United States v. Hannevig

10 Ct. Cust. 124, 1920 WL 19929, 1920 CCPA LEXIS 30
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedApril 13, 1920
DocketNo. 2003
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 10 Ct. Cust. 124 (United States v. Hannevig) 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
United States v. Hannevig, 10 Ct. Cust. 124, 1920 WL 19929, 1920 CCPA LEXIS 30 (ccpa 1920).

Opinion

Barber, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

There are five protests in this case, each covering an importation and entry made at a different time than any of the others but all made during August, September, and October, 1916, and March of 1917 by a customs broker. The goods came from Sweden, are the product of a manufacturing concern there known as the Bolinder Co., and were brought here by four different vessels. Some of the importations came directly to Baltimore, some came through the port of New York, from which they were shipped in bond to Baltimore, where all were entered. , As to each importation proper application was seasonably made for entry free of duty under subsection 5 .of paragraph J of' Section IV of the act of 1913 and the Treasury Regulations. promulgated under the authority thereof. Each was separately classified and assessed as manufactures of metal under paragraph 167. They are claimed to be entitled to free entry under the mentioned subsection.

At the hearing of the protests before the board, the Government seasonably moved to dismiss them upon the ground that they were filed in the name of a person who did not appear anywhere in the record to be the owner, consignee, importer, or agent of the merchandise. The board without objection received evidence as to the relation sustained to the importations by the protestant here,. Christoffer Hannevig, and in its decision denying the motion said:

We think from the evidence on the point that the protestant has sufficient interest. to entitle him to file a protest under the requirements of the statute governing the-filing of a protest.

This evidence was in substance as follows: The personal secretary of Hannevig was called by the importer and testified that he handled all of Hannevig’s personal affairs, that he was familiar with the-transaction evidenced by one of the protests, the invoice accompanying which was shown him. He said that the protestant purchased the property covered thereby in Sweden and that he owned it when it arrived here. It was conceded by the Government that the witness would testify as to the other protests the same as he did to the particular one called to his attention, and we so assume. The witness-also testified that Hannevig paid the duty on the importations and that he was in London at the time of the hearing before the board.

Without discussion, it seems to us that this evidence, which was not disputed, sustains the decision of the board on the Government’s motion to dismiss.

Each of these several importations consists of interchangeable standardized parts of oil-burning marine engines used for propelling ships. No one importation included all the parts of one engine [127]*127except the one covered, by protest 930545, which contained all such parts and also other parts that were used in putting up two other engines. Protest 930544 relates to an entry which covered spare parts only. These two protests will be later referred to, but the discussion immediately following relates only to the three remaining protests.

There were built in 1916 and 1917 at the yard of the Baltimore Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co., at Baltimore, four vessels, viz, the Pennant, the Brammell Point, the Charles Brady, and another ship unnamed. The importations were put together and, in connection with other standardized interchangeable parts the subject of some eight or more other importations and entries, became complete engines on the hulls of the above-named vessels. We understand some of these other entries became the subject of protest and some did not.

The collector upon the inspection of all the entries, both those before us and those that are not, in connection with the reports of a special agent that nine complete engines had been installed on the mentioned vessels, regarded all the importations as constituting nine complete engines and assessed them as already appears.

The Government asks us to infer that these engines had been assembled abroad and then shipped in what is known as a “knockdown” condition. There is no evidence to that effect. The witnesses who were asked about it said they did not know and nothing of record warrants such inference.

It may also be said at the outset that there is nothing in the case that indicates and it is not claimed that there was any fraud or deception practiced or attempted in these importations.

Upon this state of facts the Government contends that—

1. The merchandise as imported constituted parts of entireties, viz, engines, and was dutiable as such.

2. The importations were not of materials necessary for the building of the machinery of vessels, but were articles of metal partly or wholly manufactured.

The importer contends that each importation shall be treated separately and regarded as materials necessary for the building of the machinery of vessels within said subsection 5 of paragraph J, the material part of which we insert here:

That all materials of foreign production which may be necessary for the construction of naval vessels * * * and all such materials necessary for the building of their machinery, and all articles necessary for their outfit and equipment may be imported in bond under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe; and upon proof that such materials have been used for such purposes no duties shall be paid thereon.

Upon the proposition that the importations were entireties, the Government largely relies upon the decision of the Supreme Court in [128]*128Isaacs v. Jonas (148 U. S., 648). In that case tbe merchandise was '25 cases of cigarette papers and 23 cases of pasteboard covers for the cigarette papers imported by the same person, the paper at the port of New Orleans and the covers at the port of New York and then in bond to the port of New Orleans, where they were simultaneously entered for withdrawal for consumption. The further facts as stated , by the court in its opinion were:

The importation, of cigarette paper consisted of packages of separate pieces of a paper ■made of a peculiar material and by a special process, suitable to be used as wrappers •for cigarettes, cut into the proper size, and separated into divisions of about 250 pieces by the interposition of pieces of paper of the same size and of different color. The •other importation consisted of pasteboard covers of corresponding size, to be used with ■the paper in making cigarette books, by brushing one edge of each subdivision of the paper with paste or other adhesive substance, and then cementing the paper into the •covers, from which the leaves are torn by the smoker as desired, and then the cover .{which is useful only to protect the papers) is thrown away. The plaintiff by arrangement with the foreign manufacturers of this paper, was the sole importer thereof ■into the United States; his intention and motive in importing it were to make it up into cigarette books; and that was the only form in which such paper had been sold at ■retail. A large part of this importation was so made up into books by the plaintiff,.at an expense of about $400 for the hire of workmen; but a part of it, as imported, was .sold directly to manufacturers of cigarettes.

Tbe question was wbetber upon those facts the cigarette paper ■and the pasteboard covers were “manufactures of paper” or “smokers’ articles.”

The court summed up its conclusions in the following language:

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Bluebook (online)
10 Ct. Cust. 124, 1920 WL 19929, 1920 CCPA LEXIS 30, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-hannevig-ccpa-1920.