Year: 1875

se to perform the service according his contract,
the Postmaster General shall proceed to contract


with the next lowest bidder for such service under
| the advertisement thereof, (unless the Postmaster
General shall consider such bid too high0 who VIII


enter into contract and give bond, with suretes TO


he apprOyed by the Postmaster General for the fat
| full performance thereof, in the same penalty and


with the same terms and conditions thereto annexed


as were stated and contained in the bond which ac-
/ companed his bid; but in case each and every of
the next lowest bidders for such service whose re-
| spective bids are not considered too hlgn by the
postmaster General shall refuse to enter INTO con-
tract and give bond as herein required for the faith
fnI nerformance of his contract, the Postmaster
General shall Immediately advertise for proposals to


nerform the service on said route. Whenever an
cepted bidder shall fail to enter into contract or
contractor any mail route shall fail or refuse 70
nerform the service said route according to his
Contract or when route shall be established,
| or new service required. or when from any other


cause there shall not be contractor legally bound
or reoured to perform such service, the Postmaster
General may make a temporary contract for carry
ing the mail such route. without advertisement,


for such period may be necessary, not in any case
exceeding six months, until the service shall have
commenced under contract made according TO law
| Provided, howerer, That the Postmaster 0eneral
shall not employ temporary service on any route at
higher price than that paid to the contractor who
shall have performed the service during the last pre-
ceding regular contract term. And in all cases OF
reouar contracts hereafter made the contract may,
in the discretion of the Postmaster General be con-


tnued in force beyond its express terms for peroa
NOT exceeding six months, until new contract with
the same or other contractors shall be made by the
Postmaster Generai. '


Bidders not released until contract is entered into
| and service begun.


| SEC 252 That no bidder for carrying the mails
shall be released from his obligation under his bid
| or proposal, notwithstanding an award made to
lower bidder until contract for the designated ser
vice shall have been duly executed by such lower
bidder and his sureties, and accepted and the ser


vice entered upon by the contractor to the satsfac-
ton of the Postmaster Gel eral.


| CERTIFIED CHECKS OR DRAFTS TO ACCOMPANY ALL
| ~ BIDS EXCEEDING $4,000.
SEC 253. That hereafter all bidders upon every
mail route for the transportation OF the mails upon
| the same, where the annual compensation for the
service such route at the time exceeds the sum OF
| five thousand dollars, shall accompany their bids
with certified check draft, payable to the order
of the Postmaster-General, upon some solvent ma


tional bank, which check or draft shall not be less
| than five per centum on the amount OF the annual


nav on said route at the time such bid is made and


in case of modified service not less than i've
| per centum of the amount of the bond of the bid
der required to accompany his bid, If the amount OF
said bond exceeds five thousand dollars. In case any


bidder, on being awarded any such contract, shall
fail to execute the same, with good and sufhcient
sureties according to the terms on which such bid


was made and accepted and enter upon the perform
ance of the service to the satisfaction OF the POST
General such bidder SHALL in addition to his
the amount so deposited to the United States and
the same shall forthwith be paid into the Treasury
tor the use of the Post-Ofice Department; but
service entered upon aforesaid, such draft or
check 50 deposited and the cheeks S OF tne nras rda


shall he returned to the respective bidders making
such deposits. No proposals. for the trans
| portation of the mails where the amount OF the
bond required to accompany the same shall exceed


five thousand dollars shall be considered, unless ac-
companied with the check or draft herein required
| ton: Provided, That nothing in this act shall be


construed or intended to affect any penalties or for
| FIXTURES which have heretofore accrued under the
provisions of the sections hereby amended.
| Failing contractors guilty of a misdemeamor.
SEC. 254. That any person or persons bidding for
| the transportation of the mails upon any route
which may be advertised to be let, and receiving an
award of the contract for such service, who shall
wrongfuy refuse OF ran TO enter @ so he
service described in his their bid or proposal shall
be deemed guilty of misdemeanor, and, ON convlc-
yiction thereof be punished by fine not exceeding
| five thousand dollars, and by imprisonment TOR
| term not exceeding twelve months.


M nam to be made untI contracts are executed.
| SEC. 259 That no person whose bid for carrying
the mail is accepted shall receive any pay until he
has executed his contract according to law and the
regulations of the Department


Conversation for additional service restricted and
| regulated.


