Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-17
M ALL CONTRACTING
The Regulations Allow Many Dishonest
Transactions by Contractors
Such Contractors Are Often Robbed
Making the Star Service Better
Mr.. Bells Views.

Mr.. j. Lowrie Bell. second assistant post
master general, says. on the subject Of
professional mail bidding. that renewed
thought has been given to the suggestion SO
often made that it be interdicted. In his
judgment the abolshing OF professional
traihcking in mail contracts would lead to
the building up of system Of local COM
binat ton and corruption that would be far
more iniquitous than can possibly arise
from professional bidding, provided the
statutes and regulations already applying
to star contracting are rigidly enforced. 1t
is, he says, fact that there are many fea-
lures of the present system which are OBJ
Jectionable; nevertheless, it is possible to
reduce to a minimum these faults and to
dispose of the dishonest professionals, by a
strict enforcement of the laws. There
should be no willingness to compromise
with defaulting contractors, and as soon as
contractors and their sureties get to under
stand that plausible excuses and the pres
sure Of influential friends will not be enter
tained, they will be brought to realize that
the carriage Of malls Is a sacred trust, and
that a contract entered into Is something
more than game of chance, and that
trifling with 1t means pecuniary loss and
perhaps imprisonment. 1t is within the
power, says Mr. Bell. Of the department to
accomplish fairly good star mail service
simply by the rigid enforcement of the
terms specified in the body of every con-
tract that is executed; and he holds that It
ought not to be released from the execu-
ton of every such stipulation.
The communities to be served have a
right to the service stipulated for, and
sentiment should have no part in the trans
actions between the department and con-
tractors. If the star service is any better
now than II was year ago, as he con-
ndently believes II to be, its improvement
can be attributed mainly to the fact that
contractors are realizing that their failures
will not be passed upon slightingly. Dur
ing the past year there had come before his
notice certain transactions on the part
of a class of unprincipled speculative con-
tractors in connection with their dealings
with their subcontractors which impressed
him with the necessity of taking further
action for the protection of subcontractors
The act Of May II, 1878, provides for the
subletting of mail service and makes it the
duty of the contractors to file their SUBJ
contracts in the department in order that
payments may be made directly to the sub
contractors. In a great many cases how
ever, no SubcOntractS were filed. The de-
partment would have no knowledge that
any existed. payments would be made to
the contractor and he would use the money
Tor his own purposes and fail or refuse
to pay his subcontractor. Such dishonest
practice cannot be too severely condemned
IHty are lo' OiiS d ulSeTdcc 10 tne con-
tractor, but bring the department into dis
repute in the minds of the subcontractors.
great many complaints reached the de-
partment and every effort in its power was
made to secure to subcontractors the money
which they had earned. II they had copies
of their subcontracts which they could file
with the department orders were made for
tn cir payment out of any money that might
he due the contractor, as. provided by the
lien law of May 4. 1882. but II no copy Of the
subcontract was held by the subcontra ctor
or II there was no money to the credit Of
the contractor in the hands of the depart
ment, It WAS imnossfble to afford subcon-
tractors relief Notice was served on all
in all cases file a copy Of their s,1bcon IRA cts