Omaha daily bee., 1883-01-29
BILLS BY THE BARREL,
How Bids for Star" Contrats are OBJ
tanned. Assorted end Finally
Disposed or.

How Bids for Star" Contrats are OBJ
tanned. Assorted end Finally
Disposed or.
Washington Republican.
There are not many persons in the
country aware of the immense mag
nitude of the postt fiji SO business in all
Its details, especially that branch of 1t
relating to mail transportation. This
is sr eclally the business of the second
assistant postmaster generals Office,
famlliarly known therefrom as the
"contract tfico." The number
Of bids for carving the mails
reaches over 100, 00o. The county
is divided into four sections, so tina
lettings for one.fourth of the United
States are advertised and awarded
every year. The contract office is
Just now busily engaged in asserting
the bids received for the tour years
ending June 80, 1887. The section
advertised comprises Michigan, Mis-
souri, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wis.
cons,n and scattering routes In all the
other states and terti,orities. In these
latter there are miscellaneous routea
which are let flr q shorCer term
than four years in order to bring
about uniformity in the time Of tho
contracts.
The advertisement for proposals for
the ensuing tarm stated that they
would be received at the department
until January g., 1882. The letting or
award of contracts in each caae will
be made before March 3, 1883 Con-
tracts, after acceptance OF bids, must
be filed, duly executed by the accept
cd before May 10, 1888 If this &C.
cepted bidder fail to execute and file
his contract by My 10, 1888, he will
DO q "failing bidder" and the aerVice
awarded to the next lowest competi.
tor. The dates given above are only
for this year. They may be- different
for each letting.
No discretion a, to acceptance Of
bid Is allowed thu department. The
law expressly direats that tho aware
be made TO tho lowest bidder, If hi,
bid DO in duly required form, 0nt
instance out Of q number of analogous
cases, will illustrate the strictIes.
with which the law is obcyed, Acor
tractor in Missouri, during IA lot
ting, offered to take a particular rout'
on which the service was to be per
formed three timeH n week and pa,
the Government 50 a year for tn
; privilege. The department &C
cepted the bid, and il was enteret
at 81 less than nothing. Some tim
stterWsrd 1t became pec.sgsr,
to increase the service to six times
week, and the department for a tim,
wrestled with the question whethe
the contractor should pay as a year 20
doing the work or the contract ofic
pay him 90 cents o quarter, IL wa
finally decided to readyertise the route
: There was nothing mean about tia
contractor. He was perfectly wilIin
, to pay So yearly for the privilege c
a serving the government three times
week, but when 1t came to worklu
o every day he wouldn't be imposed on
= On one occasion q mar mesut {
bid 81, 1000, bat by mistalse left c
c the ciphers, 60 tho bid ran Sll, tn
department accepted it, and the bic
der's only remedy WAS Va the courtI
4 The Office conii not relieve him, as
!, is not a court Of equity.
The manner Ia which the contrac
office dispoge8 Of
THIS HIGH JOB OF MAILING
may be briefly akotched thus, toxin
o The present year as an example: Biz
were coming in every day uatil II
p 9th of January, tho total number b
h ing 1900, ard this was a light yea
Of After the 9Th the postmaster gerer
Of appointed a committee, consisting
he three c~ficers Of tho department,
j. open and mark them There was
large vault In the basement where 4
bids are slowed away. In the adjoi