Case Name: GEORGE A. CURRY v. THE UNITED STATES
Court: United States Court of Claims
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1912-05-06
Citations: 47 Ct. Cl. 393
Docket Number: No. 30765
Parties: GEORGE A. CURRY v. THE UNITED STATES.
Judges: Howky, J., was not present when this case was heard and took no part in its decision.
Reporter: United States Court of Claims Reports
Volume: 47
Pages: 393–402

Head Matter:
GEORGE A. CURRY v. THE UNITED STATES.
[No. 30765.
Decided May 6, 1912.]
On the Proofs.
A clerk in the Quartermaster’s Department, on duty in Cuba, is ordered to Washington “ for such time as required, in connection with settlement ” of a chief quartermaster’s accounts; upon completion of this duty in Washington to be transferred to St. Louis. Subsequently he is ordered “ to 'proceed from Washington to Philadelphia for temporary duty in connection •with settlement of the accounts." “ Upon completion of this duty ” to be transferred to St. Louis. The question in the case is whether the clerk is entitled to his necessary expenditures for room and meals while on duty in Washington and Philadelphia.
I. The Army Eegulations (744) allow to civilians, clerks, and others their expenses, not to exceed $3 per day “while on duty at places designated in the orders for the performance of tem-porm-y duty." A service which is to be terminated upon the performance of a particular piece of work at a designated place is “ temporary duty ” within the meaning of the regulation.
II. The reason for the regulation is that an officer on temporary duty at a designated place can not make arrangements which 'will enable him to live economically, but is ordinarily put to greater expense than if living in a place where he is on permanent duty.
The Reporter’s statement of the case:
The following are the facts of the case as found by the court:
I. The claimant, George A. Curry, was on and prior to March 23, 1909, a clerk in the Quartermaster’s Department of the Army, serving in the office of the chief quartermaster, Army of Cuban Pacification, Maj. Chauncey B. Baker, at Habana, Cuba, at $1,600 a year.
II. At the time of the beginning of the performance of this service the Army Eegulations provided as follows:
“ 736. Eeimbursement of actual expenses when traveling under competent orders will be allowed, under the following heads, to civilians in the employ of any branch of the military service, excepting the expert accountant of the Inspec tor General’s Department, paymasters’ clerks, and those mentioned in the next succeeding paragraph, viz:
“ 5. Cost of meals and lodgings not exceeding $3 per day while on duty at places designated in the orders for the performance of temporary duty.”
Paragraph 736 is changed to 744 and is identical, so far as the same is material here, and section 5 thereof increases the amount of actual expenses from $3 to $4.50 per day.
■III. On March 23, 1909, the following order was issued by the Quartermaster General of the Army to said Maj. Baker for the transfer of the claimant to Washington, D. C., and thereafter to St. Louis, Mo.:
“ By direction of the Quartermaster General you are directed, with approval of the Secretary of War of March 17/09, to transfer George A. Gurry, clerk at $1,600 per annum,, in the Quartermaster’s Department, at his present pay, from Cuba to Washington, D. C., for such time as required in connection with settlement of your accounts as chief quartermaster, Army of Cuban Pacification.
“With approval of Secretary of War of March 20, upon completion of this duty in Washington, Mr. Curry should be transferred to St. Louis, Mo., for duty under the depot quartermaster, as an additional clerk at $1,400 per annum.
“His pay at rate of $1,400 will commence the date he assumes duty at St. Louis. When his services are completed under your direction, report should be made to this office, when transportation and sleeping-car accommodations will be furnished him to St. Louis.
“ Transportation and sleeping-car accommodations should be furnished Mr. Curry from Cuba to Washington, D. C.”
In pursuance of this order the claimant traveled from Habana, Cuba,- to Washington, D. C., upon transportation and sleeping-car accommodations furnished by the Quartermaster’s Department.
