United States v. Kleberg & Co.

25 C.C.P.A. 142, 1937 CCPA LEXIS 184
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedOctober 25, 1937
DocketNo. 4067
StatusPublished

This text of 25 C.C.P.A. 142 (United States v. Kleberg & Co.) 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. Kleberg & Co., 25 C.C.P.A. 142, 1937 CCPA LEXIS 184 (ccpa 1937).

Opinions

LeNroot, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal involving certain reappraisement proceedings. The merchandise involved consists of thirteen importations of safety ; matches from Austria, seven of which were entered at the port of New York and six at the port of Boston. The importations were made during the years 1929 and 1930 under the Tariff Act of 1922. The matches were manufactured by Aktiengesellschaft “Sirius” vorm. Hermann Wieffenbach of Vienna.

The local appraiser appraised the merchandise on the basis of foreign value under the provisions of section 205 of the Antidumping Act, 1921, hereinafter quoted.

Appraisements under the Tariff Act of 1922 are not involved, the matches being subject to a specific rate of duty of 8 cents per gross of boxes under paragraph 1417 of said act.

On March 23, 1931, the Secretary of the Treasury issued the following finding, T. D. 44718:

Treasury Department, March 23, 1931.
To Collectors of Customs and Others Concerned:
After due investigation in accordance with the provisions of section 201, anti-dumping act, 1921, I find that the industry of manufacturing safety matches of the strike-on-box type in the United States is being and is lilceiy to be injured by reason of the importation into the United States of safety matches of the strike-on-box type from Austria, and that such safety matches of the strike-on-box type have been sold and are likely to be sold in the United States at less than their fair value.
A. W. Mellon,
Secretary of the Treasury.

In his return to the collector the appraiser reported that said finding applied to all of the matches here involved.

Appellees took separate appeals with respect to each of the importations and on December 10, 1934, a hearing was had before Judge McClelland sitting in reappraisement. The cases were tried together and a single record was made. Upon such hearing appellees introduced in evidence certain affidavits which, among other tilings, related to the cost of production of the involved merchandise. No oral testimony was offered by appellees.

[145]*145At the conclusion of the introduction of evidence in behalf of appel-lees the Government moved for a continuance of the cases in order that it might have opportunity to rebut the statements in the affidavits relative to the cost of production of the merchandise. This motion was denied, the trial judge stating that the case had then been eleven times upon the calendar. Thereupon one witness testified on behalf of the Government and certain special agents’ reports were received in evidence.

After the evidence had been taken the Government renewed its motion to continue the cases, and further moved that “the case be transferred to Boston, these being consolidated cases, and six of them being Boston entries.” Both of said motions were denied, whereupon the cases were submitted for decision.

Thereafter, in February 1936, appellees moved to set aside said submission of the cases, and to restore them to the docket for the purpose of introducing further proof.

On February 27, 1936, this motion was granted over the objection of the Government.

On March 10, 1936, the Government moved to set aside the order reopening the cases, which motion was denied on March 18, 1936.

On April 28,1936, further hearing was had before Judge McClelland, at which hearing appellees introduced in evidence, over the objection of the Government, an affidavit of one Carlberg, which was marked Exhibit 7 and reads as follows:

% # * ifc %
I, Stellan Carlberg, residing at von Platensgatan 10, Jónkoping, Sweden, being first duly sworn, depose and say:
That at all times hereinafter mentioned I was a director of the Swedish Match Company, and assistant to its managing director and as such it was among my duties to know, and I am familiar with, the matters hereinafter stated.
That during the calendar years of 1929 and 1930, all of the matches supplied to the Austrian market were produced by the four factories under our control, namely:
(1) “Solo,” Zündwaren- und Chemisette Fabriken Act. Ges. in Vienna,
(2) Aktiengesellschaft “Sirius” vorm. Hermann Weiffenbach in Vienna.
(3) Salzburger Zündwarenfabrik Handler & Pfifferling in Vienna,
(4) “B'ibi” Zünder Gesellschaft m. b. H., Jarolden.
That no matches during these two years were exported from any of the above factories to countries other than the United States without permission of the Swedish Match Company, the said company having complete control over the exportation of matches from the said factories. That this was the policy of the said company by reason of the fact that it had its own agent in each country of the world to which matches could be exported.
That the aforementioned factories during this period were members of an Association known as “Ignis Zündholzchen-Verkaufs-Gesellschaft m. b. H.” and that this Association dealt only in sales for home consumption in Austria, and did not ship for export to other countries.
[146]*146That I was familiar with the activities of Elof Hansson of Gothenburg, Sweden, and that Hansson did not sell or offer for sale any Austrian-made matches to countries other than the United States except under the control of the Swedish Match Company.
That all of the matches that were sent to the United States either direct from Austria or through Elof Hansson were made by Aktiengesellschaft “Sirius” vorm. Hermann Weiffenbach in Vienna, or Salzburger Ziindwarenfabrik Handler & Pfifferling in Vienna.
That during the years 1929 and 1930 it was my business, amongst other things, to supervise the production and sale of matches by the Austrian factories. That the cost of producing the matches sent to the United States was as follows:

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Related

United States v. Sanchez
15 Ct. Cust. 443 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1928)
Happel v. United States
16 Ct. Cust. 161 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1928)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
25 C.C.P.A. 142, 1937 CCPA LEXIS 184, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-kleberg-co-ccpa-1937.