Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-27
Mail Carriers as Common Carriers.

Treasury Department, Office of Com
missioner of Internal Revenue, Wash
ington, d. c., March s, 1900.-Sir: !
have the honor to acknowledge the re-
ceipt of your letters, under date of
March s., in reference to, the question
of mail carriers being considered as
common carriers, and required, there
fore, under the act of June 10, 1898, to
give receipt, to which 1-cent stamp
must be affixed, for each package car
ried by them.
In connection with the above, yon
submit the following three questions:
i. is mail carrier required to give
a receipt, to which must be affixed a
1-cent stamp, for a package whichahe
gets at an express or freight Office to
deliver to party in another town., a
stamped receipt having already been
issued for said package by the. express
or railroad company? ~
2. Ii a mail carrier receives a pack
age from party in town to be taken
to another town, where it is to be for
warded to it's destination by express or
freight, is the mail carrier required to
give a stamped receipt, or will the re-
ceipt issued by the express or railroad
company be sufficient?
3. Where a mail carrier receives sew
seral packages from one party in a
i town to be delivered to diffeent par
ties in another town, must a stamped
receipt be issued for each package?
I have the honor to advise you that
under the paragraph of Schedule A.,
beginning with the words, Express
and freight" this office has held that
mail carriers who make regular
practice Of carrying packages from one
town to another town for which they
receive fee, are common carriers
within the meaning of the law, and
must for each package SO carried issue
a receipt, to which receipt must be
affixed a 1-cent stamp. Mail carriers,
however, who only occasionally carry
packages as an accommodation and
NOT for hire, would not be considered
as common carriers within the mean
ing of the law, and would not be
obliged to issue or stamp receipts for
such packages.
Where mail carrier gets package
at an express or freight office for de-
livery to a party in another town, for
which duly stamped bill of lading or
receipt has been issued by the express
or railroad company, no receipt is re-
CURED to be issued by the mail car
rier, providing the receipt issued by
the express or freight company is suf-
ficient to cover the transportation of
the package to it's final destination. IL
this receipt only covers the transpor-
tation of the package in question to
the town where the mail carrier gets
same for delivery in another town,
then the mail carrier must issue a
stamped receipt for said package.
Where mail carrier receives pack.
age in one town to be taken to another
town, where it is to be forwarded by
express or freight, the mail carrier is
obliged to issue stamped receipt to
the party from whom he receives the
package, and if this stamped receipt is
sufficient to carry the package to its
ultimate destination, the express COM
pany or railroad company to whom the
mail carrier delivers this package is
not required TO Issue another stamped
receipt. If, however, the express com
pany or railroad company refuses to
recognize the mail carriers receipt,
then the express or railroad company
must issue another stamped receipt.
Where mail carrier receives several
packages from one party in town to
be delivered to different parties in an
other town, he must issue a stamped
receipt for each package. Respectful-
ly, Esobt. Williams, Jr.,
citing COMMISSIONS