Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-01-18

CANT and also to disregard the bids of failing
Contractors and bidders. (Act of June s, 1872,
section 249)
IS The bid should be sealed, superseribed
Mail Proposals, State of >" ad-
dressed Second Assistant Postmaster General,
Contract Office" and sent by mail not by or to
an agent Bids of S., 600 per annum and up.
ward must be accompanied by a certified check
or draft on some solvent national bank, equal
to per cent. of the amount. (See law of Con-
gress of June 8, 1922
II. The contracts are to be erecuted and re-
turned to the Department by or before the LIST
day of June, 1873, otherwise the accepted bidder
mill be considered as ha,ing failed and the
Postmaster General may proceed TO contract
for the serriec lriM other parties, according to
tar.
Transfers of contracts, or of interests 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 IL EN- through the whole contract
term.
Is. Section 249 of the act of June s, 1872, pro-
VldeS that contracts for the transportation of the
mail shall be awarded to the lowest bidder
rendering sufficient guarantees for faithful per-
formance, without other reference to the mode
of such transportation than may be necessary TO
provide for the due celebrity, certainty, and Sc
curity thereof" Under this law bids that pro-
u
t mtg, and security" haring been decided to be
the only legal bids, are constructed as prouiding
or the entire mail, hotrcre7' large and tchat-
erer may be the mode of Conveyance necessary to
insure its 'ceicrity, certainty, and security"
and hare the preference orer all Others, and no
others are considered, except for steamboat
routes.
10. A modification of bid in any of its essen
tial terms is tantamount to a new bid, and can
not be received. so as to interfere with regular
competition. Making new bid, with guaran-
tee and certificate, is the only way to modify
previous bid.
20. Postmasters are to be careful not to certify
to the sufhciency of guarantOrs without know
ing that they are persons of sufficient response
billty. (See section 247, act of June 8, 1872
They must not sign the certificate until the sum
of the bid is inserted, and the bid and guaran-
tee are signed by the bidder and (two) guaran-
tors; disregard of this instruction by post
masters aCiH subject them to immediate renOr-
al, and to SeUere penalties.
Postmasters are also liable to dismissal from
office for acting as agents of contractors or bid
ders, with or without compensation, in any bus
mess, matter, thing, relating to the mail SER
vice. They are the trusted agents of the De-
partment, and cannot consistently act in both
capacities.
q. All bidders, guarantors, and suretieS are
distinctly notified that on a failure to enter in
to or perform the contracts for the service pro-
posed for in the accepted bids their legal labi-
tiles will be enforced against them.
%. Present contractors, and persons known
at the Department. must, equally with others,
procure guarantOrs and certificates of their suf
fciency substantially in the forms above pre-
scrlbed. The certificate of sutficiency must be
signed by a postmaster.
JNo. A. j. CREswELL,
Postmaster General.