Johnson Co. v. United States

13 Ct. Cust. 373, 1926 WL 27971, 1926 CCPA LEXIS 1
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedJanuary 18, 1926
DocketNo. 2559
StatusPublished
Cited by44 cases

This text of 13 Ct. Cust. 373 (Johnson 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
Johnson Co. v. United States, 13 Ct. Cust. 373, 1926 WL 27971, 1926 CCPA LEXIS 1 (ccpa 1926).

Opinion

Geaiiam, Presiding Judge,

delivered tlie opinion of the court:

This is an appeal in a reappraisement matter. H. A. Johnson Co. imported by rail at New York three consignments of blueberry pie stock. This pie stock was manufactured and prepared at [375]*375Mount Stewart, Prince Edward Island, Canada, by a branch house of the importer and was then consigned to the importer at New York. The three consignments involved here comprised about 900 kegs, all of which were delivered to the importer at the railroad terminal at New York. On entry No. 750218 the merchandise was entered at $7.21, on entry No. 750219 at $7,235, and on entry No. 747610 at $7,416, per hundred pounds. The merchandise, in each case, was appraised by the local appraiser at 9 cents per pound. On appeal to a single general appraiser, the appraised value, in each case, was affirmed. On further appeal, the Board of General Appraisers fixed a value of $0.11596 per pound for dutiable purposes.' From that judgment the importer appeals.

On the hearing before the single general appraiser it was stipulated by the parties that there was no foreign and no export value for the merchandise in question, and that the United States value, as fixed by subdivision (d) of section 402, Tariff Act of 1922, was the proper basis. It was further stipulated that the American selling price in New York City of this merchandise, at the time of exportation was 16.5 cents per pound. This selling price was the price made to purchasers in any quantity, wholesale or retail, repacked in containers, delivered to the customers in New York City and its suburbs and in New Jersey. Outside of this territory an additional charge was made for freight.

The importer claimed before the single general appraiser, as allowances from the American selling price to fix United States value, the following items: Freight from Prince Edward Island to New York, $0.00853 a pound; teaming from the railroad freight terminal in New York to importer’s warehouse, $0.00112 per pound; teaming from importer’s'New York warehouse to places of business of customers, $0.00296 a pound; for storage of goods in importer’s New York warehouse, $0.00036 a pound; for containers, $0.01255 a pound; for a profitof8percentum,$0.01223perpound;for duty, $0.02596 a pound; for general expenses in the New York store of importer, $0.02711 a pound. Thus computed, the total allowance would amount to $0.09082 a pound, leaving a United States value of $0.07418 a pound.

The single general appraiser Seems to have fixed his valuation according to the computation of United States Examiner Slavin, whose testimony appears in the record. This witness testified that he took as his initial value, $0,165 per pound, or a total value per keg of an estimated net weight of 140 pounds, of $23.10. This keg he found to be of American manufacture, and hence free of duty. He thereupon deducted $1.80 as the value of the keg, 8 per centum, or $1.58, for profit, 8 per centum, or $1.46 for expenses, $1.16 for freight from place of exportation to the New York railroad terminal, and $4,433^ for [376]*376duty. This gave'him a value of $12.66% for 140 pounds, or 9 cents per pound.

The board took as the basis of its computation $0,165 per pound. It then allowed, as deductions to fix dutiable value, the amounts fixed by the importer as allowances for duty $0.02596, for freight $0.00853, and for containers $0.01255 per pound, or a total deduction of $0.04704 per pound, leaving a United States value of $0.11596 per pound, as heretofore stated.

A stipulation appears in the record, purporting to amend the judgment by substituting $0.10661 per pound for the amount found by the board, namely, $0.11596 per pound, as the dutiable value of the merchandise here. As this stipulation does not appear of record to have been approved by the board, it can not be considered. Such a stipulation of counsel can not have the effect of amending or altering such a judgment. The case before us must therefore be considered upon the dutiable value as found by the board, $0.11596 per pound.

The principal matter involved here is the scope and extent of the jurisdiction of the Board of General Appraisers in reappraisement matters under section 501, Tariff Act of 1922. Appellant claims such jurisdiction is appellate only and that such board exceeded its jurisdiction as an appellate court when it gave to appellee a more favorable judgment than it had before the single general appraiser. On the other hand, the Government contends, and the board so holds, that the proceedings by the board, under said section 501, is a trial de novo, as a result of which any judgment might be entered which the board finds should have been entered by the single general appraiser. This proposition involves an analysis and construction of the section.

Said section 501 is as follows:

501. Reappkaisement. — The decision of the appraiser shall be final and conclusive upon all parties unless a written appeal for a reappraisement is filed with or mailed to the Board of General Appraiser's by the collector within sixty days after the date of the appraiser’s report, or filed by the consignee, or his agent, with the collector within ten days after the date of personal delivery, or if mailed the date of mailing of written notice of appraisement to the consignee, his agent, or his attorney. No such appeal filed by the consignee, or his agent, shall be deemed valid, unless he has complied with all the provisions of this Act relating to the entry and appraisement of such merchandise. Every such appeal shall be transmitted with the entry and the accompanying papers by the collector to the Board of General Appraisers and shall be assigned to one of the general appraisers, who shall ascertain and return the value of the merchandise and shall give reasonable notice to the importer and to the person designated to represent the Government in such proceedings of the time and place of the hearing, at which the parties and their attorneys shall have an opportunity to introduce evidence and to hear and cross-examine the witnesses of the other party and to inspect all samples and all papers admitted or offered as evidence. In finding such value affidavits of persons whose attendance can not reasonably [377]*377be had, price lists, catalogues, reports or depositions of consuls, special agents, collectors, appraisers, assistant appraisers, examiners, and other officers of the Government may be considered. Copies of official documents, when certified by an official duly authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury, may be admitted in evidence with the same force and effect as original documents.
The decision of the general appraiser, after argument on the part of the interested parties ifi requested by them or by either of them, shall be final and conclusive upon all parties unless within ten days from the date of the filing of the decision with the collector an application for its review shall be filed with or mailed to said board by the collector or other person authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury, and a copy of such application mailed to the consignee, or his agent or attorney, or filed by the consignee, or his agent or attorney, with the collector, by whom the same shall be forthwith forwarded to the Board of General Appraisers.

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13 Ct. Cust. 373, 1926 WL 27971, 1926 CCPA LEXIS 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-co-v-united-states-ccpa-1926.