Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 2.djvu/629



An act to establish the post-office and post roads within the United States. (Obsolete.) .An act in addition to the act, entitled “An act to establish the post-office and post roads in the United States.” (Obsolete.) .An act to continue in force the 5th section of the act entitled, “An act in addition to the act entitled, An act to establish the post-office and post roads in the United States.” (Obsolete.) .An act to establish the post-office in the United States. (Repealed.) .An act further to alter and establish certain post roads, and for other purposes. (Repealed.) .An act to establish certain post roads, and for other purposes. (Repealed.) .Acts relating to the post-office department, passed subsequent to the act of April 30, 1810, chap. 37.An act to provide additional revenues for defraying the expenses of government, and maintaining the public credit, by duties on sales at auction, and on licenses to retail wines, spirituous liquors, and foreign merchandise, and for increasing the rates of postage. (Repealed.) .An act in addition to the act regulating the post-office establishment. (Repealed.) .An act to repeal so much of an act passed on the 23d of December, one thousand eight hundred and fourteen, as imposes additional duties on postage, .An act in addition to an act to regulate the post-office establishment. (Repealed.) .An act to reduce into one, the several acts establishing and regulating the post-office department, .An act amendatory of the act regulating the post-office department, .An act to increase the salary of the Postmaster-General, .An act to change the organization of the post-office department, and to provide more effectually for the settlement of the accounts thereof, .A resolution to change the time of making contracts for the transportation of the mail, May 14, 1836.A resolution to enable the Postmaster-General more readily to change the commencement of the contract year in the post-office department, March 2, 1837.An act making appropriations for the civil and diplomatic expenses of government for the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-two,, sec. 1. .A resolution in relation to the transmission of the British mail between Boston and Canada, and for other purposes, June 15, 1844. . the seat of government of the United States, a general post-office, under the direction of a Postmaster-General. The Postmaster-General shall appoint two assistants, and such clerks as may be necessary, for performing the business of his office. He shall establish post-offices and appoint postmasters, at all such places as shall appear to him expedient, on the post roads that are or may be established by law. He shall give his assistants, the postmasters, and all other persons whom he shall employ, or who may be employed in any of the departments of the general post-office, instructions relative to their duty. He shall provide for the carriage of the mail on all post roads that are or may be established by law, and as often as he, having regard to the productiveness thereof, and other circumstances, shall think proper. He may direct the route or road, where there are more than one between places designated by law for a post road, which route shall be considered the post road. He shall obtain from the postmasters their accounts and vouchers for their receipts and expenditures once in three months, or oftener, with the balances thereon arising in favour of the general post-office. He shall pay all expenses which may arise in conducting the post-office, and in the conveyance of the mail, and all other necessary expenses arising on the collection of the revenue and management of the general post-office. He shall prosecute offences against the post-office establishment. He shall once in three months render to the Secretary of the Treasury a quarterly account of all the receipts and expenditures in the said department, to be adjusted and settled as other public accounts. He shall also superintend the business of the department in all the duties, that are or may be assigned to it: Provided, that in case of the death, resignation or removal from office of the Postmaster-General, all his duties shall be performed by his senior assistant, until a successor shall be appointed and arrive at the general post-office to perform the business.

. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster-General, and all other persons employed in the general post-office, or in the care, custody or conveyance of the mail, shall, previous to entering upon the