Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-03
MILEAGE ALLOW ANCES
Controller Tracewell's Opinion on Table Of
Distances.
He Defines the Meaning of the
Shortest Possible
Route.

Controller Tracewell has rendered an
| opinion of considerable interest to army
and navy officers and to all persons who
| travel for the government 1t relates to
table of distances. is directed to the Secre-
tary of War, and is as follows:
by your Endorsement of June %, 1890.
have received a letter, dated June 10, 1899,
addressed to You by the acting paymaster
general. United States army, in relation to
a new table of distances which it is pro-
posed to issue for the use of the pay depart
ment of the army in settling the accounts
of such officers and persons as are entitled
to mileage when travelling under orders.
You also transmit the manuscript of the
proposed new table, with the request that
the same be revised and approved by me
before it is published and issued.
In reply beg to say that it is manifest
ly impracticable, with the clerical force and
data at my disposal, to comply with your
request This Office has neither the force
nor information necessary to undertake
job of this magnitude. Moreover, it is
doubtful If any table of distances which 1
could have prepared would be more valu-
able as a permanent guide In paying mile
age accounts than one prepared upon prop
er principles by your department. The law
requires that mileage shall be computed
over the shortest usually travelled routes.
This law is not subject to modification by
departmental regulations. Should feguia-
lions undertake to determine that the dis
tance between two given points was either
more or less than the actual distance, such
regulations would bind no one, because be-
ing contrary to the fact and to base mile
age on such assumed distance would be q
violation of law.
Shortest Possible Route.
las stated in 1 Comp. Dec. 116, the ques-
ton as to the shortest usually travelled
route between any two points is question
of fact and to be determined by the best
obtainable evidence.
What would be the shortest usually
Travelled route under ordinary circum-
stances might not be so under other and
exceptional circumstances. What might
be the shortest usually Travelled route to-
day might not be 50 at some later time in
the near future. Conditions are continual
ly changing and no table of distances that
could be prepared would be proper or
safe guide for all time. table, however
carefully prepared, is at best only work
ing assistant, fairly safe for use in ordi-
nary cases when it has been prepared upon
correct principles To make it reasona-
bly, safe guide it should, in my opinion,
show the distance between given points
by the shortest usually Travelled routes
taken by measured miles only, Following
That the distance might also be given based
upon other considerations than measured
miles, such as time, connections, facilities
for travel etc. If an officer claims mileage
by the longer route he should be required
to show the necessity for travelling by
Convenience of travel ordinarily means
something more than the mere personal
convenience and preference of the traveller.
1t means something which works for or
against the efficiency of the officer and
the good of the service.
An Erroneous Principle.
"As an illustration of what l believe is
the application of an erroneous principle in
preparing the army pay table of 1897, take
the case of the distance between Jackson
Vile and Tampa, Fla. The distance given
is 240 miles There are two usually trav-
eled routes between those points, and the
shortest, in measured miles, is 212 miles.
1t is understood that the distance was
given in the table 80 miles because Of
convenience of making connections not in
matter of time, but in personal comfort of
the traveller, when making journeys
through Tampa to places beyond. More
over, tie distance of 30 miles is used to
compute mileage on journeys which orig
mate or end in Tampa, where none of the
above mentioned considerations have the
least application.
1T is believed that If the proposed new
table shall be carefully prepared from the
best obtainabie data, giving first the short
est distance in measured miles a usu-
ally travelled route, and also the distance
by some other route based upon considera-
tons othc% than measured miles, there
need be but little difficulty in settling mile
age accounts. A table so prepared would
probably be reliable as any that could
be prepared in this department, and have
no doubt ii would be accepted by the ac-
counting officers in settling accounts ANY
table, however should NOT be followed after
it has been discovered that it does not
show the distance by the shortest usually
Travelled route. Errors in table should be
corrected as soon as discovered, and dis
bursting officers should be encouraged to
make investigations for themselves and
not to blindly rely on tables prepared for
ordinary use in the absence of better in
formation"