National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-08-21

route shall fail or refuse to perform the SER
vice on said route according TO his contract, or
when new route shall be established, or new
service required, or when from any other cause
there shall not be q contractor legally bound
or required to perform such service, the POST
er-General may make q temporary con-
tract for carrying the mail on such route,
without advertisement, for such period as may
lie necessary, not in any case exceeding six
months, until the service shall have commenced
under 8 contract made according to law: Pro
vidsi, hopevsr, That the POstmaster-General
shall not employ temporary service on any
route at higher price than that paid to the con-
tractor who shall have performed the service
during the last preceding regular contract-term.
And in all cases of regular contracts hereafter
made. the contract may, in the discretion of
the Postmaster General, be continued in force
beyond fits express terms for q period not ex-
ceeding six months, until g new contract with
the same, or other contractors, shall be made
by tho Postmaster General"
''Sec. 25S. That hereafter all bidders upon
every mail-route for the transportation Of the
mails upon the same, where the annual COM
pensation for the service on such route at the
time exceeds the sum Of five thousand dollars,
shall accompany their bids with q certified
check or draft, payable to the order of the
Postmaster-General, upon some solvent ma
tional bank, which check or draft shall not be
less than i've per centum on the amount of the
annual pay of said route at the time such bid
is made, and, in case of new or modified ser
vice, not less than five per centum of the
amount of the bond of the bidder REQUIRED 20
accompany his bid, If the amount of theeaid
bond exceeds five thousand dollars. In case
any bidder, on being awarded any such con-
tract, shall fail to execute the same, with good
and sufficient sureties, according to the terms
on which such bid was made and accepted, and
enter upon the performance of the service to the
satisfaction Ofthe Postmaster-Genera such bid
der shall, in addition to his liability on his
bond accompanying his bid, forfeit the amount
so deposited to the United States, and the same
shall forthwith be paid into the Treasury for the
use of the Post-OffiCe Department; but If such
contract shall be duly executed and the service
entered upon as aforesaid, such draft or check
so deposited, and the checks or drafts deposited
by all other bidders, on the same route, shall be
returned to the respective bidders making such
deposits. No proposals for the transportation
of the mails where the amount of the bond re-
quired to accompany the same shall exceed five
thousand dollars shall be considered unless &C
companiod with the check or draf6 herein re-
Guired, together with the bond required by q
preceding section: Provided, That nothing in
this act shall be construed or intended to af-
feet any penalties or forfeitures which have
heretofore accrued under the provisions Of the
sections hereby amended"
Sec. Is. That hereafter the postage on pub
lie documents mailed by any member Of Con-
gress, the President, or head Of any Executive
Department shall be ten cents for each bound
volume, and on unbound documents the same
rate as that on newspapers mailed from
known office of publication to regular sub
scribers; and the words "Public Document"
written or printed thereon, or on the wrapper
thereof, and certified by the signature of any
member Of Congress, or by that of the Presi-
dent, or head Of any Executive Department
shall be deemed u sufficient certificate that the
same is public document; and the term "puo-
lie document" is hereby defined to be all pub
LEGATIONS printed by order Of Congress, or either
House thereof: Provided, That the postage on
each copy of the daily Congressional Record
mailed from the city of Washington as tran
silent matter shall be one cent.
Approved, June %, 1874.