D. C. Andrews & Co. v. United States

29 C.C.P.A. 131, 1941 CCPA LEXIS 157
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedNovember 3, 1941
DocketNo. 4351
StatusPublished

This text of 29 C.C.P.A. 131 (D. C. Andrews & Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
D. C. Andrews & Co. v. United States, 29 C.C.P.A. 131, 1941 CCPA LEXIS 157 (ccpa 1941).

Opinion

Hatfield, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a judgment of the United States Customs Court, Second Division, dismissing appellant’s protest against the exaction by the collector at the port of Boston, Mass., of certain duties on imported “Linen Gilling Twine.”

In its decision, the trial court, in an opinion by Kincheloe, Judge, Tilson, Judge, dissenting, held that the proper dutiable value of the imported merchandise was the only issue attempted to be raised by the importer’s protest, and that that issue could only be raised by an appeal for reappraisement in accordance with the provisions of section 501 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

It appears from the record that the involved merchandise, which consists of “No. 3 Linen Gilling Twine S. G.” and “No. 3 Linen Gill-ing Twine Green,” was erroneously described on the original consular invoice as “No. 1 Linen Gilling Twine S. G.” and “No. 1 Linen Gilling Twine Green,” and, as so described, was entered for consumption by the importer (appellant); that, subsequent to the importation and entry of the involved merchandise, the manufacturer and exporter discovered the error and, in order to rectify it, submitted a corrected consular invoice properly describing the merchandise and stating its values, which values were less than the values of the merchandise described on the original consular invoice and the importer’s consumption entry.

[133]*133The corrected consular invoice, dated November 13, 1936, was mailed by the American Consul General of Belfast, Northern Ireland, to the Collector of Customs at the port of Boston, Mass., on November 18, 1936. In the Consul General’s letter of transmittal it is stated:

There is enclosed herewith the triplicate copy of invoice No. 6230, certified November 13, 1936, and replacing invoice No. 5886, certified October 30, 1936; both documents covering a shipment of linen gilling twine, from The Ulster Spinning Co., Ltd., Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Ashaway Line & Twine Mfg., Co., Ashaway, R. I.
This “replace” invoice was issued at the request of the exporters who stated that in the original invoice set the goods were wrongly ticketed. The tickets should have been No. 3 quality, at the price of 59d for S. G. and 65d for Green, instead of No 1 quality at 90d for S. G. and 96d for Green.

It further appears from the record that on November 30, 1936, the corrected consular invoice and the Consul General’s letter of transmittal were forwarded by the .collector at the port of Boston to the appraiser at that port. The collector’s note of transmittal to the appraiser, bearing an illegible signature, reads as follows: “To the Appraiser: Attached triplicate invoice and letter are inclosed for your information. Please return the same after they have served their purpose.” Stamped on the collector’s note of transmittal is the following notation: “Office of U. S. Appraiser, Received Nov. 30, 1936, Boston, Mass.”

It appears from the “summary or entered value, examination, and appraisement” that the'merchandise described on the original consular invoice and the importer’s consumption entry came under the observation of the appraiser and was appraised at its .entered values on November 18, 1936. Thereafter, on March 16, 1937, the collector liquidated the entry and assessed the merchandise with duty at 35 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 1004 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in accordance with the entered and appraised values.

On March 18, 1937, the importer filed a protest against the collector’s liquidation, wherein it was stated, inter alia:

This shipment was entered in accordance with the description and prices shown on Belfast Ireland Consular Invoice #5886 dated October 30, 1936. This invoice described the contents as No. 1 Linen Gilling Twine and the price was based on that type of twine, which figured £953-9-0 for the entered value.
Information has been received since the above mentioned entry was filed, that the shippers erroneously described this shipment as No. 1, and it actually consists of No. 3 Linen Gilling Twine which is a lower priced twine. Corrected Consular Invoice No. 6230, dated at Belfast on November 13, 1936 has been received from the shipper, to substantiate the error, and by using the figures shown on this corrected invoice the entered value would figure £631-11-4.
We therefore protest the assessment of duty based on the original entered value of £953-9-0, as the twine entered under this entry was not of the No. 1 quality as invoiced, but was of the No. 3 quality as invoiced on the corrected invoice No. 6230 dated at Belfast on November 13, 1936.

[134]*134In the appraiser’s answer to the protest, dated May 1, 1937, appears, among other things, the following:

Invoice Nos. Belfast 6886. Belfast 6280 {replace).
Entry No. 6601/1.
Dato: 11-10-36.
The merchandise subject of protest consists of linen yam. The importer claims that instead of quality No. 1 as invoiced, quality No. 3 was received. Numerous and careful tests as to tensile strength of both qualities have been made indicating that the importer’s claim is correct. Values of No. 3 are as follows: S. G. 59d per pound; green 65d per pound.
No samples retained. [Italics not quoted.]

On the trial below, C. J. Ladau, called as a witness for the importer, stated that he was a former examiner of merchandise at the port of Boston; that he had received “a corrected or replace invoice from the collector in connection with” his re-examination of the involved merchandise; that he determined from such re-examination that the involved merchandise was incorrectly described on the original consular invoice and the importer’s consumption entry, but was correctly described on the corrected consular invoice as “No. 3 Linen Gilling Twine S. G.” and “No. 3 Linen Gilling Twine Green”; that the value of the No. 3 S. G. type was 59 pence per pound, and the value of the No. 3 green type was 65 pence per pound; that, as it was the customary thing to do, he presumed that he had reported his findings to the collector; and that he had told the witness Ransom Woodall, who was employed by, or was in some way connected with, D. C. Andrews & Co., customs brokers, (appellant), that he had made a report to the collector calling attention to the facts hereinbefore stated and that “everything would be all right.”

Patrick J. Rooney, called as a witness by the importer, testified that he was a liquidator in the collector’s office at the port of Boston; that he liquidated the involved entry; that at the time of such liquidation he did not have before him the corrected consular invoice nor any report of the appraiser regarding the facts hereinbefore set forth; that if he had had such documents before him at the time of liquidation he “would have referred all the papers to the entry division for a new entry”; and that upon the presentation of a new entry, properly describing the merchandise and its values, the involved entry would have been canceled and the estimated duties paid thereon refunded in accordance with article 826 of the Customs Regulations, 1931.

Article 826, so far as pertinent, reads:

Art. 826.

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Bluebook (online)
29 C.C.P.A. 131, 1941 CCPA LEXIS 157, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/d-c-andrews-co-v-united-states-ccpa-1941.