Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/250/328/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 04:58:35+00:00

Document:
"that any claim which shall be presented and acted on under authority of this act shall be held as finally determined, and shall never thereafter be reopened or considered."
Held that this proviso clearly confers exclusive and final jurisdiction on the Treasury Department, so that claims under the act are not within the jurisdiction of the Court of Claims. P. 250 U. S. 331. United States v. Laughlin, 249 U. S. 440, distinguished.
Under the Acts of January 9, 1883, c. 15, 22 Stat. 401, and August 13, 1888, c. 868, 25 Stat. 437, the right to present claims for the loss, etc., of horses in the military service, under § 3482, Rev.Stats., as amended by the Act of June 22, 1874, c. 395, 18 Stat. 193, expired in 1891. Id.
53 Ct.Clms. 629; 54 id. 1, reversed.
These cases, which were argued together, are appeals by the United States from judgments entered in the Court of Claims. In each, an officer in the army recovered compensation under the Act of March 3, 1885, c. 335, 23 Stat. 350, for the loss, while in the service, without fault or negligence on his part, of privately owned personal property. In each case, the claim had been duly presented within two years of the occurrence of the loss, and the Secretary of War had decided that the articles in question were "reasonable, useful, necessary, and proper for" such officer "while in quarters, engaged in the public service, in the line of duty."
property was not lost or destroyed by being shipped on an unseaworthy vessel, nor by reason of the claimant's giving his attention to saving property belonging to the United States,"
and the Auditor's decision was affirmed on appeal by the Comptroller of the Treasury. The Auditor made no finding as to the value of the property lost. This was fixed by the Court of Claims at $200 for the horse and $333 for the personal effects, and for these amounts it entered judgments on the authority of Newcomber v. United States, 51 Ct.Clms. 408, and Andrews v. United States, 52 Ct.Clms. 373. The loss in each case occurred prior to April 5, 1917, so that the rights of the parties are not affected by the provisions of the Act of March 28, 1918, c. 28, 40 Stat. 459, 479-480, or chapter VI of the Act of July 9, 1918, c. 143, 40 Stat. 845, 880-881.
"That the proper accounting officers of the Treasury be, and they are hereby, authorized and directed to examine into, ascertain, and determine the value of the private property belonging to officers and enlisted men in the military service of the United States which has been, or may hereafter be, lost or destroyed in the military service, under the following circumstances . . ."
appropriated, and shall be in full for all such loss or damage."
These words express clearly the intention to confer upon the Treasury Department exclusive jurisdiction and to make its decision final. The case of United States v. Harmon, 147 U. S. 268, strongly relied upon by claimants, has no application. Compare D. M. Ferry & Co. v. United States, 85 F. 550, 557.
"where the loss resulted from any exigency or necessity of the military service, unless it was caused by the fault or negligence of such officers or enlisted men."
Even if these statutes were applicable to facts like those presented here, there could be no recovery, because, under Act Jan. 9, 1883, c. 15, 22 Stat. 401, and Act Aug. 13, 1888, c. 868, 25 Stat. 437, the right to present claims under § 3482 of the Revised Statutes as amended finally expired in 1891. See Griffis v. United States, 52 Ct.Clms. 1, 170.

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