United States v. Rider

261 U.S. 363, 43 S. Ct. 382, 67 L. Ed. 698, 1923 U.S. LEXIS 2566, 58 Ct. Cl. 705
Supreme Court of the United States·Decided March 19, 1923·No. 510·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

*364 Mr. Chief Justice Taft

delivered the opinion of the Court.

Nelson W. Rider, the plaintiff below, was a first class private in the Aviation Section of the Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps from the date of his enlistment, November-22, 1917, until September 13, 1918, when he accepted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in Air Service Aeronautics. His suit is for pay additional to 'that received by him. while he was a first class private. He asked in his petition for a judgment for $381.42. . The Court of Claims gave him judgment for $326.22. He was paid from February 9, 1913, until June 30, 1918, at the rate of $100 a month, from July l'to September 13, 1918, at the rate of $49.50. a month, i. e., $33.00 as base pay and $16.50 as additional pay for flight duty. He began flight duty on May 12, 1918. Rider claims first $100 . a month down to September 13, 1918, when he became an officer, .second, fifty per cent., of that sum in addition while on flight duty from May 12, 1918, until September 13, and, third, $6.00 additional pay per month from February 9 to September 13, and fifty per cent, of that in addition on flight duty from May 12 to Septeniber 13. This third claim was disallowed by the Court of Claims and as Rider has taken no appeal from this ruling', we need not consider it.

On the peace establishment first class privates of the Signal Corps received $18.00 a month. Act of May .11, 1908, 35 Stat. 109. This wa,s increased when we entered the war so as to make the pay $33.00. Act of May 18, 1917, 40 Stat. 82. The Aviation Section of.the Army was established as a branch of the Signal Corps by the Act of July 18,1914, 38 Stat. 514, 516, and by its terms the officer in command could instruct twelve enlisted men in the art ■of flying but no enlisted man could be assigned to duty as a flyer .against his will-except in time of .war, and while on ..flight duty he was to receive an'increase of fifty per *365 centum in his pay. This increased the pay of enlisted men on. flight duty at that time from $18.00 to $27.00 monthly, and when we entered the war in 1917 from $33.00 to $49.50. By the National Defense Act of June 3, 1916, 39 Stat. 166, 174, 175, the Secretary of War under the provisions for the Signal Corps .was authorized to cause as many enlisted men to be instructed in the art of flying as he deemed necessary.

To understand how the pay of the plaintiff herein became $100 a month as an enlisted man, we must revert to the history of the training camps. In 1915, the War Department, responding to a popular agitation for preparedness, on its own initiative and without legislative authority organized training camps where civilians were given military instruction. Those who attended were required to pay transportation and subsistence, to buy their uniforms and to serve without pay. Legislative authority was given for these camps in § 54 of the National Defense Act of June 3, 1916, 39lStat. 194. This provided transportation, uniforms- and subsistence but no pay. The Army Appropriation Act of August 29, 1916, 39 Stat. 648,. gave funds for future camps. for the fiscal year 1917 and authorized reimbursement for transportation and subsistence to persons who had attended camps prior to the Act of June 3, 1916. (See 23 Comp. Dec. 217.) Such was the state of legislation when the,war began, April 6, 1917. At this time, civilians and enlisted men of the Regular Army and of the National Guard in federal service were being sent to training camps to become officers. The civilians received no pay. The enlisted men received the pay of their respective grades. By the Appropriation Act of May 12, 1917, 40 Stat. 69, 70, an appropriation of more than three millions of dollars was made to enable the Secretary of. War to pay to civilians designated by him for training as. officers not exceeding $100, a month as pay, provided they--would, agree .to *366 accept appointment in the Officers Reserve Corps in such grade as might be tendered.

In the Act of June 16, 1917, 40 Stat. 138, there was, under the heading of “ enlisted men of the line ” the following:

. “For pay of enlisted men of all grades, including recruits, and pay at $100 per month for enlisted men in training for officers of the Reserve Corps, $226,882,560.”

This, as said, was a deficiency appropriation and therefore did not authorize' pay at the rate of $100 beyond June 30, 1918. It was obviously passed to put enlisted men on a level with civilians going through the same training for commissions in the Reserve Corps. -

The training camps for officers to which this appropriation then applied had been established by War Department Special Regulations No. 49, and included only training for commissions .in the Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery. Training schools for the Aviation Section were not included within those' regulations. In such schools, satisfactory students were recommended for commissions by the Chief Signal Officer but they were not embraced under No. 49 and were likely not to be paid the $.100 a month provided by the Act of June 15, 1917. The Chief Signal Officer and the Adjutant General brought this discrimination to the attention-of the Secretary of War (26 Comp. Dec. 117) who then directed by order of July 13,, 1917, that enlisted men of the Signal Enlisted Reserve •Corps admitted to the Signal Corps Aviation Schools, should be considered as designated for training as officers óf the Army and put on the same footing as to pay and allowances as enlisted men detailed to training, camps for commissions in the Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery.

After we had been a year in the war, and a draft act had been ¿passed, no further necessity éxisted for inducement to civilians to train as officers, and no further provision after June 30, 1918, was made for pay to them. *367 Training camps were continued until November 11, 1918, but the appropriations for them were only for arms and ordnance equipment. Army Appropriation Act, July 9, 1918, 40 Stat. 876.

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United States v. Rider, 261 U.S. 363, 43 S. Ct. 382, 67 L. Ed. 698, 1923 U.S. LEXIS 2566, 58 Ct. Cl. 705 (1923).

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