Opinion ID: 2083527
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Construction of R.S. 38:23-1:

Text: It is contended by the defendant that the military duty performed by the plaintiff during his leave of absence did not constitute field training within the purview of R.S. 38:23-1, supra. The plaintiff contends that this argument may not be advanced on this appeal because certification was not sought by defendant and granted by this court in that connection. The plaintiff's contention in this regard is without merit. Compare Frank v. Frank, 7 N.J. 225, 234-235 (1951). On the merits of this question we agree with the defendant, and accordingly we hold that R.S. 38:23-1, supra, must be construed to intend by field training only that training which consists of participation in unit training in field operations. The specification of who shall benefit and under what conditions is a legislative function and we should not construe statutes any more broadly nor give them any greater effect than their language requires. Adams v. Atlantic City, 137 N.J.L. 648, 652 ( E. & A. 1948). The military definition of field is a place where a battle is fought, and of field training is the theoretical and practical training of troops for service against an enemy. (Emphasis supplied.) Webster's New International Dictionary (1947), at pp. 940, 942. Troops means soldiers collectively; an armed force. Id., at p. 2720. And the word troops as used in statutes has been so construed. Southern Pac. Co. v. U.S., 285 U.S. 240, 76 L.Ed. 736 (1932); United States v. Union Pac. R. Co., 249 U.S. 354, 63 L.Ed. 643 (1919). We would be remiss if we were not to demonstrate the fact that our interpretation of this statute ( R.S. 38:23-1) is declarative of the legislative intent. The inquiry in a matter of statutory construction is to make such a determination, and in so doing it is necessary to ascertain the old law, the mischief therein and the remedy proposed in the legislation under consideration. Grobart v. Grobart, 5 N.J. 161, 166 (1950); Blackman v. Iles, 4 N.J. 82, 89 (1950). In addition in the present case we are under a constitutional mandate to construe the statute in question, which concerns municipal corporations, liberally in favor of those municipal corporations, N.J. Const. 1947, Art. IV, Sec. VII, par. 11. Liberal construction does not connote an extension of the boundaries delineated by the terms as commonly used, unless the context of legislative expression clearly discloses a special usage. Alex. Hamilton Hotel Corp. v. Board of Review, 127 N.J.L. 184, 187 ( Sup. Ct. 1941). Departure from the literal import of the terms employed by the Legislature to declare its intent is warranted only to effectuate that intention which is evident from a view of the whole law and other laws in pari materia. Singer Sewing, &c., Co. v. N.J. Unemployment, &c., 128 N.J.L. 611, 616, 617 ( Sup. Ct. 1942), affirmed per curiam 130 N.J.L. 173 ( E. & A. 1943). Statutes in pari materia are construed together so as to effectuate general legislative policy; every word must be given full force and effect if possible; Jersey City v. Dept. of Civil Service, 7 N.J. 509, 522 (1951). And the true meaning of any word, clause or provision of a statute is that which best comports with the subject and general object of the statute. Central R.R. Co. of N.J. v. Division of Tax Appeals, 8 N.J. 15, 28 (1951). The statute here in question, R.S. 38:23-1, was enacted as L. 1931, c. 347, secs. 1 and 2. It provides in effect that any member of the military or naval reserves of the United States shall be entitled to leave without loss of pay, in addition to regular vacation, on all days on which he shall be engaged in field training. Prior to this enactment, there existed a statute (which is still in effect), L. 1918, c. 16, sec. 1, now R.S. 38:23-3, which granted discretionary authority to a municipality to pay in whole or in part the salaries or compensation of its employees during the time they are engaged in a branch of the military or naval service of the national government or of this state provided that no greater portion of the salary or compensation of a commissioned officer shall be paid to him under this section than will when added to his salary as such commissioned officer equal the amount paid to him by the municipality before he entered the military or naval service. It is readily to be seen that the 1918 statute applied to all types of military or naval service and provided only permissive payment of civilian compensation and limited reserve commissioned officers to the receipt of such part of their civilian compensation as constituted the difference between their civilian pay (if greater than the military) and their military pay. There also was in existence at the time of the enactment of L. 1931, c. 347 (now R.S. 38:23-1), supra, another statute, namely L. 1918, c. 151, secs. 1 and 2, now R.S. 40:46-11. This law provided that every officer or employee not holding his office for a fixed term or period, upon entering the military or naval service of the United States shall be granted leave of absence until such time as he shall be honorably discharged from such service    with or without pay as provided by law. An examination of the 1918 legislation, ante, shows that whether a reserve officer was ordered to training duty without his consent or voluntarily applied therefor, the payment of civilian compensation to him was discretionary. Under 39 Stat. 189, sec. 37 a (1916), as amended 41 Stat. 776 (1920), 10 U.S.C.A., sec. 369, a congressional enactment that has been in effect since 1920, the President may order reserve officers to active duty at any time, other than during the existence of a national emergency expressly declared by Congress, for no more than 15 days in any calendar year without his express consent. This is an indication of the apparent desire of the Legislature in enacting the 1931 statute, now undergoing