National Republican., 1883-01-20
BILLS BY THE BARREL.
A Particularly Busy Season in the Second AS
sistant Postmaster Generals Office.
How Bids for "stor" Contracts nre OBJ
tained, Assorted, Finally Disposed OF.

There arc not many persons in the country
aware of the immense magnitude of the post
Office business in all its details, especially
that branch of il relating to mail transporta-
tion. This is specially the business of the
second assistant postmaster generals Office,
iamiliarly known thorefrom as tho contract
Office" The number of bids for carrying the
mails reaches over one hundred thousand.
The country is divided in four sections so
that lettings for one-fourth of the United
States arc advertised and awarded every year.
The contract Office is just now busily engaged
in asserting the bids received for the four
years ending June 80, 1857. The section ad-
vertisod comprises Michigan, Missouri, Min.
ncsota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and scatter
ing routes in all the other states and terri
tories. In these latter there are miscclla-
neous routes which are let for shorter term
than four years in order TO bring about uni
formity in the time of the contracts.
The advertisement for proposals for the
ensuing term stated that they would be re-
ccved at the department until January g.
1883. The letting or award of contract In
each case will be made before March 3, 1888
Contracts, after acceptance of bids, must be
May 10, 1888. If this accepted bidder fail to
execute and file his contract by May 10, 1883,
he will be failing bidder" and the service
awarded to the next lowest competitor. The
dates given above are only for this year.
They may he different for each letting.
No discretion rs TO acceptance of bid is ale
lowed the department. The law expressly
directs that the award be made to the lowest
bidder, if his bid be in duly-required form.
One instance, out of number of analogous
cases. will illustrate the strictness with which
| the law is obeyed. A contractor in Missouri,
during one letting, offered to take n particu-
lar route ON which the service was to be per-
| formed three times u week and pay the gov
ernment 50 year for the privilege. The
department accepted the bid, and it was en-
| tered rs 81 less than nothing. Some time
| aitorward it became necessary to increase
| the service TO six times week. and the de-
| partment for u time wrestled with the ques-
| tion whether the contractor should pay "a u
year for doing the work or the contract Office
pay him fifty cents n quarter 1t was finally
decided to readvertise the route There was
nothing mean about that contractor. He was
perfectly willing to pay 50 yearly for the
| privilege of serving the government three
times n week, but when it came to working
every day he wouldn't be imposed on.
On one occasion man meant to bid 81, 100,
but by mistake left of the ciphers, so the bid
ran $l1. The department accepted it, and the
biders only remedy was in the courts. The
office could not relieve him. as it is not q court
of equity.
The manner in which the contract office
disposes of
THIS HUGE JOB OF MAILs-LETTING
may be briefly sketched thus, taking tho pre-
sent year as an examples Bids were coming
in every day until the sixth of January, the
total number being $1,000, and this was
| 1irrl,f tIp etx ,,g f1,n ngt
master general appointed u committee, con
sisting Of three officers of the department. t.
open and mark them. There is u large vaul
in tho basement where the bids are stowct
away. In the adjoining room is u printing
press This committee assorts the bids by
states-of course assisted by a detail Of clerk'
taken from the entire department AfteI
classification the bids are run through
this press and stamped with an engraved
seal made for the purpose by the burear
of engraving and printing. The style OF th'
seal is changed every year. The object of th
stamping is to prevent the possibility of put
ting in bids after the expiration of the tint
advertised rs the last day. They are stamped
the day they are opened and the date put on
After they are opened they are brought up t.
the room of the chief clerk of the contrac
office, whence they arc taken by clerks dc
tailed for the purpose in bundles Of abou
three hundred each. These clerks examine
them TO see II they are regular III form, IN
dOrse on their backs the amount of the bids
"list" or classify them according to til,
routes, and spread them upon the book
that is, record the names of bidders and th
amount of bids on the "routc book special,
prepared for the purpose. After all this i
done the chief clerk ofthc contract Office goc
over all the books and routes and designatcs
THE LOWEST REGULAR BIDDER.
Those irregular in form are put on the book
rs well MS those that are regular. After th
designation of award is made by the chic
clerk an acceptance is prepared by order o
the postmaster general and sent to each of tn,
lowest bidders on the routes let who exc
cutes contract according to law and tn,
terms of the bid. These &cceptances are Il
be sent in bS the ultimate day of grace, whicl
this year is May 49, These contracts ar,
made in duplicate, and when received one il
retained by the Postoilice department and tht
other is sent to the auditor of the treasury fo
that department. Under the law no paymen
can be made for services performed until thu
contract is so filed.
What is written above refers TO the regular
mail routes. There are, in addition, miscel
laneous routes which are advertised in thC
spring, instead Of winter, as also proposals fol
mail messenger, transfer, and station servC,
for various cities. Substantially the same pro
cess applies to these as to the regular mails-et
ting. The heavy and important character oftht
work of the contract office can thus be seen il
this brief description of its nature.