shall be published either in one or more papers of the largest circulation in the localities most favorable for securing the services or purchasing the articles required, or such advertisement may be by sending out circular letters and by a public posting of such circular letter in the same localities. Authority for advertising in either form must be obtained through the chief engineer. 3. Information in detail in regard to supplies or construction for which proposals have been invited should be furnished to all persons desiring it who may make application to the source designated in the advertisement. 4. Proposals should be made in strict accordance with the terms of the advertisement or circular of instructions. 5. Proposals for supplies should be so framed that each article or item may be considered separately. 6. Specifications need not be incorporated in the body of the proposal; their attachment to the proposal and the declaration that they form a part of it will be sufficient. 7. Each bid must contain the names of all parties to it or that may be interested in it, and must be signed by the bidder submitting the same with his usual signature in full 8. Bidders must designate their places of business and post-office addresses. 9. A copy of the advertisement inviting the proposal must be attached to each bid. 10. Proposals must be inclosed in envelopes, sealed and indorsed, and addressed as required by the advertisement, and must be received by the officer to whom they are addressed before the time appointed for the opening. 11. All proposals received prior to the advertised time of opening must be securely kept by the officer to whom addressed, and must not be opened nor read until the time appointed. 12. Bids shall be opened and read aloud at the time and place designated, in the presence of bidders and others who may wish to attend, and the contracts shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder if such award shall appear to be for the best interests of the service; but no work shall be performed in pursuance of such award, nor shall any supplies be received under it, until after the contract shall have been approved by the chief engineer and then by the Secretary of the Interior. 13. The contracting officer is at liberty to reject a bid from any person who has in any respect defaulted in any previous bid or contract. 14. Any or all bids, or any part of any bid, may be rejected if such rejection is deemed best for the interests of the Government. 15. Where samples accompany the bids, and because of the superi ority of the samples, or for other good cause, the contract is awarded to a bidder not the lowest, the reason for such award must be fully and clearly stated. 16. Whenever bids for any article contain conditions detrimental to the Government, they may be rejected, and the articles specified in such bids may be purchased in open market, at prices not to exceed those of the lowest bidder and not to exceed the market price of the articles, until such time as satisfactory bids can be obtained, for which immediate advertisement shall be made. Authority for such openmarket purchase should be asked for, if desired, when all the bids are recommended for rejection. 17. Bids for goods to be furnished or work to be performed must be accompanied by a certified check or draft for 5 per cent of the amount of the bid, payable to the order of the Secretary of the Interior. 18. In case a bidder to whom a contract is awarded fails to execute a written contract, the amount deposited by him shall be forfeited and paid into the Treasury of the United States. 19. After a contract is duly executed the amount deposited by the bidder will be returned to him. 20. Bidders for goods and supplies will be required to furnish samples of the articles bid for in all cases, except such as lumber, building material, machines, engines, and like bulky articles, in which case the kind, size, capacity, and quality proposed to be furnished must be fully stated, the Department reserving the right to call for samples if that course shall be deemed to be for the best interests of the service. 21. When samples are required, they should be delivered at the place and before the time of opening bids, so marked that they may be identified at any time. 22. Samples must not be opened until after all bids have been publicly read. 23. As soon as practicable after the reading of the bids the samples offered should be examined and passed upon either by the contracting officer himself or by some competent, disinterested person or persons to be selected by him. 24. In making awards under bids or proposals for furnishing goods and supplies the right will be reserved to increase or diminish to any extent the quantity of any of the articles specified in any bid, and the further right to increase or decrease the quantities specified in any contract to an extent to be specified in the contract. Parties desiring to limit the quantity of any article or material offered must state in their bids the quantity proposed to be furnished, which should be followed by the word "only," and the right will be reserved to accept any part thereof, not exceeding the amount designated. 25. As soon as practicable after proposals shall have been opened and read an abstract of them shall be made, upon which shall be entered every proposal received, the entry to comprise the names of the bidders, the items covered by the bids, and the prices at which it is proposed to supply the material or labor specified. The accepted bid, with the quantity and price of the materials or labor to be furnished thereunder, shall also be noted on the abstract. 26. An abstract of the proposals must accompany the draft of the contract, and this should be sent to the chief engineer with all other papers including the envelopes in which the bids were received, properly marked for identification. 