Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 20.djvu/87

 62 FORTY-FIFTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 107. 1878. Contract, when and no other advertisement of miscellaneous lettings shall be required: less than sixty days after the first publication. S¤lr1•:•tti¤g.ctc·, SEO. 2. Herealter no sub-letting or transfer of any mail contracts shall ‘"“'°“* °°”"°“”- be permitted without the consent in writing of the Postmaster-General; and whenever it shall come to the knowledge of the Postmaster-General that any contractor has sublet or transferred his contract, except with the consent of the Postmaster-General as aforesaid, the same shall be considered as violated and the service may be again advertised as herein provided for; and the contractor and his securities shall be liable on their bond to the United States for any damage resulting to the United States in the premises. S¤l>-l<=tti¤g with Sec. 3. Hereafter, when any person or persons being under contract Qgffygi “°"°l°' with the Government of the United States for carrying the mails, shall and pay- ments_ lawfully sub-let any such contract, or lawfully employ any other person or persons to perform the service by such contractor agreed to be performed, or any part thereof, he or they shall tile in the olhcc of the Second Assistant Postmaster-General a copy of his or their contract; and thereupon it shall be the duty of the Second Assistant Postmaster- General to notify the Auditor of the Treasury for the Post Office Department of the fact of the filing in his office of such contract. Said notice shall embrace the name or names of the original contractor or contractors, the number of the route or routes, the name or names of the subcontractor or sub—contractors, and the amount agreed to be paid to the sub-contractor or sub contractors. And upon the receipt of said notice by the Auditor of the Treasury for the Post Office Department, it shall be his duty to retain, out of the amount due the original contractor or contractors, the amount stated in said notice as agreed to be raid to the sub·contractor or sub-contractors, and shall pay said amount, upon the certificate of the Second Assistant Postmaster General, to the sub contractor or sub-contractors, under the same rules and regulations now governing the payments made to original contractors: Provided, That upon satisfactory evidence that the original contractor or contractors have paid off and discharged the amount due under his or their contract to the sub-contractor or sub-contractors, it sl1all be the duty of the Second Assistant Postmaster General to certify such fact to the Auditor of the Treasury for the Post Office Department; an thereupon said Auditor shall settle with the original contractor or contractors, under the same rules as are now provided by law for such settlements. Advprigmmgutg Sec. 4. Hereafter all advertisements, notices, proposals for contracts, etc.; mtesfbr. and all other forn1s of advertising required by law for the Post Omoo Department may be paid for at a. price not to exceed the commercial rates charged to private individuals with the usual discounts, such rates to be ascertained from sworn statements to be furnished to the Postmaster-General by the proprietors of the newspapers proposing to so advertise: Provided, That all advertising in newspapers since the tenth day of April, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, shall be audited and paid at like rates. But the Postmaster-General may secure lower terms at special rates, whenever the public interest requires it. Xvater-mutecon. Sec. 5. When from any cause it may become necessary to make a mms. new contract for carrying the mails upon any water route between ports of the United States, upon which mail service has previously been performed, the Postiuaster-General may contract with the owner or master of any steamship, steamboat or other vessel plying upon the waters or between ports of the United States, for carrying the mail upon said route for any length of time not exceeding four years and without advertising for proposals therefor whenever the public interest and con veuieuce will thereby be promoted; but the price paid for such service shall in no case be greater than the average price paid under the last preceding or then existing regular contract upon the same route. And the P0stmaster—General may contract with the owners or masters of steamships steamboats or other vessels plying upon the waters or be-
 * ° “‘k° °“`°“*· 1’roz·ided, That said contracts for mail letting shall not take place in