Clark v. Peaslee

5 F. Cas. 900, 1 Cliff. 545
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Massachusetts
DecidedOctober 15, 1860
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 5 F. Cas. 900 (Clark v. Peaslee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clark v. Peaslee, 5 F. Cas. 900, 1 Cliff. 545 (circtdma 1860).

Opinion

CLIFFORD, Circuit Justice.

Considering the nature of the question, it is evident that it cannot be satisfactorily solved without a careful review of the acts of congress concerning the warehousing of imported goods, and of the principal regulations and circulars of the treasury department upon the subject

Warehousing, as a system, was established in the United States by the act of 6th of August, 1846. 9 Stat. 53. Among other things, the first section provides, that upon the failure or neglect to pay the duties within the period allowed by law, or whenever a warehouse entry shall be made in the prescribed form, the importation “shall be taken possession of by the collector,” and be deposited in “the public stores or in other stores,” to be agreed on by the collector and the importer, owner, or consignee; and by the same section, such stores are required to be secured in the manner provided for by the first section of the act of the 20th of April, 1818, entitled “An act providing for the deposit of wines and distilled spirits in public warehouse.” Such goods are not only required to go into the possession of the collector, and be thus deposited under his control, but they are also required to be kept in the place of deposit at the charge and risk of the owner, importer, or consignee. Goods so deposited are at all times ^subject to the order of the owner, importer, or consignee, upon payment of the proper duties and expenses; but those are required to be secured by a bond to the satisfaction of the collector, in double the amount of the duties. Duties upon ■ such goods are required to be paid within a prescribed period; and in case the goods remained in public store beyond that time, without payment of the duties and charges thereon, they were to be appraised and sold by the collector at public auction, and the proceeds, after deducting the usual rate of storage at the port, with all other charges and expenses, including duties, were to be paid to the owner, importer, or consignee. Whether the merchandise is deposited in the public stores, or in the other stores therein described, there is not one of the provisions here referred to which does not assume that the goods are in the possession and under the control of the collector; and whether deposited in a public or private warehouse, it is clear that the goods cannot be withdrawn for consumption without the payment of the duties; nor for transportation or exportation, except by paying the appropriate expenses. Most of the provisions of the act are general in their phraseology, and doubtless were made so, because the system was new- [904]*904and untried in this country; and they were necessarily framed and passed without the light of experience. Details, for the most part, were apparently avoided, but the fifth section authorized the secretary of the treasury, from time to time, to make such regulations, not inconsistent with the laws of the United States, as might be necessary to give full effect to the provisions of the act, and secure a just accountability under the same. By virtue of the authority conferred under that provision, the secretary of the treasury, on the 17th of February, 1819,' promulgated an extended circular of instructions and forms, in place of those previously issued, with a view to enlarge the benefits of the warehouse system in this country. Treas. Cir. & Dec. (Ogden) p. 118. Those regulations greatly advanced the system by supplying important details, and prescribing the mode in which the system was to be carried into effect.

Some few details, however, were prescribed in the act itself, which must not be overlooked in this investigation. Importations in warehouse were assumed to be in the possession and under the control of the collector, and were to be kept at the charge and risk of the owner, importer, or consignee, and when withdrawn from warehouse, the appropriate expenses were to be paid by such owner, importer, or consignee. “Appropriate expenses” are the words of the act, but the expenses are in no way defined, except by necessary implication, arising from the obligation imposed of keeping the merchandise. Custody and control of' merchandise in warehouse necessarily involve the expense of storage, superintendence, cartage, and,drayage. All of these elements of charge are obviously included in the term “appropriate expenses,” but the amount is not prescribed, and was necessarily left to be ascertained under the regulations of the department.

Moneys derived from that source are recognized by the act of the 3d of March, 1841, as public moneys, and collectors are required to pay the same into the treasury of the United States. 9 Stat. 349; U. S. v. Walker, 22 How. [63 U. S.] 313. Bonded warehouses, under the regulations of the 17th of February, 1849, were divided into three classes: 1. Public stores, or stores owned by the United States, or leased by them prior to the date of the regulations; 2. Stores in the possession and sole occupancy of the importer, and placed under a customs lock and that of the occupant, for the purpose of storing importations of the importer; 3. Similar stores in the occupation of persons desirous of engaging in the business of storing dutiable merchandise. Such classification was not, in terms, required by the act under consideration; but, in view of the explanations already given, it may be assumed that it was fully authorized by the fifth section.

Looking at the details of those regulations, and comparing them with the provisions of the act of the 28th of March, 1834, it will be seen that many of the latter were substantially borrowed from those regulations. Changes, undoubtedly, were made, and some entirely new provisions were enacted; but, in many respects, there is a marked similarity between the old regulations and the new law upon the same subject. All merchandise subject to duty might be warehoused under the act of 6th of August, 1846; but the regulations contained a provision that perishable articles and gunpowder, firecrackers, and other explosive substances, should be sold forthwith, or at the earliest day practicable, which rendered the privilege valueless in respect to all such articles; and the first section of the new law accordingly excluded those articles altogether from the benefit of the system. Other imported goods subject to duty, and which have been duly entered and bonded for warehousing, may be deposited, at the option of the owner, importer, or consignee, at his expense and risk, in any public warehouse owned or leased by the United States, or in the private warehouse of the importer, the same being used exclusively for the storage of warehoused goods of his own importation or to his consignment, or in a private warehouse used by the owner, occupant or lessee, as a general warehouse for the storage of warehoused goods, subject to the express conditions stated in the act, and such as are necessarily to be implied from other provisions. Such selected place of storage must be designated on the warehouse entry at the time of entering the merchandise at the custom-house.

But there are other and more material conditions expressly or impliedly annexed to the option given to the owner, importer, consignee, or agent, which it becomes important to notice. Warehouses for the deposit of imported goods are divided into two classes, public and private; but of the latter class there are two kinds, as already described. Importers, under, that act, can have no option to deposit any importation in a public store unless such a store be owned or under lease by the United States, because one of the main purposes of the act was to discontinue the use of all such stores for warehousing, and to provide for the establishment of private bonded warehouses.

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Bluebook (online)
5 F. Cas. 900, 1 Cliff. 545, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clark-v-peaslee-circtdma-1860.