MAY 6, 1924, 3 COMP. GEN. 837
Highlights
DOES NOT AUTHORIZE THE TRANSPORTATION AT PUBLIC EXPENSE OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS OF A SUPERINTENDENT OF CONSTRUCTION FROM A POINT WHERE THEY WERE IN STORAGE WHEN HE ENTERED THE SERVICE TO HIS INITIAL POST OF DUTY. OR TO A POINT TO WHICH HE IS SUBSEQUENTLY ORDERED FOR DUTY. WHERE HE IS NOW EMPLOYED IN SUPERVISING THE COMPLETION OF THE UNITED STATES VETERANS' HOSPITAL UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SUPERVISING ARCHITECT OF THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT. MELICK WAS EMPLOYED AS A SUPERINTENDENT OF CONSTRUCTION IN THE OFFICE OF THE SUPERVISING ARCHITECT OF THIS DEPARTMENT AND RESIGNED ON MARCH 30. SAID RESIGNATION WAS ACCEPTED ON APRIL 6. PRIOR TO HIS RESIGNATION HE WAS STATIONED AT NEWARK. HE WAS REINSTATED AS A SUPERINTENDENT OF CONSTRUCTION UNDER THIS DEPARTMENT.
MAY 6, 1924, 3 COMP. GEN. 837
TRANSPORTATION OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS OF CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE TO FIRST DUTY STATION THE PROVISION IN THE ACT OF JANUARY 3, 1923, 42 STAT. 1107, FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS OF CERTAIN EMPLOYEES OF THE OFFICE OF THE SUPERVISING ARCHITECT INCIDENT TO THEIR CHANGE OF STATION, DOES NOT AUTHORIZE THE TRANSPORTATION AT PUBLIC EXPENSE OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS OF A SUPERINTENDENT OF CONSTRUCTION FROM A POINT WHERE THEY WERE IN STORAGE WHEN HE ENTERED THE SERVICE TO HIS INITIAL POST OF DUTY, OR TO A POINT TO WHICH HE IS SUBSEQUENTLY ORDERED FOR DUTY.
COMPTROLLER GENERAL MCCARL TO THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, MAY 6, 1924:
THERE HAS BEEN RECEIVED YOUR LETTER OF APRIL 12, 1924, SUBMITTING FOR DECISION THE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER NEAL A. MELICK MAY BE ALLOWED TO EXPEND FROM PUBLIC FUNDS NOT EXCEEDING $75 FOR MOVING HIS HOUSEHOLD GOODS FROM NEWARK, N.J., TO CHELSEA, N.Y., WHERE HE IS NOW EMPLOYED IN SUPERVISING THE COMPLETION OF THE UNITED STATES VETERANS' HOSPITAL UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SUPERVISING ARCHITECT OF THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT. YOU STATE---
MR. NEAL A. MELICK WAS EMPLOYED AS A SUPERINTENDENT OF CONSTRUCTION IN THE OFFICE OF THE SUPERVISING ARCHITECT OF THIS DEPARTMENT AND RESIGNED ON MARCH 30, 1918, TO ACCEPT A POSITION IN THE SUBMARINE BOAT CORPORATION, WITH HEADQUARTERS AT NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, AND SAID RESIGNATION WAS ACCEPTED ON APRIL 6, 1918. PRIOR TO HIS RESIGNATION HE WAS STATIONED AT NEWARK, OHIO, AND AFTER HIS CONNECTION WITH THE SUBMARINE BOAT CORPORATION HE TRANSFERRED HIS HOUSEHOLD GOODS FROM SAID STATION TO NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.
ON OCTOBER 3, 1921, HE WAS REINSTATED AS A SUPERINTENDENT OF CONSTRUCTION UNDER THIS DEPARTMENT, SAID REINSTATEMENT BECOMING EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 27. NO REQUEST WAS MADE AND NO AUTHORITY GRANTED TO MOVE HIS HOUSEHOLD GOODS FROM NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, TO NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, TO WHICH POINT HE WAS DETAILED.
ON JULY 10, 1922, HE WAS RELIEVED FROM DUTY AT NORFOLK AND DETAILED TO SUPERVISE THE CONSTRUCTION WORK AT THE VETERANS' HOSPITAL, JEFFERSON BARRACKS, MISSOURI. IN THE LETTER OF ASSIGNMENT THE COST OF CRATING, DRAYAGE, AND FREIGHT ON HIS HOUSEHOLD GOODS WAS AUTHORIZED BUT NO HOUSEHOLD GOODS WERE MOVED BY HIM. ON NOVEMBER 20, 1923, HE WAS ASSIGNED TO SUPERVISE THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN EXTENSION OF THE POST OFFICE AT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. ON MARCH 14, 1924, HE WAS RELIEVED FROM DUTY AT THIS POINT AND WAS ASSIGNED TO SUPERVISING THE COMPLETION OF THE UNITED STATES VETERANS' HOSPITAL, CASTLE POINT (CHELSEA), NEW YORK. HIS LETTER OF ASSIGNMENT ALSO AUTHORIZED THE COST OF CRATING, DRAYAGE, AND FREIGHT ON HIS HOUSEHOLD GOODS, AND ON MARCH 19, VOUCHER, IN AMOUNT $7.12, FOR THIS EXPENSE WAS SUBMITTED AND PAID.
