430 THIRTY—EIGHTH CONGRESS. Sess. H. Ch. 37. 1865. Certain eollec- collector `or surveyor of the customs has paid or accounted for, or is g2g5o?,';?;;;'??' charged with duties accruing under the “Joint resolution to increase tammay have cmagu porarily the duties on imports," approved Apml twenty-n1nhh, eighteen ·i¤¤¤S remitted hundred and sixty-four, and in which the Secretary of the.Treasury shall t° thm"' be satisfied that the collection of the said duties was omitted by such collector or surveyor, for the reason that he was not informed of the passage of said resolution when said duties accrued, the said Secretary be, Ante,pp.405,411,3Hd he is hereby, authorized, under such rules as he may prescribe, to remit or refund, as the case may require, such duties to such collector or surveyor. Approved, February 14, 1865. I66b_ 17, 1g6g_ CHAP. XXXVII.—An Act to authorize the Establishment of Ocean Mail-Steamship -—···—* Service between the United States and C/una. B0 it enacted by the Senate and [base of Representatives of the United Progosals tc be States of America in Congress assembled, That the Postmaster-General
- ‘g";f;l?g‘%2g’;; be, and he is hereby, authorized to invite proposals by public advertise-
Ship service be- ment, for the period of sixty days, in one or more newspapers published tween Sen Frau- in the cities of Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and San §f§°J';';gn?h""‘ Francisco, respectively, for mail·sLeamship service between the port; of San Francisco, in the United States, and some port or ports in the Chinese empire, touching at Honolulu, in the Sandwich Islands, and one or more ports in Japan, by means of a monthly line of first—class American sea-going steamships, to be of not less than three thousand tous burden Monthly trips. each, and of sufficient number to perform twelve round trips per annum Lowest re- between said ports, and to contract with the lowest responsible bidder for $P°“S‘bl‘* b‘dd°’ said service for a term of not more than ben years, to commence from the 0 have contract . . far ten years_ day the first steamslnp of the proposed hue shall depart from the port of Bids to be from San Francisco with the mails for China : Provided, That no bid shall be °l*iZ°“S» and *10* considered which shall amount to more than five hundred thousand dollars to call for over f . . . . $500,000 e year, 0I` the twelve round mps per annum, nor unless the same IS from a citizen &e. or citizens of the United States, and accompanied by an offer of good and Sureties. sufficient sureties (also citizens of the United States) for the faithful performance of such contract. c0,m·Mt,whw Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That any contract which the Post-
- 0 80 i¤¤> ¢$`<>¤¢· méaster-General may execute, under the authority of this act, shall go into
e act on or before the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, and shall, in addition to the usual stipulations of ocean P¤>ViSi<>¤§ 8S maihsbeamship contracts, provide that the steamships accepted for the t0 construction · · of the Vessem servxee shall be constructed of the best material and after approved models, with all the modern improvements adapted to sea-going steamships of the first class, and shall be subject to inspection and survey by an experienced naval constructor, to be detailed for that purpose by the Secretary of the Navy, whose report shall be made to the Postmaster-General. That the government of the United States shall be entitled to have trans- Mail-agents. ported, free of expense, on each and every steamer, a mairagent, to take charge of and arrange the mail-matter, to whom suitable accommodation Deductions for for that purpose shall be assigned. That in case of failure from any fml“r°S' cause to perform any of the regular monthly voyages stipulated for in the contract, a pro rata deduction shall be made from the compensation on Fines for de- account of such omitted voyage or voyages. That suitable iines and I“yS· &°· penalties may be imposed for delays and irregularities in the performance b£1¤1€;r¤¤§¤¤;¤y of the service, and that the Postmaster-General shall have the power to wha; §Qm° ’ iletermirii the contract at any time in case of its being uuderlet or assigned 0 any o er party. A.Pr·R0vED, February 17, 1865.