On arrival at Washington, April 5, 1909, he reported to Maj. Chauncey B. Baker, and continued to report on each succeeding day until April 8, 1909, when the following order was issued by the Quartermaster General to Maj. Baker for the transfer of the claimant from Washington, D. C., to Philadelphia, Pa.:
“By direction of the Quartermaster General you are hereby authorized to direct George A. Gurry, clerk at $1.600 per annum in the Quartermaster’s Department, to proceed from Washington, D. C., to Philadelphia, Pa., fortemporary duty in connection with settlement of your accounts as chief quartermaster, Army of Cuban Pacification.
“Upon completion of this duty Mr. Curry should be transferred to St. Louis, Mo., for duty under the depot quartermaster, as an additional clerk at $1,400, as directed in communication from this office of March 23/09.
“The depot quartermaster, Washington, D. C., has this date been authorized to furnish the necessary transportation and sleeping-car accommodations for Mr. Curry from this city to Philadelphia.”
The claimant’s duties at Philadelphia related solely to the settlement of Maj. Baker’s Cuban accounts.
IY. The claimant continued in the performance of this duty from the 9th of April, 1909, to the 2d day of September, 1909, when he went to St. Louis for duty under the depot quartermaster there, as provided in his orders of March 23 and April 8, 1909.
During the time that he was in Washington, D. C., to wit, from April 5 to 13, 1909, he incurred necessary expenditures for room and meals amounting to $21.50 (not exceeding $3 per day), and while in Philadelphia like expenses for room, meals, and laundry work, not in excess of $3 per day until September 2 and not in excess thereafter of $4.50 a day, amounting for the time to June 30, 1909, to $311.75, and for the period from July 1 to September 2, 1909, to $285, aggregating in all $596.75.
The sum of $311.75 was paid to him by Maj. Baker, as allowable under Army Begulations, paragraphs 736 and 744, set out in Finding II. The accounts of said Maj. Baker containing these payments were audited, approved by the Quartermaster General, and filed. Afterwards the accounting officers of the Treasury revoked their approval of these accounts and disapproved the payments, and Maj. Baker required the claimant to refund to him, in order that he might make a clear statement of his Cuban accounts, said sum of $311.75. The claimant did refund that sum under protest. The remainder of said expenses, amounting to $285, has never been paid, making a total <?f $596.75 due the claimant if the same is allowed.
Mr. George A. King for the claimant. Messrs. Geo. A. and Wm. B. King were on the brief.
Mr. J. II. Graves (with whom was Mr. Assistant Attorney General Thompson) for the defendants.

Opinion:
BaRNey, J.,
delivered the opinion of the court:
This is a suit by a clerk in the Quartermaster's Department of the Army to recover the sum of $596.75 for reimbursement of expenses incurred by him while on duty at Washington, D. C., and Philadelphia, Pa., under orders of March 23 and April 8,1909, assigning him to duty in connection with the settlement of the accounts of Maj. Baker, as chief quartermaster, Army of Cuban Pacification. The plaintiff had theretofore been on duty at Habana, Cuba, with Maj. Baker, and the Quartermaster General directed his transfer to Washington, D. C., for such time as might be required in connection with the settlement of Maj. Baker's account as such chief quartermaster. The order further directed that on completion of this duty at Washington he should be transferred to St. Louis, Mo., for duty under the. depot quartermaster there. On his arrival in Washington, April 5, 1909, the plaintiff reported from day to day to Maj. Baker for duty, until April 8, 1909, when an order was issued by the Quartermaster General to Maj. Baker, directing him to order the plaintiff to proceed from Washington, D. C., to Philadelphia, Pa., for duty in connection with the settlement of his (Maj. Baker's) accounts, and upon completion of this duty to be transferred to St. Louis, Mo., for duty under the depot quartermaster at that place. This duty was designated as temporary duty in the order and it also directed that the necessary transportation and sleeping-car accommodations to Philadelphia be furnished the plaintiff, but made no provision for the transportation of baggage. His duties at Philadelphia related solely to the settlement of Maj. Baker's accounts. The plaintiff remained on said duty from April 9, 1909, to September 2, 1909, when he went to St. Louis, Mo., for duty under the quartermaster there, in compliance with his orders. Transportation and sleeping-car accommodations were furnished him on the lat ter trip, but no transportation for baggage. During a portion of the time while the plaintiff was on duty at Philadelphia he was allowed for his actual expenses, but these were afterwards refused by the accounting officers, and the amount already allowed him was collected back. The total amount of the expenses of the plaintiff while on such duty at Washington and Philadelphia was $596.75, and this suit is brought to recover that sum.
