United States v. Payne

NETERER, District Judge.

Departmental construction of a statute should bo given weight, and when there is doubt the court will adopt the departmental interpretation of a statute. Hewitt v. Schultz, 180 U. S. 139, 21 S. Ct. 309, 45 L. Ed. 463. The contemporaneous construction of a statute by the Attorney General is entitled to great respect. United States v. G. Falk & Bros., 201 U. S. 143, 27 S. Ct. 191, 51 L. Ed. 411. The doctrine of contemporaneous and practical construction of statutes is firmly imbedded in our jurisprudence (Pennoyer v. McConnaughy, 140 U. S. 1, 11 S. Ct. 699, 35 L. Ed.…