Bache v. United States

28 C.C.P.A. 166, 1940 CCPA LEXIS 187
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedJuly 1, 1940
DocketNo. 4311
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 28 C.C.P.A. 166 (Bache v. United States) 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
Bache v. United States, 28 C.C.P.A. 166, 1940 CCPA LEXIS 187 (ccpa 1940).

Opinion

Lenroot, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a judgment of the United States Customs Court, Second Division, Judge Tilson dissenting, in reappraisements 111688-A and 112228-Á. This is the third time that we are called upon to review judgments of the Customs Court in these reappraisement proceedings.

The merchandise consists of gauge glasses of two qualities, “Eureka” and “Hercules,” purchased by appellant from Joseph Tomey & Sons Ltd., Birmingham, England, and imported in 1935. The Eureka quality merchandise was entered by appellant at various unit prices, [168]*168less certain discounts, which, it is conceded by the parties, is the equivalent of the foreign manufacturer’s list prices less 80 per centum discount; the Hercules quality merchandise was entered at various unit prices less discounts of 75 per centum, 10 per centum, and 2){ per centum.

The merchandise was appraised at the foreign manufacturer’s list prices less 50 per centum discount, less 2% per centum cash discount, less, as to the Eureka quality, 1 pence per dozen pieces for cost of fusing ends.

Appellant appealed for reappraisement.

The trial court, and upon review the appellate division, held that the entered values were the correct foreign values of the merchandise. It was agreed that the foreign values are the dutiable values of the merchandise.

There was at no time any issue before the Customs Court respecting the correctness of the manufacturer’s list prices in the foreign market, and the sole issue was as to the discounts which should be allowed from the manufacturer’s list prices in order to establish foreign value.

The Government appealed from the judgment entered in favor of appellant. We reversed said judgment and remanded the cause for, as stated in our opinion, “a reconsideration of the issues on the record as made and in accordance with the views herein expressed.” United States v. Semon Bache & Co., 25 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 387, T. D. 49466.

With respect to the general character of the evidence contained in the record, we stated in our opinion in said last-cited case (hereinafter •called the “first case”) as follows:

Before the trial court, appellee introduced in evidence Collective Exhibits 1 and 2 — two affidavits of Joseph Leslie Tomey, managing director of the foreign manufacturer, and the testimony of the witness Isidore Sobel, vice president of Semon Bache & Co., appellee.
The Government offered in evidence Exhibits 3, 4, 5, and 6, consisting of reports •of Government agents.
Collective Exhibit 1 relates to the Eureka quality gauge glasses, and Collective Exhibit 2 relates to the Hercules quality. Attached to and made a part of Collective Exhibit 1 is a copy of the record of sales made by the foreign manufacturer of the Eureka quality gaiige glasses during the months of September, October, and November 1934, and a summary thereof. Attached to and made a part of Collective Exhibit 2 is a similar copy of sales and a summary thereof, relating to the Hercules quality.
It appears from Collective Exhibits 1 and 2 that merchandise like that here involved is sold in England for home consumption to four classes of purchasers designated in the exhibits as A, B, C, and D. Class A represents the small users, class B, retailers, class C, wholesalers, and class D, “large users, such as home railways, storage battery manufacturers, soda water syphon manufacturers, government departments, etc.” [Italics ours.]

The judgment appealed from in said case was based upon the following findings of facts made by the appellate division:

[169]*169We therefore find the following facts:
1. That the merchandise covered by these reappraisements consists of Eureka and Hercules qualities of gauge glasses.
2. That the foreign-market value of both of same is the correct dutiable value thereof.
3. That the export value is the same as the foreign value and is not higher.
4. That the'usual wholesale quantity of the Eureka quality of gauge glass and the Hercules quality of gauge glass, at which such or similar merchandise was freely offered for sale to all purchasers in the principal markets of England at the time of exportation of the instant merchandise and in the ordinary course of trade was 1,000 feet or more for the Eureka quality and 500 feet or more for the Hercules quality.
5. That the discount applicable to the sales of wholesale quantities of the Eureka gauge glass is 80 per centum from the list price, with the further discount of 2}í per centum for monthly payments.
6. That the discounts applicable to the sales of wholesale quantities of Hercules gauge glass are 75 per centum from the list price, with a further discount of 2J4 per centum for monthly payments.
7. That the per se prices are those stated on the invoice.

In our opinion in tbe first case, after reciting tbe facts appearing from tbe record, we beld tbat tbe appellate division of tbe Customs Court, hereinafter referred to as tbe appellate division, in determining tbe usual wholesale quantities of tbe merchandise sold in tbe foreign market, bad failed to consider as wholesale quantities sales to retailers for resale. We then stated:

In determining usual wholesale quantities, all wholesale quantities of the merchandise involved should, of course, be taken into account, and what the appellate division undoubtedly intended to say was that sales of less than 1,000 feet of the Eureka quality an.d less than 500 feet of the Hercules quality were not sales in wholesale quantities, and, therefore, should not be considered in determining the usual wholesale quantities.

We further stated in said opinion as follows:

In the instant case, we are called upon to determine whether, as a matter of law, the holding by the Second Division of the Customs Court that the sales of gauge glasses in England by the manufacturers thereof to retailers, for resale, were not sales in wholesale quantities in the ordinary course of trade, is supported by any substantial evidence of record. If it is, the judgment should be affirmed. If it. is not, the judgment should be reversed.
* * * * * * *
It clearly appears from the record, and there is no evidence to the contrary, that retailers and wholesalers, as well as all other purchasers, purchasing quantities of less than 1,000 feet of the Eureka quality gauge glasses and less than 500 feet of the Hercules quality, pay the manufacturer’s list prices, less varying discounts, depending upon the quantities purchased, and that both qualities of gauge glasses are freely offered for sale in England to such purchasers, in such quantities, and at such prices.
In view of those facts, can it be said that those offers for sale, and sales made in accordance therewith, were not in the ordinary course of trade?

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Related

Schott Optical Glass, Inc. v. United States
468 F. Supp. 1318 (U.S. Customs Court, 1979)

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Bluebook (online)
28 C.C.P.A. 166, 1940 CCPA LEXIS 187, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bache-v-united-states-ccpa-1940.