Chapter 547.
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CHAP. 547.— An act making appropriations for the service of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-two.March 3, 1891. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled*,Postal service appropriations. That the following sums be. and they are hereby, appropriated for the service of the Post-Office Department, in conformity with the act of July second, eighteen hundred and thirty-six, as follows: office of the postmaster-general.Postmaster-General For mail depredations, and post-office inspectors, and fees to UnitedMail depredations, inspectors, etc.
States marshals, attorneys, and the necessary incidental expenses connected therewith, two hundred and seventy thousand dollars, and the number of post-office inspectors is hereby increased to twelve, to be appointed by the Postmaster General. For advertising, eighteen thousand dollars.Advertising. To enable the Postmaster General, if in his judgment, after a careful investigation it shall be deemed advisable, and they shall by him be deemed valuable as aids in facilitating and protecting the Government in the settlement of accounts now pending in the office of the Sixth Auditor of the Treasury Department, and in protecting the Government against over payments and frauds, to purchase certainPurchase of confederate postal records. books and records of the Post-Office Department of the late so-called Confederate Government, and referred to in Senate Executive Document Numbered Seven, second session, Fifty-first Congress, ten thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary.
For miscellaneous items in the office of the Postmaster-General,Miscellaneous. one thousand five hundred dollars. office of the first assistant postmaster-general.First Assistant postmaster-General. For compensation to postmasters, fourteen million nine hundredPostmasters. thousand dollars. For compensation to clerks in post offices, eight million and sixtyClerks in post-offices. thousand dollars. For rent, light, and fuel for first and second class post-offices, sevenRent, light, and fuel hundred and thirty-one thousand five hundred dollars.
For rent, light, and fuel to post offices of the third class, five hundred and ninety-two thousand eight hundred dollars: *Provided*, That*Proviso*. there shall not be allowed for the use of any third-class post-office for rent a sum in excess of four hundred dollars, nor more than sixtyLimit third-class offices. dollars for fuel and lights in any one year. For miscellaneous and incidental items for first and second class Miscellaneous.post offices, including furniture, one hundred and thirty-two thousand dollars.
For free-delivery service, ten million ninety-two thousand five hundredFree delivery. and forty-two dollars, of which a sum not exceeding ten thou- 1080FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 547. 1891. sand dollars maybe expended for experimental “free delivery”Small offices. at small offices not having the requirements of population or revenue under existing law. For stationery in post offices, fifty-seven thousand dollars.Stationery. For wrapping twine, eighty-five thousand dollars.Twine.
For wrapping paper, sixty thousand dollars.Paper. For letter balances, scales, and test weights, and repairs to same,Scales. eighteen thousand dollars. For postmarking and rating stamps, and repairs to same, and inkCanceling, etc., stamps. and pads for stamping and canceling purposes, and including forty thousand dollars for the rental of one hundred improved canceling machines, eighty thousand dollars. For packing-boxes, saw dust, paste, and hardware, two thousandPacking boxes, etc. dollars.
For printing facing slips, card slide labels, blanks, and books ofPrinting. an urgent nature for post offices of the first and second classes, eight thousand dollars. office of the second assistant postmaster-general.Second Assistant Postmaster-General. For inland mail transportation, namely, inland transportation byInland transportation. Star routes. star routes, five million eight hundred and ninety-two thousand seven hundred and thirty dollars and fifty-one cents. For inland transportation by steamboat routes, five hundred and Steamboat routes.twenty-five thousand dollars.
For mail-messenger service, one million two hundred thousandMessenger service. dollars. For mail bags and mailbag catchers, cord fasteners, label casers, and for labor and materialBags and catchers. necessary for repairing equipment, two hundred and sixty thousand dollars. For mail locks and keys, chains, tools and machinery and for laborLocks, keys, etc. and material necessary for repairing same, forty-five thousand dollars. For the purpose of enabling the Postmaster-General to rent aRepair shop. building for mailbag repair shop and lock repair shop, and for fuel, gas. watchmen, and charwomen, oil and repair of machinery for same, six thousand five hundred dollars.