ON APRIL 1, 1924, THE SUPERINTENDENT REQUESTED THAT HE BE ALLOWED TO EXPEND NOT EXCEEDING $75 FOR MOVING HIS HOUSEHOLD GOODS, WHICH HAD BEEN STORED AT NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, SINCE APRIL, 1918, TO HIS NEW ASSIGNMENT. IT WILL BE NOTED THAT SUPERINTENDENT MELICK NEVER HAD HEADQUARTERS AT NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, UNDER THIS DEPARTMENT, BUT THAT HE FAILED TO AVAIL HIMSELF OF THE OPPORTUNITY GIVEN TO TRANSFER HIS HOUSEHOLD GOODS FROM NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, TO JEFFERSON BARRACKS, MISSOURI, AND THAT THE EXPENSE INCURRED IN REMOVING FROM ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, TO CHELSEA, NEW YORK, WAS VERY SMALL.
THE ACT OF JANUARY 3, 1923, MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1924, MADE PROVISION FOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS, REPAIRS, EQUIPMENT, AND GENERAL EXPENSES, IN PART AS FOLLOWS:
* * * FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS, INCIDENT TO CHANGE OF HEADQUARTERS OF SUPERVISING SUPERINTENDENTS, SUPERINTENDENTS, AND JUNIOR SUPERINTENDENTS OF CONSTRUCTION, AND INSPECTORS, NOT IN EXCESS OF FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS AT ANY ONE TIME, TOGETHER WITH THE NECESSARY EXPENSE INCIDENT TO PACKING AND DRAYING THE SAME, NOT TO EXCEED IN ANY ONE YEAR A TOTAL EXPENDITURE OF $4,500; * * *. 42 STAT., 1107.
BY HIS RESIGNATION OF MARCH 30, 1918, MR. MELICK BECAME SEPARATED FROM THE GOVERNMENT SERVICE, AND ANY EXPENSE INCURRED IN TRANSPORTING HIS HOUSEHOLD GOODS FROM HIS HOME OR THE PLACE WHERE THEY WERE STORED TO THE PLACE AT WHICH HE WAS STATIONED UPON HIS REINSTATEMENT WOULD NECESSARILY HAVE HAD TO BE BORNE BY HIM SINCE IT IS WELL SETTLED THAT THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE HOUSEHOLD GOODS OF AN EMPLOYEE FROM HIS HOME TO HIS INITIAL PLACE OF DUTY IS ONE FOR WHICH HE IS NOT ENTITLED TO REIMBURSEMENT FROM PUBLIC FUNDS. THEREFORE THE TRANSPORTATION OF HIS GOODS FROM NEWARK, N.J., TO NORFOLK, VA., AT PUBLIC EXPENSE WOULD HAVE BEEN UNAUTHORIZED. SINCE NO HOUSEHOLD GOODS WERE MOVED BY HIM FROM NORFOLK TO JEFFERSON BARRACKS, MO., THIS CHANGE OF STATION DID NOT INVOLVE AN EXPENDITURE FOR TRANSPORTATION OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS. WHETHER ANY EXPENSE WAS INCURRED BY HIS CHANGE OF STATION FROM JEFFERSON BARRACKS TO ST. LOUIS DOES NOT APPEAR. IT IS PRESUMED, HOWEVER, THAT THE AMOUNT OF $7.12 PAID HIM ON MARCH 19, 1924, WAS THE EXPENSE OF THE TRANSPORTATION OF HIS GOODS FROM ST. LOUIS TO CHELSEA, N.Y., AND THAT THE EXPENSE WAS ACTUALLY INCURRED IN MAKING THIS CHANGE OF STATION.
THE EXPENSE OF TRANSPORTING HIS GOODS FROM NEWARK TO CHELSEA WAS NOT INCIDENT TO ANY CHANGE OF HEADQUARTERS AND IS THEREFORE NOT CHARGEABLE TO THE UNITED STATES. YOU ARE ACCORDINGLY ADVISED THAT NO ALLOWANCE IS AUTHORIZED FOR ANY EXPENSE INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH SUCH SHIPMENT.