Evening star., 1909-08-21
Privilege to School Officials
While Making Inspections.
CONTROLLER so DECIDES
To Disallow Claim Penalties OF.
icials Serving Without Pay.
AUDITOR FOR STATE REVERSED
Decision Given on Bill Presented by
President and Vice Presi-
dent of Board.

AT public expense members of the board.
Of education can use an automobile for
tours Of inspection of the public schools.
This is. in effect. a decision of the con-
troller of the Treasury Department re-
ceived by the District Commissioners to-
day To disallow such expense. the con-
troller indicates, would b, to penatlze
public officials serving without salary for
performing their public duties.
A bill for SAT for the hire of a taxicab
for the use of the president and the vice
president of the board of education and
the superintendent OF public schools was
allowed by District Auditor TweedaIe and
paid by Disbursng Officer Louis Wilson.
The item was disallowed by the auditor
for the State and other departments. and
in his decision allowing the payment the
controller of the Treasury Department
has reversed the decision OF the auditor
for the State and other departments.
Specific Duties.
The board of education says Con-
troller Tracewel. advised the disbursng
officer that the taxicab in question was
hired for purposes stated. briefly, as fol-
lows:
Il. For the inspection of new school
..2. For travelling throughout the Dis
trict to determine the character and
amount Of repairs made during the vaca-
ton period, the condition of school build
ings, etc.
- The procurement of data for de-
termining the amounts os annual esti-
mates of appropriations required for the
maintenance and improvement or schools.
'The auditor tfor the State and other
Departmental disallowed the payment as
ha nf 10 4.
sion Of this Office. reported In .. Con.
troller's Decisions. 800.
Scope of Decision Quoted.
said decision held that travel within
the District of Columbia by the first as
sistant postmaster general. whose office
is located at the seat of government. is
not travel within the meaning Of the law
authorizing reimbursement Of travelling
expenses, although the travel was on ofn-
cial business.
'The facts and law applicable to this
case are easily distinguishable from those
i'm the case cited by the auditor. That
case turned upon the proposition, namely.
the law that there should be at the seat
of government an executive department
known as the Post Office Department OF
which the first assistant postmaster gen.
eral is a part, and that all that part or
the territory of the United States in
cluded within the limits Of the District OF
Columbia shall be the permanent seat OF
Of the United States.
Difference Pointed Out.
1.-The first assistant postmaster general
is a salaried officer. The school board OF
the District of Columbia is not located by
law, in the sense of locating 1t In the Dis
trict of Columbia as a whole. 1t per-
forms its ordinary functions In the Dis
trict OF Columbia, but Is not located Or
stationed in the District in the sense that
the entire District, a territory six miles
wide by ten in length. Is its ofiicial sta
ton.
1.-The board serves without compensa-
tion and in the absence of similar statutes
to, those governing in the case In 9th Con-
troller, referred to by the auditor. do
not see my way clear to penalize these
officers for the performance OF a public
duty by holding that they were not trav-
cling when they incurred the expense in
question.
."rhe action of the auditor (of the State
and other dspartments) is reversed and
a certificate Of difference will issue In ac-
cordance herewith