examination by us, namely to provide encouragement for public employees to maintain active reserve commissions by providing that their compensation should continue in full while they were on field training duty with the armed forces of the United States. The point next to be demonstrated is the extent to which the Legislature designed its expression to operate. The statute shows no confinement to a period of days or months; the only limitation enacted is that the military or naval service be that involved in field training; as we have illustrated, this term has a definite military meaning, and the only further question presented therefore is whether the Legislature intended it so to be applied. The statutory expressions in that connection relate primarily to national guard activities, but clearly indicate the common legislative understanding of the term field training. For instance R.S. 38:6-3 ( L. 1932, c. 148, sec. 1) recognizes a distinction between armory drill and field training; R.S. 38:3-38 ( L. 1937, c. 49, art. 9, sec. 2) provides that members of the inactive National Guard may be required to attend field training but provides for no other compulsory military service; R.S. 38:12-4 ( L. 1937, c. 49, art. 13, sec. 4) relating to National Guard, Naval Militia and New Jersey Guard, provides for the granting of leave of absence without loss of pay to state and municipal employees who are members of those services while engaged in field training or other duty ordered by the governor (emphasis supplied), clearly indicative of a legislative understanding of the difference between field training and other military or naval duty, and R.S. 38:12-5 provides for such compensation to be paid to such persons, while on active service with the Army or Navy of the United States or any other organization affiliated therewith, as will equal the loss otherwise suffered by reason of such active service, indicating a distinction between the field training (or other duty ordered by the Governor) designation of R.S. 38:12-4, supra, and other active service. The congressional enactments likewise clearly indicate a distinction between field training and other forms of service. See for example 40 Stat. 72 (1917), as amended 61 Stat. 238 (1947), 10 U.S.C.A., sec. 371, in existence since 1917 which provides for leave of absence without loss of pay for District of Columbia employees when ordered to duty with troops or at field exercises, or for instruction; 39 Stat. 207 (1916), as amended 42 Stat. 1035 (1922), 32 U.S.C.A., sec. 65, in effect since 1922 (later amended 44 Stat. 674 (1926) and 61 Stat. 501 (1947), in other respects) which makes provision for National Guard members to attend and pursue a regular course of study at any military service school of the United States    during a period of field training or other outdoor exercises; i.e., such personnel are given the privilege of attending service schools while they are engaged in field training (or other outdoor exercises) although the Congress clearly made a distinction between the two types of training; 39 Stat. 206 (1916), as amended 43 Stat. 363 (1924), 32 U.S.C.A., sec. 62, existing (as amended) since 1924, provided (in 1931  this enactment has also undergone subsequent amendments, 54 Stat. 1135 (1940), 61 Stat. 501 (1947) and 62 Stat. 90 (1948) in various particulars) for company, troop and other military or naval unit instruction, requiring participation in encampments, maneuvers, or other exercises, including outdoor target practice, at least fifteen days in training each year, and 39 Stat. 206 (1916), 32 U.S.C.A., sec. 63, a portion of a 1916 act still in effect, related such encampments, maneuvers or other exercises to field or coast-defense instruction. Also 39 Stat. 207 (1916), 32 U.S.C.A., sec. 64, another portion of the above 1916 act, provided (and as amended in 1926, 44 Stat. 674, and 1947, 61 Stat. 501, still provides) for assemblages of officers and men of the National Guard for the purpose of attending service schools; 39 Stat. 207 (1916), 32 U.S.C.A., sec. 145 (as amended in 1926, 44 Stat. 674) provides that officers of the National Guard attending assemblages under section 64 shall be entitled to pay and allowances, etc., at the same rates as for encampments or maneuvers for field or coast-defense instruction. These references to state and federal legislation are not exhaustive. They serve, however, to illustrate the clear distinction, made in both realms of legislative effort between field training or instruction and other types of military or naval duty, service or instruction. There is no doubt that the Legislature of this State had this distinction in mind when L. 1931, c. 347, secs. 1, 2, now R.S. 38:23-1, was enacted and while we may not be certain as to the motivation of the Legislature in applying that distinction, it is probable that at least one consideration was that the organized units of the National Guard and other reserve forces are those primarily to be considered as necessary to the defense of the State, ready to fight on very short notice and required by law to undergo field training, i.e., training for battle as a unit, without the consent of the individual serviceman to support or prepare for that defensive effort. The maintenance of the armed military units, trained and always prepared for immediate commitment to organized defensive battle directly (as infantry and mechanized combat units, including air squadrons and marine or naval battalions) or in support (such as artillery and anti-aircraft battalions and the like) is of great public importance. This may have been a reason for the legislative classification; it may also be that the Legislature concluded the mandatory payment of civilian compensation was not justified in cases where individuals could select active duty training for extended periods of time, that duty providing a less direct, though just as commendable, a public benefit to the State.