78 July 10, 1876. CHAP. 177.—An act to continue the provisions of an act entitled “an act to provide Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United Ante, p. 65. 131, 168. July 12, 1876. Postal service. CHAP. 179.-An act making appropriations for the service of the Post Office Depart- Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United Appropriation. States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums be, and the same are hereby, appropriated for the service of the Post Office Department for the year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, out of any money in the Treasury arising from the reveR. S., Title xlvi. nues of said Department, in conformity to the act of July second, eighteen hundred and thirty-six, as follows: Mail depredations. Post-route maps. Advertising. OFFICE OF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL. For mail depredations and special agents, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and not exceeding seven thousand five hundred dollars of this amount may be expended for fees to United States attorneys, marshals, clerks of courts, and counsel necessarily employed by special agents of the Post-Office Department, subject to approval by the Attor ney-General. For preparation and publication of post-route maps, twenty thousand dollars; and the Postmaster General may authorize the publication and sale of said maps to individuals at the cost thereof, the proceeds of said sales to be applied as a further appropriation for said purpose. For advertising, forty thousand dollars: Provided, That the Postmaster-General shall cause advertisements of all general mail lettings Advertisements of each State and Territory to be conspicuously posted up in each postto be posted up. office in the State and Territory embraced in said advertisements for at least sixty days before the time of such general letting; and no other advertisement of such lettings shall be required; but this provision shall not apply to any other than general mail- lettings. Postmasters. Rates of compensation. Proviso. Letter-carriers. OFFICE OF THE FIRST ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL. For compensation to postmasters, seven million dollars. For compensation to clerks in post-offices, three million two hundred and ninety thousand dollars; and the Postmaster General is hereby directed to cause a careful inquiry to be made into the rates of compensation now paid to clerks in post offices, with a view to a more equitable adjustment and reduction thereof; and if such rearrangement is practi cable, to put the same in force from and after July first, eighteen hundred and seventy-six: Provided, That such adjustment shall in no case involve an increase over and above the present aggregate compensation as provided in this act. For payment to letter carriers, one million nine hundred thousand dollars. It shall be the duty of the Postmaster General to carefully inquire into the number of carriers employed in the several cities where Reduction of ser- the free delivery of mail matter is established, and reduce the number of carriers and the number of deliveries of the mails by such carriers for each day to the reasonable requirements of the public service. vice. For wrapping-paper, twenty thousand dollars. For wrapping twine, fifty thousand dollars. For marking and rating stamps, ten thousand dollars. For letter balances and scales, five thousand dollars. For rent, light, and fuel, three hundred and ninety thousand dollars. For stationery, fifty thousand dollars. For miscellaneous and incidental items, seventy-five thousand dollars. OFFICE OF THE SECOND ASSISTANT POSTMASTER-GENERAL. Wrapping-paper. Twine. Marking stamps. Rent, etc. Stationery. Inland mail Compensation to railroads to be readjusted. 1873, ch. 231, 17 Stat., 556. For inland mail transportation, namely: For transportation on starroutes and by steam-boats, and all other than railroad-routes, six million transportation. seven hundred and thirty-seven thousand eight hundred and fifty-one dollars; for transportation by railroad, nine million one hundred thousand dollars: Provided, That the Postmaster General be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to readjust the compensation to be paid from and after the first day of July, eighteen hundred and sev enty six, for transportation of mails on railroad-routes by reducing the compensation to all railroad companies for the transportation of mails ten per centum per annum from the rates fixed and allowed by the first section of an act entitled "An act making appropriations for the service of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, and for other purposes," approved March third, eighteen hundred and seventy-three, for the transportation of mals on the basis of the average weight. And the President of the United States is hereby authorized to appoint a commission of three skilled and competent persons, who shall examine into the subject of transportation of the mails by railroad-companies, service. and report to Congress at the commencement of its next session such rules and regulations for such transportation and rates of compensation gress. therefor as shall in their opinion be just and expedient, and enable the Department to fulfil the required and necessary service for the public. And to defray the expense of said commission, the sum of ten thousand dollars is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated. For compensation to railway-post-office clerks, one million two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. For route-agents, nine hundred and seventy-two thousand five hundred dollars. For mail-route messengers, one hundred and fifty-three thousand five hundred dollars. For local agents, one hundred and nine thousand dollars. For mail-messengers, six hundred and seventy thousand five hundred dollars. For mail-locks and keys, twenty thousand dollars. For mail-bags and mail-bag catchers, one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars. OFFICE OF THE THIRD ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL. For manufacture of adhesive postage-stamps, one hundred and fortyseven thousand seven hundred and sixty-two dollars. For pay of agent and assistants to distribute stamps and expenses of the agency, six thousand and nine hundred dollars. Commission to railroad examine Report to