Daily Kennebec journal., 1891-07-16
MAIL conraAcrs
untiss Postal Aid Bni are Now 10 bs
Bid rN.

WASHINGTON, July l5.-The postmaster
general today issued an advertisement ol
mail letting under the postal aid bill passed
by the last Congress. II invites proposals.
from steamship companies for carryins
American mails to foreign countries. il
vessels Of American build. OF best con
struction and highest speed in their re
spective classes, over routes minutely de-
scribed. Al present the United States has
no power to compel the transportation OF
any mails TO foreign country. No shp
owner or ship master 10 Obliged to receive
or carry American mails. When ship
owners or ship masters DO carry them, they
ix their own time Of departure and follow
Whatever calling course they choose.
Ia many cases the service 10 slow and
irregular. In the fiscal year ending June
80, 1890. sixty cents was earned BY Ameri-
eau chips in carry ing United Siates mail to
Europe. During the same period there was
paid to foreign ships ss9', ,e6S 10 for con
veying mails from United States to Europe.
The postmaster general seeks by the ad-
vertisement Issued today to change this
unfavorable showing by putting first. class
rapid. weekly service on two trans atlantic
routes, one to Great Britain direct, the
other to some continental p1t He seeks
also, by similar means. TO expedite and
make more frequent and reliable mails TO
Central ard South American ports, Austria
Iia aud Asia The details Of these arrange
men,s appear in the advertisement,
American ports from which the servtcc
ia proposed TO start are; Boston. New
York, Philadelphia. Baltimore, Newport
News, Norfolk. Port Tampa with service
from Moblle), New Orleans, Galveston,
San Francisco, Seattle, Tacoma. An alb
solu,ely new service for American ship 10
invited for trans Atlantic lines from New
York, Boston. Baltimore; line TO Buenos
Ayres from New York, one from Philadel-
phia. line from Poit Tampa TO Venezuela
and to the east coast of South America.
A new line to the same ports is projected
from New Orleans and Galveston; new
line from New Orleans TO Aspinwall.
calling al ports on the north coast Of Cen
tral America aud ports on the Spanish
main; new line ou the Pacific coast from
San Francisco to Chil and to the west
coast of South America; a proposed nov
line from Seattle or Tacoma to Chiua and
] spau, slso new line from San Francisco
to Melbourne.
lTUNlslOU le uAut W stIutc Vutthtt
vice by all the old lines. This new ser
vice. IN connection with the enlargement OF
the old. will require the building Of num-
her Of ships, probably not less than ilve
seventeen secoud-class, fve
Ihird-olass. and four fourth-clsss, an aggre-
gate in tonnage OF I54 900 tons, with q
probable coss Of from $21 900, coo TO $780,
DOC. 600.
BY the provisions Of the postal aid bill
the postmaster general is empowered to
make contracts with American citiz ,ns,
iuring a term Of Ave TO ten years, for
mails in American amships be
.w cen Atlsntic, Gulf and Pacific coast
cltiev and such foreign ports as will best
irvelope the American commercial inter-
asts. The NJ m,st important requirements are
hat only American built steamships con
,tructed after the latest types. with all the
modern appliances shall be employed; they
must be owned and oflicered by American
citizens.
OF the four classes OF steamships re-
luired, the first three shall be Of iron aud
,,eel, and wooden steAms hips are allowed
on fourth class only. The tonnage and
speed of these classes respectively must be
not less than 5000 tols and 20 knots, 5000
lous and 10 knots, $500 tons and IA knots,
and 1900 tons and 12 knots.
The first three classes must be constructed
10 admit Of prompt and economical CONVEX
ZION into naval cruisers, capable Of carry
ing at least four inch rifled cannon. The
provides in accordance with
he provisions of the act Of congress, ihst
prop osals be received at the post Office de-
e..la,k Maudsv (lptpkaF