27. When bids are opened, and it is contemplated to enter into formal written contract, with bonds, the abstracts of the bids, except in cases of emergency contracts, will be forwarded to the office of the chief engineer with recommendation for action in regard to accepting or rejecting the bid or bids received, and no such bid should be accepted or rejected by the officer in charge of work in advance of approval by the chief engineer. 28. In case a contract is made by an agent or officer of the reclamation service the abstract of proposals must be duly certified to by such agent and forwarded to the office of the chief engineer, with the original of the contract and all the papers relating to the bids. 29. All contracts made by officers of the reclamation service or agents in charge of works, as well as all papers connected with contracts, will be prepared in accordance with the printed forms prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior; and these forms and other printed forms to be used will be furnished from the office of the chief engineer when required. ADVERTISING. When it is intended to have any work performed, or purchase made, by contract, the specifications, except in case of an exigency contract, must be previously submitted, through the chief engineer, to the Secretary of the Interior for his approval. In advertising for proposals for contract work to be done under the direction of the chief engineer, officers and agents of the reclamation service will state in the specifications what proportion of the total consideration of the contract will determine the amount of the bond to be required of the contractor. The Department usually requires a bond of 50 per cent of the contract price. The law governing advertising is specific, and should be carefully observed. The following paragraphs give the principal features of the law and the current practice of the Department: No advertisement, notice, or proposal for any Executive Department of the Government, or for any Bureau thereof, or for any office therewith connected, shall be published in any newspaper whatever, except in pursuance of a written authority for such publication from the head of such Department; and no bill for any such advertising, or publication, shall be paid, unless there be presented with such bill a copy of such written authority. (Section 3828, Revised Statutes, United States.) That hereafter all advertisements, notices, proposals for contracts, and all forms of advertising required by law for the several Departments of the Government, may be paid for at a price not to exceed the commercial rate charged to private individuals, with the usual discounts; such rates to be ascertained from the sworn statements to be furnished by the proprietors or publishers of the newspapers proposing so to advertise. (Act June 20, 1878.) Blanks upon which to render the sworn statements required by the above law are furnished by the Departments upon application. Newspapers publishing advertisements pertaining to the Executive Departments are required to forward to the Department from which the advertisements emanate a sworn statement of the commercial rates charged by them to private individuals, with their usual discounts. Changes in advertising rates take effect from the date upon which the sworn statement thereof is received at the Department, unless a subsequent date is fixed therein by the publishers. These statements will give the size of type used in the advertisements and the line rate for the first and subsequent insertions. The Departments insist upon the line rates, as they furnish fewer opportunities for mistakes and misunderstandings in the settlement of bills than do rates based upon the square, inch, or folio. If the commercial rates of a paper are by the square, inch, or folio, the Government line rate should be relatively the same, or less, because, under the law, rates in excess of the commercial rates charged to private individuals can not be allowed by the Government. The sworn statement of rates must be accompanied by a copy of the printed card rates charged to private individuals. "Special," "local," or "reading" rates can not be allowed, and in auditing bills no allowance will be made for displayed or leaded advertisements or prominent headings. The matter must be set up solid, without paragraphing, and should be in the type specified in the sworn statement of rates on file in the Departments. If other type be used, no allowance will be made for additional space on that account. The number of solid lines only in advertisements, by actual count, will be allowed. All abbreviations in copy must be strictly followed. The particular column or page of the paper in which advertisements appear is left entirely to the option of the publisher. The filing of a statement of rates in one Executive Department can not be construed as a notice to another Department that rates have been filed. Such statement must be furnished to each Department advertising. The following is a sample of advertisement set up in accordance with the Government requirements: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, United States Geological Survey, Wash- An advertisement must appear in the language of the paper in which it is inserted, i. e., if inserted in a German paper, it must be in German. In no case must an advertisement extend beyond the morning of the date therein named for the opening of the bids, sale of material, public hearings, etc.; and unless the authority given should specifically include insertion in the Sunday edition, publication in that edition must not be made. Changes in rates or ownership of newspapers should promptly be reported to the Departments. All accounts for official advertising pertaining to the Executive Departments must be audited in strict conformity to the foregoing provisions, and all amounts charged in excess of those allowable under those provisions will be disallowed. Every voucher for official advertising must be rendered upon the Government official form, and be accompanied by the letter of authority to publish and a copy of each issue of the paper in which the advertisement appeared. The permanency of the records of the Executive Departments of the Government being of the first importance, no deleble or fugitive |