At the time of the performance of this service the Army Eegulations provided as follows:
"744. Eeimbursement of actual expenses when traveling under competent orders will be allowed, under the following heads, to civilians in the employ of any branch of the military service, excepting the expert accountant of the Inspector General's Department, paymasters' clerks, and those mentioned in paragraph 745, viz:
" 5. Cost of meals and lodgings, including baths, tips, and laundry work, not to exceed $4.50 a day, while on duty at places designated in the orders for the performance of temporary duty."
During a portion of the service of the plaintiff the regulations provided for an allowance of $3 per day, and during such period his claim is on that basis.
It will be seen from the foregoing statements that the only question in the case is whether the plaintiff was on temporary duty while at Washington and Philadelphia within the meaning of that term in the Army Eegulations above quoted. If he was, he is entitled to recover for his actual expenses during such service; if he was not, he has no claim.
An examination of the two orders transferring the plaintiff, as they appear in Finding III, will show that the plaintiff was first assigned to duty at Washington " for such time as required in connection with the settlement of" the accounts of Maj. Baker, and was afterwards assigned to duty at Philadelphia "for temporary duty in connection with the settlement" of the accounts of the same officer. It will thus appear that by the terms of both orders the duty performed by the plaintiff was designated as "temporary duty " in one case and substantially so in the other.
It has been repeatedly held, however, by this court that the terms of an order assigning to a particular service can not classify the service actually performed, but that the facts in each case must be considered, and the paramount service performed must determine the basis on which to place the right of pay. It is unnecessary to say that that principle obtains in this case. In other words, in each case the character of the service is a question of fact to be determined by the court. (McGowan v. United States, 36 C. Cls., 63; Leach v. United States, 44 C. Cls., 132; Doyle v. United States, 46 C. Cls., 181.)
The word " temporary " is defined in the Standard Dictionary to mean: "(l)For a short time only; (2) not permanent." We think the service performed by the plaintiff under orders at Philadelphia and Washington comes fairly within both of these definitions. As compared with the length of service at a stated post usually performed by clerks in the Quartermaster's Department, certainly less than five months is a short time. The second definition, however, is the one which is particularly applicable to this case; i. e., a service which is not permanent in character. A service of any kind can only be said to be permanent in character when it is to continue for a definite period of considerable extent, or an indefinite period in the discharge of all the duties generally belonging to such service. To be sure, any service may be terminated unexpectedly the next day after begun, though it was anticipated it would continue for years. On the other hand, a temporary service may continue for some time. The question to be asked is: Is it a fixed, permanent service, or is it to be terminated upon the performance of a particular piece of work? The plaintiff was ordered to Washington and Philadelphia to finish one job only belonging generally to the duties of his office, and the same order provided that when he had finished that job he should proceed to another place, presumably for the discharge there of general duties belonging to his office, as no special duties were designated.
While on duty at either place, if the plaintiff had been asked as to the character of his duties as to time of employ ment, can it be doubted tliat his natural and truthful answer would have been that he was there only temporarily for the performance of one particular piece of work, and when that was finished he was to go to another city for permanent work ?
The reason for the making of the regulation quoted is evident. If an officer is placed on permanent duty in any place he can make such arrangements as will enable him to live more economically and at the same time more comfortably than he can if he is on duty which is temporary only. In the latter case he can not establish a home, but must take up temporary quarters at a hotel, which will generally use up about all of his salary, as was true in the case of the plaintiff.
It follows from the foregoing that the plaintiff is entitled to a judgment for his actual expenses as provided in the Army Regulations quoted, which are found to be $596.75, and judgment in that sum in his favor is ordered.
Howky, J., was not present when this case was heard and took no part in its decision.