to section 246, act of June 8, 1872.
u. 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 helowest offered for adver
tised service the other proposition may be con-
sidered.
Is. There should be bat one route bid for in
proposal. Consolidated or combination bids
| ('proposing one sum tor two or more routes
cannot be considered.
! IA. The route, the service the yearly pay, the
name and residence of the bidder, THAT is, his
usual post office address, and the name Of each
member of firm, where a company offers,
should be distinctly stated.
| Is. Bidders are requested to use, as far as
practicable, the printed proposals furnished by
the Department to write out in full 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 be 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
signed plainly with the full name of each person.
The Postmaster General reserves the right to
reject any bid which may be deemed extravag
CANT and also to disregard the bids of falin,
contractors and bidders. (Act of June s, 1872,
| section 249.)
16. The bid should be sealed, superscribed
| "Mail Proposals, State Of -" addressed
''Second Assistant Postmaster General, Contract
Office" and sent by mail, not by or to an agent.
Bids of $4,000 per annum and upward must be
| ar cd bv n nnrtifie1 cberk Jro6
some solvent national bank, equal to per cent
of the amount. (Sec law Of Congress of June
s, 1922
| II. The contracts are to be erecuted and re.
turned to the Department JyOr before the Isl day
of June 1873, otherwise the accented bidder ,CiH
be considered as hdring failed, and The Postnlas.
ter General may proceed to coHtrac! for the SER
| rice rith other parties, according 10 lar.
| Transfers OF contracts of interest in con
tracts, are forbidden by law, and consequently
cannot be allowed. Neither can bids, or inter
est in bids, be transferred or 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.
! Is. Section 2l1 Of the act Of June 8, 1872.
provides that contracts for TIE transportation of
the mail shall be awarded to the lowest bidder
rendering sufficient guarantees for faithful per.
Torrance, without other reference to the mode
Of such transportation than may be necessary 20
provide for the due CELEBRITY, certainty and Sc.
curity thereof" Under this law bids that pro
pose to transport the mails with "celeritg, Ger.
tainty, and security haring been decided 10 be
the only legal bids, construed as proridiHg for
the entire mail, howerer large, anil ,chaterer mar
De the mode Of c0Rreg dHcs necessary to insure is
"ceterity, certainty, and securiy," and hare The /
preference all others, and no others are con.
sidered, except for steamboat routes.
10. A modification Of bid in any Of It's Is /
sential terms is tantamount to "a new bid and l
cannot be received, q. to interfere with regl.
lar competition. Making a new bid, with guar.
antee and certificate, ia the only way to modify I
previous bid.
20. Postmaslcrs are to be careful no; to certify |
to the suliciency Of guarantors without knowing
that they are persons Of sufficient responsibility
(See section 247, act Of June g. 1872 They
must not sign the certificate until the sum OF the
bid is inserted, and the bid and guarantee are
signed by the bidder and (two) guarantors a
disregard Of this Instruction By y0stBdsters ;eiH
subject them TO immediate rentOrGi, ant 10 .erers
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 70 the mail
service. They are the trusted agents Of the De
partment, and cannot consistently act IN both
capacities.
q. All bidders, guaraatJrs, and sureties are
distinctly notified that a failure to enter into