ºf n - gº °,
lº, B, 52%, an A
, ''.5 MAY 1 1 1916
2 UNIV. OF MIGH.
£ibRARY
Calendar No. 48.
“tº H. R. 562.
[Report No. 65.]
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.
JANUARY 7, 1916.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads.
JANUARY 25, 1916.
Reported by Mr. BANKHEAD, with amendments.
[Insert the part printed in italic.]
AN ACT
To amend the Act approved June twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred
and ten, authorizing a Postal Savings System.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3 That such part of section six of the Act approved June
4 twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and ten, authorizing a system
5 of postal savings depositories, as reads “but no one shall be
6 permitted to deposit more than $100 in any one calendar
7 month '' is hereby amended to read as follows: “but the
8 balance to the credit of any person, upon which interest is
9 payable shall not exceed $1,000, exclusive of accumulated
10 interest”; and said Act is further amended so that the pro-
4
funds may be withdrawn from the treasurer of said board
of trustees, and all other postal savings funds, or any part
of such funds, may be at any time withdrawn from the banks
and savings depository offices for the repayment of postal
savings depositories when required for that purpose. When,
in the judgment of the President, war or other eigency
involving the credit of the United States so requires, -
the board of trustees may invest all or any part of
the postal savings funds, eaccept the reserve fund of five per
centum herein provided for, in the bonds or other securities
of the United sales. The board of trustees may in its dis-
cretion purchase from the holders thereof bonds which have
been or may be issued under the provisions of section ten of
the Act of June twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and ten.
Interest and profit accruing from the deposits or investment
of postal savings funds shall be applied to the payment of
interest due to postal savings depositories, as hereinbefore
provided, and the earcess thereof, if any, shall be covered into
the Treasury of the United States as a part of the postal
revenue: Provided further, That postal savings funds in the
treasury of said board shall be subject to disposition as pro-
vided in this Act, and not otherwise: And provided further,
That the board of trustees may at any time dispose of bonds
held as postal savings investments and use the proceeds to
meet withdrawals of deposits by depositors. For the pur-
1
222221I1.11I1
432187654321O
5
2
poses of this Act the word “Territory ‘’ as used herein shall
be held to include the District of Columbia, the District of
Alaska, and Porto Rico, and the word “bank º' shall be held
to include Savings banks and trust companies doing a banking
business. -
Sec. 3. That on account of the increased weight of mails
resulting from Postmaster General's Order Numbered
Seventy-three hundred and forty-nine, of July twenty-fifth,
nineteen hundred and thirteen, respecting rates upon and
limit of weight of parcel-post packages in the local, first, and
second zones, and effective from August fifteenth, nineteen
hundred and thirteen, the Postmaster General is authorized
to add to the compensation paid jor transportation on railroad
routes on and after August fifteenth, nineteen hundred and
thirteen, for the remainder of the contract terms, not eacceed-
ing one-half of one per centum thereof per annum. -
- SEC. 4. That on account of the increased weight of
mails resulting from Postmaster General's Order Numbered
Seventy-seven hundred and twenty, of December eighteenth,
nineteen hundred and thirteen, respecting rates upon and limit
of weight of parcel-post packages effective from January first,
nineteen hundred and fourteen, the Postmaster General is
authorized to add to the compensation paid for transportation -
on railroad routes on and after January first, nineteen hun-
8
“All contracts for carrying the mail shall be in the name
of the United States and shall be awarded to the lowest bid-
der tendering sufficient guaranties for faithful performance
in accordance with the terms of the advertisement: Provided,
however, That such contracts require due celerity, certainty,
and security in the performance of the service; but the Post-
master General shall not be bound to consider the bid of any
person who has willfully or negligently failed to perform a
former contract.”
SEC. 9. That whenever in the judgment of the Post.
master General the bids received for any star route are ea:-
orbitant or unreasonable, or whenever he has reason to be-
lieve that a combination of bidders has been entered into
to fia: the rate for star-route service, the Postmaster General
be, and he is hereby, authorized, out of the appropriation
for inland transportation by Star routes, to employ and use
such means or methods to provide the desired service as he
may deem expedient, without reference to existing law or
laws respecting the employment of personal service or the
ſprocurement of conveyances, materials, or supplies.
SEC. 10. That whenever an accepted bidder shall fail to
enter into contract, or a contractor on any mail route shall fail
or refuse to perform the service on said route according to his
contract, or when a new route shall be established or new
Service required, or when, from any other cause, there shall
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
9
not be a contractor legally bound or required to perform such
sevice, the Postmaster General may make a temporary con-
tract for carrying the mail on such route, without advertise-
ment, for such period as may be necessary, not in any case
eaceeding one year, until the service shall have commenced
wnder a contract made according to law: Provided, That the
cost of temporary Service rendered necessary by reason of
the failure of any accepted bidder to enter into contract or a
contractor to perform service shall be charged to such bidder
O7 CO7) iſfactor. - r"
Sec. 11. That if any person shall hereafter perform
any service for any contractor or subcontractor in carry-
ing the mail, he shall, upon filing in the department his con-
tract for such service and satisfactory evidence of its per-
formance, thereafter have a lien on any money due such
contractor or subcontractor for such service to the amount
of same; and if such contractor or subcontractor shall fail
to pay the party or parties who have performed service as
aforesaid the amount due for such service within two months
after the expiration of the month in which such service shall
have been performed the Postmaster General may cause the
amount due to be paid said party or parties and charged
to the contractor: Provided, That such payment shall not
in any case eaceed the rate of pay per annum of the con-
tractor or Subcontractor.
