United States v. Pacific Coast Feather Co.

40 C.C.P.A. 141
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedFebruary 6, 1953
DocketNo. 4730
StatusPublished

This text of 40 C.C.P.A. 141 (United States v. Pacific Coast Feather 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. Pacific Coast Feather Co., 40 C.C.P.A. 141 (ccpa 1953).

Opinion

Jaceson, Judge,

delivered tbe opinion of the court:'

The Government has appealed from a judgment of the United States Customs Court, Third Division, pursuant to its decision, Abstract 56194, granting the petition of appellee for a remission of additional duties filed under section 489 of the Tariff Act of 1930. Additional duties had been assessed because of an undervaluation of an importation of duck and goose feathers from Shanghai, China, which was entered at the port of Seattle, Washington.

Entry of the imported merchandise was made April 7, 1949, at a valuation of 31 cents per pound for duck feathers and 48 cents per pound for goose feathers. The goods were appraised at the values of 42 cents per pound for duck feathers and 61 cents per pound for goose feathers.

The entered values corresponded to those appearing on a commercial invoice and prior to entry, Geo. S. Bush & Co., Inc., broker for ap-pellee, showed that invoice to the examiner of customs together with a “submission sheet.” The sheet requests information from the appraiser prior to entry with respect to the value of the merchandise to [142]*142be entered. It appears tbat the customs officials reported they had no current information concerning such merchandise. Appellee produced four witnesses on its behalf and one witness appeared for the ■Government. Several exhibits were also introduced in evidence.

The duck and goose feathers were exported by Liebermann, Waelchli & Co. of Shanghai. Prior to the order of the involved merchandise, appellee had in its possession a price list of the exporter and after exchanges of cablegrams, it was agreed that the prices to be paid for the feathers were 42 cents per pound for the duck feathers and 61 cents per pound for the goose feathers.

On February 3, 1949, appellee sent a cablegram to the shipper for a trial order of both types of feathers at 40 cents and 60 cents per pound, respectively. The exporter counter-offered to sell at 42 cents and 63 cents per pound, respectively. Under date of February 8, 1949, appellee sent a cablegram to the shipper offering to pay 40 cents per pound for the duck feathers and 60 cents per pound for the goose feathers. A cablegram of February 9, 1949, from the shipper to ap-pellee was received in which the best prices quoted were 42 cents and 61 cents per pound, respectively. Under date of February 10, 1949, appellee sent a cablegram to the shipper agreeing to pay 42 cents and 61 cents per pound, respectively, for the feathers and requesting an early shipment thereof. Under date of February 13, 1949, appellee cabled the shipper requesting an increase in the size of the order and requesting shipping date advice. The shipper notified appellee that five extra bales would be shipped at the price of 63 cents per pound and requested appellee for confirmation. Appellee confirmed the sale of the extra five bales at 63 cents per pound and requested a new “placement report” for a letter of credit.

In a letter dated February 12, 1949, from the exporter to appellee, the recent cable exchange between them was confirmed in which grey duck feathers had been ordered at 42 cents per pound and white goose feathers at 61 cents per pound to be shipped in February and March, 1949. Enclosed was a “placement report” for $2,317.50 and a request was made in the letter that upon its receipt appellee open by air mail a letter of credit for payment f. o. b. Shanghai at 31 cents per pound for the duck feathers and 48 cents per pound for the goose feathers. The following statement appears in the letter:

No mention of consular invoice is to be made on the Letter of Credit. Same will be sent separately.
The difference between the amount drawn through the bank and the actual amount of order will have to be paid in the States. We will advise you in due course where to pay in the difference which will amount to approximately $400.00.

Attached to that letter which appeared as an exhibit are the exporter’s “Placement Report” 1617, in which the prices for the goods are shown at 42 cents and 61 cents, respectively, and another “Placement [143]*143Report” 1617-R, in which, the prices are set forth at 31 cents and 48 cents per pound, respectively.

Under date of March 10, 1949, the exporter wrote to appellee advising that ten bales of Nanking white goose feathers and five bales of Nanking grey duck feathers had been shipped. Attached to that letter was a consular invoice in duplicate and the two commercial invoices heretofore mentioned, one for $3,372.33 and another in the sum of $2,794.48. The shipper notified appellee that they had drawn a sight draft under a letter of credit in the sum of $2,794.48 and stated that the balance of the purchase price $577.84 should be paid by check to the New York office of the exporter.

On March 17 appellee sent a letter to its customs broker informing it that appellee expected a shipment from Liebermann, Waelchli & Co. and assumed it would arrive sometime in April. Attached to that letter was the invoice containing the lower price of the goods and two bills of lading covering the shipment.

The goods were entered on April 7, 1949, accompanied by the commercial invoice which showed the price of the duck and goose feathers to be 31 cents and 48 cents per pound, respectively.

On April 12, 1949, the broker sent a letter to appellee in which the following was stated:

This is to remind you that we gave bond to produce Consular Invoice covering the 15 bales [of] feathers, which we have just cleared ex the OCEAN MAIL. Will you kindly let us have this as soon as received.

Under date of April 15 the New York office of the exporter sent a, letter to appellee in which it was stated that their Shanghai office had advised the New York office of the shipment. That letter contained the following:

We have also been advised that we are to receive from your office an additional payment $577.85 covering the difference between the invoice price and the actual selling price.

Appellee paid the sum as requested to the New York office of the shipper.

Some time subsequent to the events hereinbefore related the customs examiner sent a note to the customs brokerage firm requesting that they furnish the appraiser with all copies of cables which were referred to in the pro forma invoice and the shipper’s cables to appellee together with any other information having a bearing on the market value of Chinese feathers.

That request must have been shortly prior to May 5, 1949, which is the date of the letter from the customs broker to appellee in which appears:

On the invoice filed with this Entry, references were made to various cables and reports. The Customs Examiner has asked us to furnish him with all cables [144]*144referred to in this invoice together with any other information bearing on the market value of Chinese feathers. * * *

The letter then went on to supply the dates of the various cables and placement reports and ended up by stating:

Will you kindly let us have this information.

On May 23, 1949, the appraiser at Seattle sent a memorandum to the Supervising Customs Agent requesting that an investigation be made of the value of the feathers covered by the entry of the goods herein.

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Related

Wolf v. United States
13 Ct. Cust. 589 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1926)

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Bluebook (online)
40 C.C.P.A. 141, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-pacific-coast-feather-co-ccpa-1953.