For inland transportation by railroad routes, of which a sum not Railroad routes.exceeding thirty thousand dollars may be employed to pay freightFreight. on postal cards, stamped envelopes, and stamped paper from the manufactories to the post offices and depots of distribution, twenty-two million five hundred and fifty thousand one hundred and twenty-eight dollars and thirty-one cents. For railway post office car service, two million seven hundredPostal cars. and thirty-one thousand dollars.
For railway post office clerks, six million three hundred and fifty-threeRailway mail clerks. thousand dollars, of which not to exceed twenty thousand dollars may be used to pay necessary traveling expenses for chiefTraveling expenses. clerks and railway postal clerks traveling on duty under order of the Postmaster-General. For necessary and special facilities on trunk lines, two hundred and ninety-five thousand fourSpecial facilities. hundred and twenty-one dollars and seventy-nine cents: *Provided*, That the Postmaster-General may, in*Proviso*. his discretion, withdraw this fund, or any portion thereof, from anyWithdrawal. railroad company when, in his judgment, the public interests require it.
For miscellaneous items, one thousand dollars.Miscellaneous. office of the third assistant postmaster-general.Third Assistant postmaster-General. For manufacture of adhesive postage and special-delivery stamps,Stamps. two hundred and three thousand dollars. FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS. Sess. II. Chs. 547, 548. 1891.1081 For pay of agents and assistants to distribute stamps, andDistribution. expenses of agency, nine thousand dollars. For manufacture of stamped envelopes, newspaper wrappers, Stamped envelopes, etc.and letter sheets, nine hundred and thirty-three thousand dollars.
For pay of agent and assistants to distribute stamped envelopes,Distribution. newspaper wrappers, and letter sheets, and expense of agency, seventeen thousand eight hundred dollars. For manufacture of postal-cards, two hundred and fourteenPostal-cards. thousand dollars. For pay of agent and assistants to distribute postal-cards, andDistribution. expense of agency, seven thousand eight hundred dollars. For registered package, tag. official, and dead-letter envelopes, oneOfficial, etc., envelopes. hundred and twenty-seven thousand dollars.
For ship, steamboat, and way letters, two thousand five hundredShip, etc., letters. dollars. For engraving, printing, and binding drafts and warrants fourPrinting, etc., drafts. thousand dollars. And the Postmaster-General may from time to time designate any officer of the Post Office Department, above the grade of Officer to sign warrants.fourth-class clerk, to sign warrants in his stead, and such warrants when so signed, shall be of the same validity as if they had been signed by the Postmaster General.
For miscellaneous items, one thousand dollars.Miscellaneous. office of superintendent of foreign mails.Superintendent foreign mails. For transportation of foreign mails, one million two hundred and fifty thousandTransportation. dollars: *Provided*, That hereafter*Proviso*. the Postmaster General shall be authorized to expend such sums as may he necessary, not exceeding fifty-five thousand dollars, to cover one-half of the cost of transportation, compensation, and expenseClerks on steamships. of clerks to be employed in assorting and pouching mails in transit on steamships between the United States and other postal administrations in the International Postal Union.
For balance due foreign countries, one hundred and sixty thousandBalance due foreign countries. dollars. Sec. 2. That if the revenue of the Post-Office Department shall be insufficient toAppropriation to meet deficiencies. meet the appropriations made by this act a sum equal to such deficiency of the revenues of said Department is hereby appropriated, to be paid out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to supply said deficiencies in the revenue of the Post-Office Department for the year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-two.
Sec. 3. That the members and Members of Congress may frank official letters to Government officers.members elect of Congress, shall have the privilege of sending free through the mails, and under their frank, letters to any officer of the (government when addressed officially. Approved, March 3, 1891.