FIFTY-FIRST CON GRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 519. 1891. 831 foreign countries, the Dominion of Canada excepted, as in his judgment will best subserve and promote the postal and commercial interests of the United States, the mail service on such lines to be Distribution. equitably distributed among the Atlantic, Mexican Gulf and Pacific ports. aid contracts shall be made with the lowest responsible bid- xwms. er for the performance of said service on each route, and the Postmaster·General shall have the right to reject all bids not in his opinion reasonable for the attaining of the purposes named. _ Sec. 2. That before making any contract for carryin ocean mails Advvrtiscmcnu in accordance with this act the Postmaster General shall give public notice by advertising once a week, for three months, in such daily papers as he shall se act in each of the cities of Boston, New York, luladelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, Saint Louis, Charleston, Norfolk, Savannah, Galveston, and Mobile, and when the roposed service is to be on the Paciiic Ocean, then in San Francisco,g`acoma, and Portland. Such notice shall describe the route, the time when cmmmmcrmucs. such contract will be made, the duration of the same, the size of the steamers to be used, the number of trips a year, the times of sailing, and the time when the service shall commence, which shall not be more than three years after the contract shall be let. The details of the mode of advertising and letting such contracts shall be conducted in the manner prescribed in chapter eight of title forty-six of the R. s., um x1.v1, Revised Statutes for the letting of inland mail contracts so far as °*‘·°·*’·7°‘· the same shall be applicable to the ocean mail service. , S112c. 3. That the vessels employed in the mail service under the Vesgelgtwwmméw provisions of this act shall be American built steam-ships, owned Q°Z'§.,$.,A_ ° °"°°’ and officered by American citizens, in conformity with the existin · laws, or so owned and officered and registered according to law, and , upon each departure from the United States the following roportion of the crew shall be citizens of the United States, to wit: I)urin ¤¤¤¤¤- the iirst two years of such contract for carrying the mails, one—fourth thereof; during the next three succeeding years, one-third thereof; and during the remaining time of the continuance of such contract at least one-half thereof; and shall be constructed after the latest and ¤<>¤¤*r¤¤¤i¤¤· most approved types, with all the modern improvements and appliances for ocean steamers. They shall be divided into four classes. C'*¤*“*°*°*°¤· The first class shall be iron or steel screw steamships, capable of rimum. maintaining a speed of twenty knots an hour at sea in ordinary weather, and of a gross registered tonnage of not less than eight thousand tons. No vessel except of said first class shall be accepted omynm cm me for said mail service under the provisions of this act between the $,$€§}}§°,‘,l,{‘,§§.,,?,{‘,§,‘f*°° United States and Great Britain. The second class shall be iron or ¤¤¤¤¤d<=¤·•¤- steel steamships, capable of maintaining a speed of sixteen knots an hour at sea in ordinary weather, and of a gross registered tonnage of not less than five thousand tons. The third class shall be iron or nn-a am. steel steamships, capable of maintaining a speed of fourteen knots an hour at sea in or inary weather, and of a gross registered tonnage of not less than two thousand five hundred tons. he fourth class Fourth cms. shall be iron or steel or wooden steam-ships, capable of maintaining a speed of twelve knots an hour at sea in ordinary weather, and of a gross registered tonnagle of not less than fifteen hundred tons. It shall be stipulated in the contract or contracts to be entered into for the said mail service that said vessels may carry assengers with their baggage in addition to said mails and may do all ordinary business cone by steam-ships. Sec. 4. That all steamships of the iirst, second, and third classes re be constructed employed as above and herea ter built shall be constructed with par- ’;£',;°£,°c‘,E:L‘f_;""‘* ticular reference to prompt and economical conversion into auxiliary naval cruisers, and according to plans and specifications to be a eed speemcmom upon by and between the owners and the Secretary of the Matvy, and they shall be of sufficient strength and stability to carry and sustain- the working and operation of at least four eifective rifled
