Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1875-01-02

condition of hills, roads, streams, etc, and
all toli-oridges, turnpikes, plank-roads,
ferries, or distinctions Of any kind by
which expense may be incurred. No
claim for additional pay, based on such
ground, can be considered nor for al
legged mistakes or misrepresentation as to
the degree of service nor for bridges des-
troyed, ferries discontinued, or other OBJ
structions causing or increasing distance
or expense occurring during the contract
term. Offices established after this adver
tisement is issued and also during thecon-
tract term, are to be visited without extra
pay ifthe distance be not increased.
IL. Bidders are cautioned to mail their
proposals in time to reach the Department
by the day and hour named in the adver.
tisement, as bids received after that time
aeiU not be considered in competition with
bids of reasonable amount received in time.
Neither can bids be considered which are
without the bond, oath. and certificate re-
quired by section 245, act of June %, 1874.
IL. Bidders should first propose for ser
vice strictly according to the ADVERTISE
ment, and then, if they desire, separately
for different service; and if the regular
bid be the lowest offered for the advertised
service, the other propositions may be
considered.
b. There should be but one route bid
for in proposal. Consolidated or COM
bination bids {" proposing one sum for
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 pos t-office address, J 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 fur
nished by the Department, TO write in
full the sum of the bids, and to retain copies
of them
Altered bids should not be submitted
No withdrawal of q bid will be allowed
unless the withdrawal is received twenty
four hours previous to the time fixed for
opening the proposals.
l6. In case of failure of the accepted
bidder to execute q contract, or of aban-
donment of service during the con-
tract term, the service will be read
vertised and re-let at the expense of the
failing bidder or contractor.
II. The Postmaster General reserves the
right to reject any bid which may be
deemed extravagant; and also to disregard
the bids offailing contractors and bidders.
(Act Of June 8, 1872 section 249)
Is. The bid should be sealed, superscrib-
ed mail Proposals, State of West vir-
ginia," addressed "Second Assistant
Postmaster General, Contract Office"
10. Every proposal must be accompani-
ed by bond with sureties approved by a
postmaster, and in cases where the amount
of the bond exceeds five thousand dollars
(S5, O00)by a postmaster of the first, second,
or third class. Bids for service, the pay
for which at the time of advertisement ex-
ceeds five thousand dollars, (S5, 900.
must be accompanied by certified check,
or draft. payable to the order of the Post
master General, on some solvent national
bank, of not less than FIVE per centnm on
the amount of the annual pay on such
route, and in case of new or modified SER
vice, not less than per centum of the
amount of the bond accompanying the bid,
ifthe amount of said bond exceeds (S5, o00)
FIVE thousand dollars.
The amount of bond required with bids,
and the present pay when it exceeds (S5,-
900, five thousand dollars, are stated in
the advertisement under the appropriate
route.
20. All checks deposited with bids will
be held until contract is executed and SER
cice commenced by the accepted bidder. -
Che cks ,oiU then be returned 5y mail on the
aorihen request Of the bidder.
81. Transfers of contracts, or of inter-
est in contracts, are forbidden by law, and
consequently cannot be allowed. Neither
can bids, or interest in bids, be transfer
red 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.
%. Section 249 of the act of June 8,
1872, provides that contracts for the trans
portation of the mail shall be "awarded
to the lowest bidder rendering sufficient
guarantees for faithful performance, with
out other reference to the mode of such
transportation than may be necessary to
provide for the due celebrity, certainty and
security thereof" Under this law bids
that propose to transport the mails with
celebrity, certainty, and security, haring
been decided to be the only legal bids, are
construed as proriding for the entire
mail, ho,cerer large, and tchatecer maybe
the mode Of conveyance necesSaryto IN
sure its "celerity, certainty, and security
and hare the preference orer all others
and no others are considered, except for
steamboat routes.
%. A modification of bid in any of
its essential terms is tantamount to a new
bid, and cannot be received so as to inter
fere with regular competition Making n
new bid in proper form is the only way
to modify previous one.
ID. Postmasters are cautioned not TO
sign the approval of the bond of any bid
der before the bond is signed by the bidder
and his sureties, and not until entirely
satisfied of the sufficiency of the sureties
See sections GAG and 247, act of June 30,
1874, accompanying this advertisement