Sudametal Sociedad Anonima Sud Americana De Metales y Minerales v. United States

90 F. Supp. 551, 116 Ct. Cl. 789, 1950 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 117
United States Court of Claims·Decided June 5, 1950·No. No. 46104·Published

Opinions

Whitaker, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

In view of the Supreme Court’s decision of March 27,1950, in the case of United States v. Commodities Trading Corpora[790]*790tion, et al., 389 U. S. 121, the defendant’s motion for a new trial in the instant case must be allowed. In the Commodities case* the Supreme Court held that in the absence of unusual circumstances the ceiling price determined the measure of just compensation for the requisitioning of property,

.In the instant case we allowed plaintiff just compensation based upon 54.79 cents á pound for the 54,180 pounds of tin which defendant requisitioned. However, the ceiling price for tin to be exported was 53 cents a pound. It is, therefore, necessary that the conclusion of law heretofore filed on February 6, 1950, be vacated and withdrawn. In lieu thereof, judgment is now entered for plaintiff in the sum of fourteen thousand three hundred two dollars and eighty-seven cents ($14,302.87), plus an amount to compensate plaintiff for the delay in payment computed on twenty-eight thousand seven hundred fifteen dollars and forty cents ($28,715.40) from September 10,1942, to June 10,1943, at four (4) percent per annum, and plus an additional amount computed at the same rate on fourteen thousand six hundred twenty-eight dollars and sixty cents ($14,628.60) from May 2,1944, until paid. It is so ordered.

Howell, Judge; MaddeN, Judge; LittletoN, Judge; and Jones, Chief Judge, concur.

Findings of Fact and Of inion

" On February 6, 1950, the court made special findings of fact, with an opinion by Judge Whitaker, as set forth below, as follows:

1. Plaintiff was incorporated under and pursuant to the laws of the Republic of Argentina on or about June 6, 1939, and continued to exist as a corporation organized and existing under such laws until at least March 13,1946. Plaintiff’s principal place of business is located in Buenos Aires, Argentina ; it maintained no office in the United States.

2. Under the laws of Argentina, citizens of the United States are accorded the right to prosecute claims against the Government of Argentina in the courts of that country..

3.'-Pursuant to Section 6 of the act of July 2, 1940 (54 Stat. 712) entitled, “An Act to Expedite the Strengthening of [791]*791the National Defense,” the President, by Proclamation No. 2413 issued on July 2,1940, determined that it was necessary in the interest of national defense that various materials, products and machines, including tin and products containing tin, not be exported from the United States except when ...authorized by a license issued by the Secretary of State.

Regulations governing the exportation of such articles were issued by the President the same day, and on May 6, 1941, these regulations were amended to require such a license for the shipment from this country of property here in transit from one foreign country to another.

The above proclamation and regulations were published contemporaneously in the Federal Register.

4. On or about November 15,1941, plaintiff caused 982 slabs of refined Grade A tin to be purchased for its account from Henry Waugh & Company, Ltd., of Singapore, payment to the Waugh Company being made by means of a letter of credit opened for plaintiff with the Swiss Bank Corporation of England. Twenty-seven metric tons of tin were purr chased at a price of £323.15.0 per 1,000 kilos, c. i. f. (cost, insurance, and freight) Buenos Aires, and the balance consisting of 18.7 metric tons at a price of £283.7.1 per 1,000 kilos, also c. i. f. Buenos Aires. These prices were equal to 59.25 cents a pound and 51.86 cents a pound, respectively, or an average price for the entire quantity of tin so purchased of 56.23 cents a pound.1

5. All the tin so purchased was shipped from Singapore to the plaintiff in Buenos Aires, Argentina, via New York City, on the steamer Lillian Luckenbach, The bill of lading dated at Singapore November 15, 1941 and covering the shipment read, “From Singapore to Buenos Aire's Via New York,” and the Lillian Luckenbach would in the normal course of business have unloaded the tin in New York for reshipment to Buenos Aires on another vessel.

6. Because of a marine disaster, this tin was. unloaded from the Lillian Luckenbach at Surabaya, Dutch East Indies. A portion of it, comprising 523 slabs, was subsequently loaded on the steamer Collingsworth, which arrived in the Port of [792]*792New York on May 4, 1942, at which, point she unloaded the 523 slabs of tin weighing a total of 54,180 pounds.

7. This tin remained on the dock where it had been unloaded, from May 4 to June 2 and 3, 1942, on which dates it was delivered to Bowne-Morton Stores; Inc., 611 Smith Street, Brooklyn, New York, for storage under General Order 13292 issued by the United States Customs Service. This action was taken pursuant to Section 490 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U. S. C. 1490) due to the failure of the owner to make any entry of it. Such entry could be an entry for consumption, an entry for reexport, etc. While material was so stored under general order, the owner retained the same rights with respect to it as he possessed while it was lying on the pier,-that is, he could enter' it for consumption upon paying the appropriate duties, could enter it for reexport, etc. The only difference was that, if no affirmative action to enter the goods should be taken by the owner for a period of one year, the statute (19 U. S. C. 1491) provided for the sale of such merchandise, the proceeds being applied in payment of the duties and storage charges.

■. 8. Shortly after this tin was unloaded from the Collings-worth,- plaintiff requested the assistance of the New York Trust Company in securing its reexportation to Argentina. That company attempted to make an intransit entry of the tin through Customs, to permit its movement from one pier to another for reexportation, and then learned that an export license would be required before the tin could be shipped to Argentina.

Plaintiff then sought the assistance of Mercantile Metal and Ore Corporation, import and export merchants in New York City. That company, on plaintiff’s behalf, filed two separate applications for export license to Argentina for portions of this tin, one on August 18 and the other on August 31, 1942. Each of these applications covered 22,000 pounds, or a total of 44,000 pounds out of the 54,180 pounds here involved. Each of these applications was rejected on the ground that the proposed exportation would be contrary to the interest of the national defense.

9. On or about September 10, 1942, the defendant, acting through the Navy Department under and pursuant to Navy [793]*793Requisition No. 70, requisitioned and took possession of the 523 slabs of tin weighing 54,180 pounds, being then in storage at Bowne-Morton Stores, Inc. Thereafter and on or about September 18, 1942, this tin was released from the bonded warehouse and entered through Customs by defendant.

10.

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Sudametal Sociedad Anonima Sud Americana De Metales y Minerales v. United States, 90 F. Supp. 551, 116 Ct. Cl. 789, 1950 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 117 (cc 1950).

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