Year: 1876

and also to disregard the bids of failing contractors
and bidders.


No contract for carrying the mail shall be made
with any person who has entered, or proposed to
enter into any combination to prevent the making
of any bid for carrying the mail, or who has made
any agreement or given or performed, or promised
to give or perform, any consideration whatever to
induce any other person to bid for any such
tract.


No bidder for carrying the mails shall be released
from his obligation under his bid or proposal, not
withstanding an award made to a lower bidder until
a contract for the designated service shall have been
duly executed by such lower bidder and his sureties
and accepted, and the service entered Iupon by the
contractor to the satisfaction of the Postmaster
General.


By regulation of the Department, no carrier can
be employed who is under sixteen years of age and
no bidder will be accepted who is under twenty-one
years of age or who is a married woman.


49, The bid should be sealed, superscribed " Mail
Proposals State of DELI addressed " Second Assist
ant Postmaster General, Contract Office"


49, Every proposal mustbe accompanied by bond
with two or more sureties approved by postmaster,
and in cases where the amount of the bond exceeds
five thousand dollars ($5OOO) by postmaster of the
first, second, third class. Bids for servce the
pay for which at the time of advertisement exceeds
five thousand dollars, ($5OOO) must be accompanied
by certified check, draft, payable to the order of
the Postmaster General, some solvent national
bank of not less than five per centum the amount
of the annual pay such route and in case of new
or modified service, not less than five per centum of
the amount of the bond, accompanying the bid, if
the AMOUNT of said bond exceeds (S5OOO) hye thous


The amount of bond required with bids and the
present pay when it exceeds (R5,000) five thousand
dollarsare stated in the advertisement under the ap





Sureties ON the bond of a bidder must take an oath
before an officer qualified to administer oaths that
create, sum double the amount of said bond, over
and above all debts due and owing by them and all
after allowing all exemptions of every character


90 All checks deposited with bids will be held
until contract is executed and the service, com
menced by the accepted bidder Checks will then
be returned by mail, the written request of the
bidder or delivered to any one on his order.


81. The contracts are to be executed and returned
to the Department by or before the Goth day of Sep
tember, 1876 otherwise the accepted bidder will be
considered as having failed and the Postmaster
General may proceed to contract for the service with
other parties, according to law.


Assignments of contracts, or of interest in con.
not be allowed Neither can bidsor interest in bids,
be transferred assigned to other parties Bidders
will therefore take notice that they will be expected
to perform the service awarded to them through the
/ whole contract term.


that contracts for the transportation of the mail
shall be 3" awarded to the lowest bidder rendering



out other ference to the mode of such transpora
tion than may be necessary to provide for the due
ceerity, certainty, and security thereoof." Under
this law bids that propose to transport the mails with
celebrity, certainty, and security having been de-
cided to be the only legal bids construed as pro-
viding for the entire mail however large, and what
ever may be the mode of conveyance necessary to
insure its celebrity, certainty, and security, and
have the preference over all others. and no others
are considered, except for steamboat routes
| %. modification of bid in any of its essential
terms is tantamount to new bid, and cannot be
received to interfere with regular competition.
Making new bid in proper form is the only way to
modify previous one.


"a. Postmasters are cautioned. under penalty OF
removal not to sign the approval of the bond OF any
bidder before the bond is signed by the bidder and
hs7sureties and until entirely satisfied of the
suffciency of the sureties.


No postmaster, assistant postmaster, clerk
employed in any post Office, shall be contractor or
concerned in a contract for carrying the mail.


25. Postmasters are also liable to dismissal from
office for acting agents of contractors bidders
with without compensation, in any business, mat
ter, or thing relating to the mail SERVICE They are
the trusted agents of the Department, and cannot
consistently act in both capacities


26 In case the route is not fully supplied with
pouches, locks, and keys requisiton must be made
upon the Second Assistant Postmaster General for
the same before the date of beginning service.
eE Proposals altered by interiinea-
tons of the route the SERVICE the yearly pay the
name of the bidder, will not be considered.