H. R. 562 2
4321()987654I0
10 *
Sec. 12. That the Act of March fourth, nineteen hun-
dred and mine ſ Thirty-fifth Statutes, page eleven hundred
and twenty-sia), be amended to read as follows:
“That whoever shall willfully or maliciously injure, tear
down, or destroy any letter bow or other receptacle intended
O7° used for the receipt or delivery of mail on any mail route,
or shall break open the same, or shall willfully or maliciously
injure, deface, or destroy any mail deposited therein, or shall
willfully take or steal such mail from or ou of such letter
boa or other receptacle, or shall willfully aid or assist in any
of the aforementioned offenses, shall for every such offense
be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprison-
ment for not more than three years.” *
Sec. 13. That the limit of weight of mail matter of
the first class shall be the same as is applicable to mail of
the fourth class: Provided, That no article or package ea:-
ceeding four pounds in weight shall be admitted to the mails
under the penalty privilege unless it comes within the ea:-
ceptions named in the Acts of June eighth, eighteen hundred
and ninety-sia, (chapter three hundred and seventy, Twenty-
ninth Statutes, page two hundred and sixty-two), and June
twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred and sia (chapter thirty-five
hundred and forty-sia, Thirty-fourth Statutes, page four
hundred and seventy-seven).
| |
Sec. 14. That postage stamps affived to all mail matter
or to stamped envelopes in which the same is inclosed shall,
when deposited for mailing or delivery, be defaced by the
postmaster at the mailing office: Provided, That when prac-
ticable postage stamps may be furnished to postmasters pre-
canceled by printing on them the name of the post office at
which they are to be used, under such regulations as the
Postmaster General may prescribe.
SEC. 15. That section two of the Ac of April twenty-
eighth, nineteen hundred and four (chapter seventeen hun-
dred and fifty-nine. Thirty-third Statutes, page four hundred
and forty), be amended to read as follows:
“That under such regulations as the Postmaster General
may establish for the collection of the lawful revenue and for
facilitating the handling of such matter in the mails it shall
be lawful to accept for transmission in the mails, without
postage stamps affiaced, quantities of not less than three hun-
dred identical pieces of third-class matter and of second-class
matter and two hundred and fifty identical pieces of fourth-
class matter, and packages of money and securities mailed
under postage at the first or fourth-class rate by the Treasury
Department: Provided, That postage shall be fully prepaid
thereon at the rate required by law for a single ſpiece of such
matter.”
2222221I11|111
543210987654321.()
12
SEC. 16 That the Postmaster General is authorized to
prescribe a postage charge of 1 cent on delivery of each piece
of insufficiently or improperly addressed mail if directory
service has been accorded to such mail.
SEC. 17. That the Act approved January twenty-first,
nineteen hundred and fourteen (Thirty-eighth status ſpage
two hundred and seventy-eight), authorizing the Postmaster
General to adjust certain claims of postmasters for loss by
burglary, fire, or other unavoidable casualty, be so amended
as to include Navy mail clerks and assistant Navy mail clerks.
SEC. 18. That hereafter the Postmaster General may
enter into contracts for the conduct of contract stations for a
term not eaceeding four gears.
SEC. 19. That hereafter the Postmaster General may
establish, under such rules and regulations as he may pre-
scribe, one or more branch offices, nonaccounting offices, or
Stations of any post office for the transaction of such postal
business as may be required for the convenience of the public.
SEC. 20. That on and after July first, nineteen hun-
dred and sixteen, when the total compensation of any post-
master at a post office of the fourth class for four consec-
utive quarters shall amount to sto00 eacclusive of com-
missions on money orders issued, and the receipts of such
post office for the same period shall aggregate as much as
$1,900, the Auditor for the Post Office Department shall
UNIVERSITY OF
IIII
3 9015 O778
|
so report to the Postmaster General, who shall, in pursuance
13
of such report, assign such post office to its proper class, to
become effective at the beginning of the next succeeding
quarterly period, and fia: the Salary of the postmaster ac-
cordingly.
SEC. 21. That all laws or parts of laws in conflict
with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.
Amend the title so as to read: “An Act to amend the
Act approved June twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and ten,
authorizing the postal savings system, and for other pur-
poses.”
Passed the House of Representatives January 6, 1916.
Attest: SOUTH TRIMBLE,
- Clerk.
CALENDAR No. 48.
64TH CONGRESS, !
1st Session. } O O O
[Report No. 65.]
AN ACT
To amend the Act approved June twenty-fifth,
nineteen hundred and ten, authorizing a
Postal Savings System.
JANUARY 7, 1916.-Read twice and referred to the
Committee on POSt Offices and POSt ROads.
JANUARY 25, 1916.-Reported with amendments.