United States v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.

20 C.C.P.A. 295, 1932 CCPA LEXIS 240
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedDecember 5, 1932
DocketNo. 3558
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 20 C.C.P.A. 295 (United States v. Sears, Roebuck & 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. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 20 C.C.P.A. 295, 1932 CCPA LEXIS 240 (ccpa 1932).

Opinion

LeNkoot, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal by the United States from a judgment of the United States Customs Court, holding certain poultry wire netting or fencing, galvanized before weaving, and certain fencing of the same character galvanized after weaving, imported at the port of Philadelphia, to be properly dutiable at 45 per centum ad valorem under the provisions of paragraph 397, Tariff Act of 1930, thus overruling the classification and assessment of duty of the merchandise by the collector at 50 per centum and 60 per centum ad valorem, respectively, under the provisions of said paragraph 397, as modified by a presidential proclamation dated February 5, 1931, T. D. 44605, purporting to be issued under and by authority of section 336 of said Tariff Act of 1930.

In the Tariff Act of 1930, as approved June 17, 1930, paragraph 397 reads as follows:

Par. 397. Articles or wares not specially provided for, if composed wholly or in chief value of platinum, gold, or silver, and articles or wares plated with platinum, gold, or silver, or colored with gold lacquer, whether partly or wholly manufactured, 65 per centum ad valorem :df composed wholly or in chief value of iron, steel, lead, copper, brass, nickel, pewter, zinc, aluminum, or other metal, but not "plated with platinum, gold, or silver, or colored with gold lacquer, whether partly or wholly manufactured. 45 per centum ad valorem.^)

The pertinent part of said proclamation of the President reads as follows:

Now, therefore, I, Herbert Hoover, President of the United States of America, do hereby approve and proclaim the following rates of duty found to be shown by said investigation to be necessary to equalize such differences in costs of production:
''■'An increase in the rate of duty expressly fixed in paragraph 397 of Title I of said act on woven-wire fencing and woven-wire netting, all the foregoing composed of wire smaller than eight one-hundredths and not smaller than three one-hundredths of an inch in diameter, coated with zinc or other metal before .weaving, from 45 per centum ad valorem to 50 per centum ad valorem;
And an increase in the rate of duty expressly fixed in paragraph 397 of Title I of said act on woven-wire fencing and woven-wire netting, all the foregoing composed of wire smaller than eight one-hundredths and not smaller than three one-hundredths of an inch in diameter, coated with zinc or other metal after weaving, from 45 per centum ad valorem to 60 per centum ad valorem.

In so far as pertinent to the questions here involved, said section 336 of the Tariff Act of 1930 reads as follows:

(a) Change of Classification or Duties. — In order to put into force and effect the policy of Congress by this Act intended, the commission (1) upon request of the President, or (2) upon resolution of either or both Houses of Congress, or (3) upon its own motion, or (4) when in the judgment of the commission there is [297]*297good and sufficient reason therefor, upon application of any interested party, shall investigate the differences in the costs of production of any domestic article and of any like or similar foreign article. In the course of the investigation the commission shall hold hearings and give reasonable public notice thereof, and shall afford reasonable opportunity for parties interested to be present, to produce evidence, and to be heard at such hearings. The commission is authorized to adopt such reasonable procedure and rules and regulations as it deems necessary to execute its functions under this section. The commission shall report to the President the results of the investigation and its findings with respect to such differences in costs of production. If the commission finds it shown by the investigation that the duties expressly fixed by statute do not equalize the differences in the costs of production of the domestic article and the like or similar foreign article when produced in the principal competing country, the commission shall specify in its report such increases or decreases in rates of duty expressly fixed by statute (including any necessary change in classification) as it finds shown by the investigation to be necessary to equalize such differences. In no case shall the total increase or decrease of such rates of duty exceed 50 per centum of the rates expressly fixed by statute.
* i}: * * ‡ * *
(c) Pkoclamation by the President. — The President shall by proclamation approve the rates of duty and changes in classification and in basis of value specified in any report of the commission under this section, if in his judgment such rates of duty and changes are shown by such investigation of the commission to be necessary to equalize such differences in costs of production.
(e) Ascertainment op Differences in Costs of Production. — In ascertaining under this section the differences in costs of production, the commission shall take into consideration, in so far as it finds it practicable:'
(1) In the Case of a Domestic Article. — (A) The cost of production as hereinafter in this section defined; (B) transportation costs and other costs incident to delivery to the principal market or markets of the United States for the article; and (C) other relevant factors that constitute an advantage or disadvantage in competition.
(2) In the Case of a Foreign Article. — (A) The cost of production as hereinafter in this section defined, or, if the commission finds that such cost is not readily ascertainable, the commission may accept as evidence thereof, or as supplemental thereto, the weighted average of the invoice prices or values for a representative period and/or the average wholesale selling price for a representative period (which price shall be that at which the article is freely offered for sale to all purchasers in the principal market or markets of the principal competing country or countries in the ordinary course of trade and in the usual wholesale quantities in such market or markets); (B) transportation costs and other costs incident to delivery to the principal market or markets of the United States for the article; (C) other relevant factors that consitute an advantage or disadvantage in competition, including advantages granted to the foreign producers by a government, person, partnership, corporation, or association in a foreign country.
(g) Prohibition Against Transfers from the Free List to the Dutiable List or from the Dutiable List to the Free List. — Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize a transfer of an article from the dutiable list to the free list or from the free list to the dutiable list, nor a change in form of duty. Whenever it is provided in any paragraph of Title I of this Act, or in any amenda-[298]*298tory Act, that the duty or duties shall not exceed a specified ad valorem rate upon the articles provided for in such, paragraph, no rate determined under the provisions of this section upon such articles shall exceed the maximum ad valorem rate so specified.
(h) Definitions. — For the purpose of this- section-—

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
20 C.C.P.A. 295, 1932 CCPA LEXIS 240, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-sears-roebuck-co-ccpa-1932.