Mutual Supply Co. v. United States

5 Cust. Ct. 614, 1940 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3288
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedDecember 6, 1940
DocketNo. 5062; Entry No. 368
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 5 Cust. Ct. 614 (Mutual Supply Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Customs Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mutual Supply Co. v. United States, 5 Cust. Ct. 614, 1940 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3288 (cusc 1940).

Opinion

Cline, Judge:

This is an appeal for a reappraisement of rubber-soled shoes having cotton uppers, imported from Japan in June 1938. The merchandise is invoiced at 117.60 yen per 10 dozen pairs, packing included. It was entered under duress to meet advances made by the appraiser in other cases at $1.20 per pair for sizes 4, 4%, and 5 and $1,296 per pair for sizes 6 and 7. The appraiser returned the merchandise at the entered value which was considered as the American selling price of a like or similar shoe manufactured in the United States. The appraisement was made under the authority of a proclamation of the President of the United States published in T. D. 46158 in accordance with the provisions of section 336 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

Samples of the domestic shoe upon the basis of which the appraisement was made on the American selling price thereof were introduced in evidence and marked “Collective Exhibit 1” and a sample of the same shoe split lengthwise through the middle was admitted in evidence and marked “Illustrative Exhibit 4”.

Samples of the imported shoe were introduced in evidence and marked “Collective Exhibit 2” and one of the same shoes split lengthwise through the middle was marked “Illustrative Exhibit 3”. Another sample of the same shoe imported by another importer was introduced in evidence and marked “Exhibit 5.”

Counsel for the plaintiff contends that the merchandise should be appraised on the basis of export value under section 402 (d) of the Tariff Act of 1930 rather than at the American selling price of a domestic shoe, and, for the purposes of this case, counsel for the respective parties stipulated in open court that the export value of the imported shoe is the invoice value, packing included, and that no higher foreign value existed at the time of exportation and that, if it be held that the merchandise should be appraised at the American selling price of a domestic shoe, the appraised values represent that American selling price value.

[615]*615In plaintiff's brief, two issues are presented for the court’s consideration, namely:

1. That the President’s proclamation, T. D. 46158, cannot exceed in scope the investigation made by the Tariff Commission and that the involved shoes were not involved in that investigation.
2. That these shoes are not “like or similar” to the domestic shoe on the basis of whose selling price they were appraised.
As these points are not alternative or mutually exclusive, but cumulative, plaintiff’s contention that the appraisement was illegal may be sustained on either or both of the grounds stated.

For the purposes of the case a copy of report No. 63 of the United States Tariff Commission was offered in evidence. An objection to the receipt of this report by counsel for the defendant was taken under advisement and the report was marked “Exhibit 8 for identification.” In view of plaintiff’s first contention above quoted, the report becomes material and it will be received in evidence and marked “Exhibit 8,” with exception granted defendant.

It appears from this exhibit that the United States Tariff Commission investigated the values, both foreign and domestic, of the following kinds of rubber-soled footwear having fabric uppers: Oxfords and sandals, the chief competing country in which was Japan, and lace-to-toe shoes, the chief competing country in which was Czechoslovakia. It also appears that the oxfords and lace-tb-toe shoes were tennis shoes. The Tariff Commission investigated also the value of rubber footwear such as men’s rubbers, women’s gaiters, and boots not involved in this case.

Under the heading “findings of the commission” the shoes having fabric uppers which the commission investigated are described as follows:

6. The bulk of the domestic production and of the imports of rubber-soled footwear consists of (a) low shoes chiefly used for tennis and other sports and designated as oxfords; (b) higher shoes designated as lace-to-toe shoes; and (e) sandals, chiefly for women and misses. There are different grades and styles within each of these three classes. The commission selected for use as the basis of cost comparison representative grades and styles of each class produced in the United States and grades and styles of the product imported from the principal competing countries which were like or similar, respectively, to the domestic. The commission finds that the cost differences on these grades and styles are representative of the cost differences on all rubber-soled footwear made in the United States and in the principal competing countries.

The plaintiff contends tbat since tbe shoes herein involved are not oxfords, sandals, or lace-to-toe shoes but are high shoes used for farm work, they are not involved in the President’s proclamation because the values of such shoes were not investigated by the Tariff Commission and that, insofar as the proclamation covers shoes other than oxfords, sandals, and lace-to-toe shoes, the same is invalid.

[616]*616In support of his contention that this court has the authority to review or construe the President’s proclamation and that such proclamation should be considered by the court as limited to the kind of shoes covered by the investigation, the plaintiff cites Akawo & Co. et al. v. United States, 23 C. C. P. A. 75, T. D. 47737; Feltex Corp. v. Dutchess Hat Works, 21 C. C. P. A. 463, T. D. 46957; and Carl Zeiss, Inc. v. United States, 23 C. C. P. A. 7, T. D. 47654. In the latter case the court said:

The President, although not required by the provisions of section 336, supra, to accept the results or findings reported by the Tariff Commission, is required to limit his consideration of the case to the evidence presented to that body, and to approve the rates of duty and changes in basis of value specified by it, “if in his judgment such rates [and changes in basis of value] are shown by the investigation to be necessary to equalize such differences in costs of production.”

In the case of George S. Bush & Co., Inc. v. United States, 27 C. C. P. A. 64, C. A. D. 64, the court reviewed a report of the Tariff Commission upon the basis of which the President made a proclamation authorizing the assessment of duty on canned clams from Japan at the American selling price of the competing domestic article and held that the proclamation was invalid because the Tariff Commission adopted a wrong principle in determining the value of the imported product for the period adopted for comparison of the value of the imported product with the value of the domestic product. That decision was reversed by the United States Supreme Court, however, when the case was brought before it by writ of certiorari. United States v. George S. Bush & Co., Inc., 310 U. S. 371, T. D. 50159. The court said at page 379:

* * * President’s method of solving the problem was open to scrutiny neither by the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals nor by us. Whatever may be the scope of appellate jurisdiction conferred by section 501 of the Tariff Act of 1930, it certainly does not permit judicial examination of the judgment of the President that the rates of duty recommended by the Commission are necessary to equalize the differences in the domestic and foreign costs of production.

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Bluebook (online)
5 Cust. Ct. 614, 1940 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3288, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mutual-supply-co-v-united-states-cusc-1940.