Chapter 901. to extend the system for the immediate delivery of letters, and amendatory of sections three, four, and five of the act approved March third, eighteen hundred and eighty-five, entitled "An act making appropriations for the service of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year ending June thirtie
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CHAP. 901.— An Act to extend the system for the immediate delivery of letters, and amendatory of sections three, four, and five of the act approved March third, eighteen hundred and eighty-five, entitled "An act making appropriations for the service of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and eighty-six, and for other purposes."August 4, 1886. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled*,Immediate delivery extended to all mailable matter.Vol. 23, p. 588.
That every article of mailable matter upon which the special stamp provided for by section three of the act of Congress approved March third, eighteen hundred and eighty-five, entitled “An act making appropriations for the service of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and eighty-six, and for other purposes,” shall be duly affixed, shall be entitled to immediate delivery, according to said act, within FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS. Sess.
I. Ch. 901. 1886. 221 the carrier-delivery limit of any free-deli very office, and within one mile of any other post-office which the Postmaster-General shall at any lime designate as a special-delivery post-office. The postmaster shall be responsible for such immediate delivery of every such article, and shall cause delivery to be made of all such articles received at his office bearing such stamp and entitled to delivery thereat, and mayEmployment of messengers, third and fourth chins office. employ any persons, including clerks and assistants, at third and fourth class offices, as messengers, on such terms as he shall fix as compensation for such deliver;*; and to defray the expense thereof, such postmaster shall be entitled, upon the adjustment of his quarterly account,Allowance to postmasters. to eighty per centum of the face value of all such special-delivery stamps received at his office and recorded, according to said act and regulations of the Post-Office Department during the quarter; and such allowance shall be in full of all the expenses of such delivery: *Provided*,*Provisos*.
That the Postmaster-General may, in his discretion, direct any free-deliveryFree-delivery offices may be excepted. office to be excepted from the foregoing provision, and require the delivery to be made entirely by special messengers, according to the provisions of the act to which this is amendatory: *And provided further*, That he may contract for the immediate delivery of all articles fromContracts may be made. any post-office at any price less than eight cents per piece, when he shall deem it expedient.
Sec. 2. That the Postmaster-General shall prescribe suitable regulations,Regulations to be prescribed by Postmaster-General. not inconsistent with law, for the performance of the immediate-delivery service, the keeping of the records and rendering of accounts thereof, and all matters connected therewith, and may prescribe the hours within which such immediate delivery shall be made at any post-office. Sec. 3. That any postmaster, or any assistant postmaster, clerk, or employee Penalty for false return, etc.of a postmaster, who shall make any false return or record of the receipt or delivery of any article of mailable matter as being stamped with a special-delivery stamp, or shall make any false return of the number of articles specially delivered from his office, for the purpose of increasing his compensation under the provisions of this act, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned for a term of not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court; and whenever, upon evidence deemed satisfactory to him, the Postmaster-General shall determine that any such false return has been made,Compensation may be fixed absolutely in case of false return. he may, by order, fix absolutely the compensation of the postmaster for such special delivery during any quarter or quarters which he shall deem affected by such false return, and the Auditor shall adjust the postmaster’s account accordingly.
Sec. 4. That any person employed to make immediate delivery ofPersons making immediate delivery to be considered in postal service. letters or other mail-matter under the provisions of this act, or the act of which the same is amendatory, shall be deemed an employee of the postal service, whether be may have been sworn or not, or temporarily or permanently employed, and as such employee shall be liable to any penalties or punishments provided by law for the improper detention, delay, secretion, rifling, embezzlement, purloining, or destruction of any letter or other article of mail-matter, or the contents thereof, entrusted to him for delivery or placed in his custody.
Approved, August 4, 1886.