B-125834, FEB. 2, 1956
Highlights
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF OCTOBER 19. HIS CLAIM IS FOR REIMBURSEMENT AT THE COMMUTED RATE FOR THE TRANSPORTATION COSTS FOR MOVING HIS HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS BY HIS PRIVATELY OWNED HOUSE TRAILER DRAWN BY HIS PRIVATELY OWNED AUTOMOBILE UPON OFFICIAL CHANGE OF STATION. THE EMPLOYEE'S OFFICIAL DUTY STATION WAS CHANGED FROM BOSTON. HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS WERE ALL MOVED AT ONE TIME. THERE IS ON FILE A NOTARIZED AFFIDAVIT SIGNED BY THE CLAIMANT AND JAMES R. WAS 7. IT MAY WELL BE THAT THE EFFECTS WERE SHIPPED THE ENTIRE DISTANCE CLAIMED. SINCE THE EFFECTS PRESUMABLY WERE UNLOADED AND THE TRAILER WEIGHED EMPTY IN ILLINOIS. APPROPRIATE EVIDENCE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FURNISHED BY THE EMPLOYEE AS TO WHETHER THE EFFECTS WERE AGAIN LOADED IN THE TRAILER AND SHIPPED TO THE NEW DUTY STATION.
B-125834, FEB. 2, 1956
TO MR. B. L. DOUGLAS, AUTHORIZED CERTIFYING OFFICER, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE:
REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF OCTOBER 19, 1955, FILE NO. F5023 F, SUBMITTING FOR ADVANCE DECISION A VOUCHER IN THE AMOUNT OF $669.60 IN FAVOR OF ALVIN O. HURST, AN EMPLOYEE OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. HIS CLAIM IS FOR REIMBURSEMENT AT THE COMMUTED RATE FOR THE TRANSPORTATION COSTS FOR MOVING HIS HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS BY HIS PRIVATELY OWNED HOUSE TRAILER DRAWN BY HIS PRIVATELY OWNED AUTOMOBILE UPON OFFICIAL CHANGE OF STATION.
THE EMPLOYEE'S OFFICIAL DUTY STATION WAS CHANGED FROM BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, TO SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO. TRAVEL ORDER DATED JULY 15, 1955, AUTHORIZED A PER DIEM ALLOWANCE AND A MILEAGE ALLOWANCE FOR TRAVEL BY PRIVATELY OWNED AUTOMOBILE NOT TO EXCEED THE COST BY COMMON CARRIER. THE ORDERS FURTHER AUTHORIZED SHIPMENT OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS UPON A COMMUTED BASIS. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE EMPLOYEE, HIS DEPENDENTS, HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS WERE ALL MOVED AT ONE TIME, AND APPARENTLY HE HAS BEEN REIMBURSED FOR PER DIEM AND MILEAGE AS AUTHORIZED BY HIS TRAVEL ORDERS.
A WEIGHT CERTIFICATE SHOWING THE GROSS WEIGHT OF THE HOUSE TRAILER LOADED, 11,800 POUNDS, HAS BEEN FURNISHED BY THE WOODSUM COAL CO., INC., SO. BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS. ALSO, THERE IS ON FILE A NOTARIZED AFFIDAVIT SIGNED BY THE CLAIMANT AND JAMES R. HURST CERTIFYING THAT ON AUGUST 4, 1955, THE NET EMPTY WEIGHT OF THE HOUSE TRAILER, AS ESTABLISHED BY THE SCALE OF PIONEER HYBRED CORN COMPANY OF ILLINOIS, WAS 7,805 POUNDS AND INCLUDED THE TRAILER SHELL, ALL PETITIONS AND FIXTURES NOT NORMALLY CONSIDERED AS PERSONAL HOUSEHOLD FURNISHINGS AND BELONGINGS. THE SUBMITTED VOUCHER COVERS 4,000 POUNDS, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ABOVE WEIGHT FIGURES COMPUTED AT THE COMMUTED RATE OF $16.74 CWT. SHOWN IN SCHEDULE A, EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 10507, DATED DECEMBER 10, 1953, FOR THE SHORT LINE DISTANCE BETWEEN BOSTON AND SANTA FEE, 2,197 MILES.
IT MAY WELL BE THAT THE EFFECTS WERE SHIPPED THE ENTIRE DISTANCE CLAIMED. SINCE THE EFFECTS PRESUMABLY WERE UNLOADED AND THE TRAILER WEIGHED EMPTY IN ILLINOIS, HOWEVER, APPROPRIATE EVIDENCE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FURNISHED BY THE EMPLOYEE AS TO WHETHER THE EFFECTS WERE AGAIN LOADED IN THE TRAILER AND SHIPPED TO THE NEW DUTY STATION.
OUR DECISIONS HOLD THAT THE COST OF MOVING HOUSE TRAILERS--- PROPERTY WHICH IS NOT WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE TERMS "HOUSEHOLD GOODS" AND "PERSONAL EFFECTS" AS USED IN EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 9805--- CANNOT BE CONSIDERED AS HAVING BEEN INCURRED INCIDENT TO THE SHIPMENT OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS OR PERSONAL EFFECTS FOR WHICH REIMBURSEMENT IS AUTHORIZED. 32 COMP. GEN. 367. NOTHING APPEARS OF RECORD INDICATING THE AMOUNT, IF ANY, THE COST OF TRANSPORTATION OF THE HOUSE TRAILER WAS INCREASED BY REASON OF THE HOUSEHOLD GOODS CARRIED THEREIN. WE HAVE CONTACTED VARIOUS SOURCES IN AN EFFORT TO OBTAIN INFORMATION AS TO WHAT INCREASED COSTS MIGHT BE INVOLVED BUT WITHOUT SUCCESS. IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH EVIDENCE, ALLOWANCE OF THE COMMUTED RATE FOR SHIPMENT OF THE HOUSEHOLD EFFECTS MAY NOT BE AUTHORIZED.
ACCORDINGLY, UPON THE PRESENT RECORD, THE VOUCHER, RETURNED HEREWITH, MAY NOT BE CERTIFIED FOR PAYMENT.