SEC 260 That compensation for additional service
in carving the mail shall not be in excess Of the exact
proportion which the original compensation bears to
the original service; and when any such additional
shall be expressed In the order and entered upon the
books of the Department.; and no compensation
shall be paid for additional regular service rem
dered before the issuing of such order.


SEC. 261. That no extra allowance shall be made
for any Increase of expedition in CARRYING the mail
unless thereby the employment OF additional stock
and carriers made necessary and in such case the
additional compensation shall bear no greater pro-
portion to the additional stock ana carriers rs
contract bears to the stock and carriers necessarily
employed in its execution.
Deductions nag be made and fines imposed, for de-
linqueneieS I...
SEC 1885, That the Postmaster General may make
deductions from the pay of contractors for failures


to perform service according to contract and impose
fines upon them for other delinquencies. He may
deduct the price of the trip in all cases where the
trip is not performed; and not exceeding three
times the price il the failure be occasiOned by the
fault of the contractor or carrier.


Contracts cannot be assigned nor transferred.


SEC. z71. That no contractor for transporting the
mail within or between the United States and any
foreign country shall assign transfer his contract,
and all such assignments or transfers snail DC. nun
and void.


Schedules to be furnished and posted up in post


Offices REGISTERS to be returned and reports MADE


SEC 70. That the Postmaster General shalt fur
nish to the postasters at the termination Of each
route schedule of the time of arrival and depart
ure of the mail at their offices, respectively to be
posted in conspicuous place in the office; and the
Postmaster-General shall also give the postmaster
notice of any change in the arrival and departure
that may be ordered and he shall cause to be kept
and returned to the Department, at short and regu
lar intervals registers showing the exact times of
the arrivals and departures OF the mall


BY act of Congress approved April 81, $685. no mem-
Der of Congress be contractor, be concerned
directly or indirectly, in any contract with tn
government and by the same re act G It is made ngn
enter in its behalf, into contract with member OF
Congress.


may be concluded with the other partners.-O Opinion
of Attorney General, 4, At. contract with one
who is elected member of Congress during it's con-
10 pfad bv plpntiOn.-Ib26
69.l r..H-.


The Postmaster General has no po,Oer, under the
Lo,o to release bidders and contractors and their
sureties from their liabilities on the allegation OF
real or supposed mistakes Of any Kind IN making


as the H st as% ina9y gG ssfss S Ss'0se be


made in regard to the route, distance, service acegM
emails, cost of stock feed, and all expenses eristng
and hkeIy to occur during the contract term, and
Nth due Consideration Of the consequences imposed
by lasc on detinQuents.


CONTRACTS TO BE EXECUTED AND FILED IN THE


DEPARTMENT BY THE FIRST DAY OF JUNE


Under the provisions of section 245 of the act ap-
proved June %, 1874, the Postmaster General has
prescribed the 1st day of June, 1875 on or before
which day the contracts of accepted bidders must be
received at the Department in Washington executed
in due FORM. -, -. ,


Accented bidders not complying NTH this reguta-
tion shall be considered as hdUing fdied to comply
oath their proposals. and the Postmaster General
mag proceed to contract for the sercace 'c"h o'HeT
parties according to tdW


CONTRACTS RECEIVED AT THE DEPARTMENT


AFTER JUNE 1sT WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED BY


THE POSTMASTER GENERAL.


FORM OF PROPOSAL, BOND & CERTIFICATE.


PROPOSAL


The undersigned ......, whose post-ofice
address is ....., county of 49,, State of ..:..,
proposes carry the mails of the United States from
July l, 1876 to June 30, 1877 ,on route No. ne
tween 49,. and ......, State of ...,, under the
advertisement of the Postmaster General. dated Dec
l. 1874, with celebrity, certainty and security 1or
the annual sum of :. =. dollars and if this propos-
al is accepted be will enter into contract, with sure
ties to be approved by the Postmaster General With
in the time prescribed in said advertisement.


This proposal is made aeith ftII kaoaoedge Of the
distance of the route, the freight Of the mat 10 6e
carried and oH other particulars IN reference 70 me