Con Post, p. 385. Railway-postoffice clerks. Route-agents. Mail-route messengers. Local agents. Locks and keys. Postage-stamps. Stamped envel For manufacture of stamped envelopes and newspaper-wrappers five hundred and thirty-five thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight dol- opes. lars. For pay of agent and assistants to distribute stamped envelopes and newspaper-wrappers, and expenses of agency, sixteen thousand three hundred dollars. Appointment of postmasters. Term of office. For manufacture of postal cards, two hundred and sixteen thousand seven hundred and sixty dollars. For pay of agent and assistants to distribute postal cards, and expenses of agency, six thousad one hundred dollars. For registered-package envelopes, locks, and seals, forty thousand dollars. For office-envelopes, forty thousand dollars. For dead-letter envelopes, two thousand one hundred and fifty dollars. For ship, steamboat, and way letters, seven thousand five hundred dollars. For engraving, printing, and binding drafts and warrants, one thousand five hundred dollars. For miscellaneous items in the office of the Postmaster-General, one thousand five hundred dollars. OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF FOREIGN MAILS. For transportation of foreign mails, two hundred and twenty thousand dollars. For balances due foreign countries, fifty thousand dollars, including the United States' portion of the expense of the international office organized under the provisions of article fifteen of the general postal union treaty concluded at Berne October ninth, eighteen hundred and seventy four. For official postage-stamps, for the use of the Post-Office Department, eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars. SEC. 2. That if the revenue of the Post-Office Department shall be insufficient to meet the appropriations made by this act, then the sum of five million six hundred and sixty seven thousand four hundred and ninety-eight dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be, and the same is hereby, appropriated, to be paid out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to supply deficiencies in revenue of the Post Office Department for the year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven. SEC. 3. That the following sums be, and they are hereby, appropri ated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, namely: For steamship-service between San Francisco, China, and Japan, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. SEC. 4. That the annual reports of the Auditor of the Treasury for the Post-Office Department to the Postmaster General shall show the finan cial condition of the Post-Office Department at the close of each fiscal year, and be made a part of the Postmaster General's annual report to Congress for that fiscal year. That section eleven of the act approved June twenty-third, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, be, and is hereby, repealed, and that the following be enacted in lieu thereof. SEC. 5. That the postmasters shall be divided into four classes, as follows: The first class shall embrace all those whose annual salaries are three thousand dollars or more than three thousand dollars; the second class shall embrace all those whose annual salaries are less than three thousand dollars, but not less than two thousand dollars; the third class shall embrace all those whose annual salaries are less than two thousand dollars, but not less than one thousand dollars; the fourth class shall embrace all postmasters whose annual compensation, exclusive of their commissions on the money-order business of their offices, amounts to less than one thousand dollars. SEC. 6. Postmasters of the first, second, and third classes shall be appointed and may be removed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and shall hold their offices for four years unless sooner removed or suspended according to law; and postmasters of the fourth class shall be appointed and may be removed by the Post master-General, by whom all appointments and removals shall be notified to the Auditor for the Post-Office Department. Salaries of post classes, how fixed and paid. SEC. 7. That the respective compensations of postmasters of the first, second, and third classes shall be annual salaries, assigned in even masters of first, hundreds of dollars, and payable in quarterly payments, to be ascertained second, and third and fixed by the Postmaster General from their respective quarterly returns to the Auditor for the Post-Office Department, or copies or duplicates thereof, for four quarters immediately preceding the adjustment or re-adjustment, by adding to an amount of the box-rents of the office received or estimated not exceeding thirteen hundred and fifty dollars when the boxes are supplied and owned by the postmaster, and two thirds of the box-rents, and not to exceed one thousand dollars when the boxes are not supplied and owned by the postmaster, commissions on all other postal revenues of the office to an amount not exceeding thirteen hundred and fifty dollars, at the following rates, namely: on the first one hundred dollars per quarter, sixty per centum; on all over one hundred dollars and not over three hundred dollars per quarter, fifty per centum; ou all over three hundred dollars and not over seven hundred dollars per quarter, forty per centum; and thirty per centum on all revenues exceeding seven hundred dollars per quarter, but the aggregate of the said commissions not to exceed thirteen hundred and fifty dollars; and at all offices where the total revenues exceed, respectively, four thousand dollars per annum, there shall be added to the compensation hereinbefore provided from box-rents and commissions a percentage of the gross revenues at the following rates, namely: one per centum on all sums over four thousand dollars and not exceeding ten thousand dollars; nine-tenths of one per centum on all sums over ten thousand dollars and not exceeding twenty thousand dollars; eight-tenths of one per centum on all sums over twenty thousand dollars and not exceeding forty thousand dollars; six tenths of one per centum on all sums over forty thousand dollars and not exceeding eighty thousand dollars; five-tenths of one per centum on all sums over eighty thousand dollars and not exceeding one hundred and sixty thousand dollars; four-tenths