The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-10-21
IMPROVING Star ROUTE SERVICE.
Contracts for all Routes in South
Carolina to be Let.

OCt QtlEfC4 az UO 6Oes
Spectators Prohibited From Taking
Contracts.
For years and years the Star Route
Mail Service has been in the grasp Of
spectators and grafters, and the ser
vice has been, in consequence, as in
efficient and unsatisfactory as it we'll
could be. Spectators have made it a
regular business to take contracts for
hundreds of routes scattered from one
end Of the country to the other, and
have then sub-let the contracts at a
lower price to ignorant or uninformed
persons who had no conception Of the
real worth of the service they bound
themselves to perform for term Of
years. These sub-contractors were
frequently induced to sign contracts
by misrepresentation by glib takers
sent out by the star route spectators,
and when they discovered that they
were tied to a losing job they have
not known how to get out Of it. AL
of which was as detrimental to the
service as it was profitable to the spec
ulato,s. Under the new regulations
| the specula5nrs are barred out and
! only persons living contiguous to the
route are permitted to take the con-
/ tract for carrying the mail The fol-
lowing extracts from Che notice invi5-
ing bids sent out by the post Office de-
partment gives all the important par
l tculars relative to the letting Of new
contraest.
Proposals will be received at the
Office Of the second Assistant Postmas-
ter General, postofice department,
until 4 p. m., of December l., 1903. for
carrying the mails of the United
States on the routes and by the sched-
ules of departure and arrivals speci-
fed in the State of South Carolina,
from July 1, 1904, to June 80, 1908.
Decisions announced on or before Feb
r1ary l, 1904. Contracts TO be execut-
ed and filed in the department within
sixty days after date Of acceptance of
bids.
No bid submitted under this adver-
tisement will be considered unless the
bidder shall agree in his bid that in
the event of the service being awarded
to him he will give his personal super
vision to the performance of the same,
and will reside on or contiguous to the
route. The words sea or contiguous
to the route,'' as used in this section,
are to be construed as meaning within
| the territory regularly served by a
postofice on the route.
A contractor who shall fail to give
his personal Supervision to the per-
formance of his service; or to reside
on or contiguous to his route, as
agreed, may expect to be declared a
failing contractor, and that the ser
vice will be re let, and he and his
sureties held liable for any damage
that may be suffered thereby.
All persons are cautioned not to al
low their names to be used as bidders
unless they intend to personally per-
form or supervise the service. Every
| bidder is required to make oath "that
the bid is made in good faith and with
the intention to enter into contract to
perform servsee I'm case said bid shall
be accepted - A person subscribing
to such oath, but not intending to en-
ter into the business of carrying the
mail, either in person or by an en-
ployee, is gailty Of perjury and is sub
iect to the penalties prescribed for
such ofense.
In addition TO carrying the mails to
the various post-omces on the star
routes covered by this advertisement,
the carrier ON each route Except
whore otherwise specifically ssated)
will be also raAnired to deliver mail
into all boxes and hang small bags
on cranes or posts that may be created
along the ronte, ,and to collect mail
! from boxes, aad to collect the hags
or satches from che cranes or posts
under the foliowing conditions:
Any person living On or near any
star route herein described, and not
| within the corporate limits of amy
town Or withia 80 rods of any post
teGBce, who desires his mail deposited
at a given point ON the line of the
:ronte by the carrier ON said route may
provide and erect "a suitable box or
crane on the roadside, located in such
manner as to be reached as convent
emily as practicable by the carrier
without dismounting from the vehicle
or horse, and such pesron shall file
with the postmaster at the postofice
to which bis mail IS addressed (Which
shall be one of the two postofices on
the route on either side of and next to
the box or crane) a req0es4 in writing
for the delivery of his mail to the
carrier on the route for deposit at the
designated point, at the risk Of the
addressee. The small bag or satchel
above mentined, as we'll as the box or
crane, must be provided by the person
for whose use it is intended, without
expense to the department..
It shall be the duty of the postmas-
ter at every such postofiee, upon
written order from any person living
on or near the star route, to deliver
to the proper mail carrier for that
route and mail matter-placing in the
respective satchels, wheret such are
used, the mail for the persons to
whom such satchels beloEg-with In
structions as to the proper mail box