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5 F. Cas. 652

Christ v. Maxwell

U.S. District Court

Decided December 15, 1853

U.S. District Court · decided 1853-12-15

<p>Case No. 2,698.</p> <p>Customs Duties—Sufficiency of'Protest — Imposition of Penalty—Powers of Collector.</p> <p>1. Where, on an appraisal both by official appraisers and merchant appraisers, the invoice value of goods was raised, and duties on the increase were paid under a protest, which objected “that the appraisals and reappraisals were not fairly, impartially, or legally made, nor by Iversons unprejudiced and duly qualified to make them:” Held, that no action could be maintained to recover back such duties on account of any irregularity either in selecting or qualifying the appraisers, or otherwise, because the protest did not, as required by the act of February 26th, 1845 (5 Stat. 727), set forth distinctly the grounds of objection to the regularity and legality of the appraisements made, or wherein the appraisers were prejudiced or not •duly qualified.</p> <p>[Cited in TI. S. v. Earnshaw, 12 Fed. 287.]</p> <p>2. The goods being the property of their manufacturer, when entered, and being consigned for sale to the party who entered them, and the collector having imposed an additional duty or penalty of 20 per cent, for such undervaluation: Held, that it was not legally imposed under section 8 of the act of July 30th, 1846 (9 Stat. -43), because that act relates only to goods which have heen actually purchased in a foreign market, and such qualification is not rescinded or modified by section 1 of the act of March 3d, 1851 (9 Stat. 629).</p> <p>3. Be Id, also, that such additional duty or penalty was not authorized by section 17 of the act of August 30th, 1842 (5 Stat. 564) or by section 13 of the act of March 1st, 1823 (3 Stat. 734), for the like reason, and also because the increased duty or penalty specified in each of those acts is 50 per cent., and the collector ■cannot exact a less or different one.</p>

Decided 1853-12-15

THE COURT

¶1held: 1. That the plaintiffs could not maintain an action to recover back the $124.20 for duties charged on the enhanced valuation of the goods, on account of any irregularity either in selecting or qualifying the appraisers, or otherwise, because the protest, which objected “that the appraisals and reappraisals were not fairly, impartially, or legally made, nor by persons unprejudiced and duly qualified to make them,” did not, as required by the act of February 26th, 1845 (5 Stat. 727), set forth distinctly and specifically the grounds of objection to the regularity and legality of the appraisements made, or wherein the appraisers were prejudiced or not duly qualified.

¶22. That the collector had no authority to impose the additional duty of 20 per cent, on the importation, under section 8 of the act of July 30th, 1846 (9 Stat. 43), because that act related only to goods which had been actually purchased in a foreign market; and that section 1 of the act of March 3d, 1851 (9 Stat. 629), did not rescind or modify that qualification.

¶33. That the defendant was not authorized to affix the additional duty or penalty of 20 *653per cent, under the provisions of section 17 of the act of August 30th, 1842 (5 Stat. 5G4), nor under those of section 13 of the act of March 1st, 1823 (3 Stat. 734), for the like reason, and also because the increased duty or penalty specified in each of those acts was 50 per cent., and the collector could not exact a less or different one.

¶4Judgment for the plaintiffs for $406.40, with interest.

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