of one per centum on all sums over one hundred and sixty thousand dollars and not exceeding three hundred and twenty thousand dollars; three-tenths of one per centum on all sums over three hundred and twenty thousand dollars and not exceeding six hundred and forty thousand dollars; two-tenths of one per centum on all sums not over six hundred and forty thousand dollars and not exceeding one million two hundred and eighty thousand dollars; and one-tenth of one per cent um on all sums exceeding one million two hundred and eighty thousand dollars; and in order to ascertain the amount of the postal receipts of each office, the Postmaster-General may require postmasterly returns, when ters to furnish duplicates of their quarterly returns to the Auditor to be furnished to at such times and for such periods as he may deem necessary in each Postmaster - Genecase: Provided, That at offices where the letter-carrier system is now, fal. or may hereafter be, established, the box-rents, in fixing the compensa letter-carrier systion of the respective postmasters at such offices, shall be estimated at tem is established. not less than one thousand dollars per annum; but at all such offices where the compensation is now four thousand dollars, they shall be estimated at an amount which, with the commissions and percentages hereby allowed, will make the salaries of the postmasters thereat not less than three thousand dollars. SEC. 8. That the compensation of postmasters of the fourth class shall be the box-rents collected at their offices, and commissions on other postal revenues of their offices at the following rate, namely: On the first one hundred dollars or less per quarter, sixty per centum; on all over one hundred dollars and not over three hundred dollars per quarter, fifty per centum; and all over three hundred dollars per quarter, forty per centum; the same to be ascertained and allowed by the Auditor in the settlement of the quarterly accounts of such postmasters: Provided, That when the aggregate annual compensation, exclusive of commissions Post, p. 215. Duplicate. quar Offices where Salaries of postmasters of fourth class. 82 thousand dollars. When compensa on money order business, of any postmaster of this class shall amount tion exceeds one to one thousand dollars, the Auditor shall report such fact to the Postmaster-General, in order that such postmaster may be assigned to his proper class, and his salary fixed as heretofore provided. Biennial re-ad SEC. 9. That the salaries of postmasters of the first, second, and third justment of sala- classes shall be re-adjusted by the Postmaster-General once in two years, and in special cases, on the application of the postmaster, as much oftener as the Postmaster General may deem expedient. ries. Assignment, etc., of salaries to be in writing. Proviso. Distributing and separating offices. SEC. 10. That the Postmaster-General shall make all orders assigning or changing the salaries of postmasters in writing, and record them in his journal, and notify the change to the Auditor; and any change made in such salaries shall not take effect until the first day of the quarter next following such order: Provided, That in cases of not less than fifty per centum increase or decrease in the business of any post-office, the Postmaster-General may adjust the salary of the postmaster at such office to take effect from the first day of the quarter or period the returns for which form the basis of re-adjustment. SEC. 11. That the Postmaster-General may designate offices at the intersection of mail-routes as distributing or separating offices; and where any such office is of the third or fourth class, he may make a Allowance for reasonable allowance to the postmaster for the necessary cost of clerical services arising from such duties, and the provisions of this act relating to and fixing the compensation or salaries of postmasters shall take effect on the first day of October next. clerks. Limit of salary. York. Salary of certain postmasters not reduced, until. Compensation of land-grant railroads. SEC. 12. No salary of any postmaster under this act shall exceed the sum of four thousand dollars per annum, except in the city of New York, which salary shall remain as now fixed by law; and no salary of any postmaster where the appointment is now presidential shall be reduced by the compensation herein established until the next re-adjustment below the sum of one thousand dollars per annum. SEC. 13. That rail-road-companies whose railroad was constructed in whole or in part by a land-grant made by Congress on the condition that the mails should be transported over their road at such price as Congress should by law direct shall receive only eighty per centum of the compensation authorized by this act. SEC. 14. No stamped envelopes or newspaper-wrappers shall be sold Price of stamped envelopes and by the Post-Office Department at less (in addition to the legal postage) newspaper wrap than the cost, including all salaries, clerk-hire, and other expenses connected therewith. pers. Rates on news matter of class. third SEC. 15. That transient newspapers and magazines, regular publica. papers, etc., and tious designed primarily for advertising purposes, or for free circulation, or for circulation at nominal rates, and all printed matter of the third class, except unsealed circulars, shall be admitted to and be transmitted in the mails at the rate of one cent for every two ounces or fractional part thereof, and one cent for each two additional ounces or fractional part thereof, and the sender of any article of the third class of mailWhat inscrip- matter may write his or her name or address therein, or on the outside thereof, with the word "from" above or preceding the same, or may write briefly or print on any package the number and names of the articles enclosed. Publishers of newspapers and periodicals may print on the wrappers of newspapers or magazines sent from the office of publication to regular subscribers the time to which subscription therefor Addresses on has been paid. And addresses upon postal cards and unsealed circulars may be either written, printed, or affixed thereto, at the option of the sender. tions allowed. postal-cards. Repeals. SEC. 16. That all acts or parts of acts in conflict with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed Approved, July 12, 1876. |