Bailey's Bakery v. Tax Commissioner

38 Haw. 16, 1948 Haw. LEXIS 34
CourtHawaii Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 19, 1948
Docket2639
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 38 Haw. 16 (Bailey's Bakery v. Tax Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bailey's Bakery v. Tax Commissioner, 38 Haw. 16, 1948 Haw. LEXIS 34 (haw 1948).

Opinion

*17 OPINION OF THE COURT BY

PETERS, J.

This is an action brought pursuant to the provisions of Revised Laws of Hawaii 1945, section 1575, by an employing unit to recover unemployment contributions assessed against it under the Hawaii unemployment compensation law and paid by it under protest. The contributions assessed cover the period from January 1, 1937 to September 30, 1944, and have relation to contributions required to be made into the territorial unemployment compensation fund by employing units having individuals in their employ.

The plaintiff is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Territory with its principal place of business in Honolulu. It will be referred to hereinafter as the “bakery.” It is engaged in the business of manufacturing at its own plant in Honolulu and selling at wholesale bread and other bakery products. Prior to 1935, when the delivery system which gave rise to the present controversy was inaugurated, all its customers were retailers. The bakery did not sell to consumers and sales by the bakery included the obligation on its part to deliver to the purchaser the product sold. Deliveries had been made previously by it with its own equipment, consisting of six delivery tracks which were operated by drivers who worked for the bakery for stated hours and wages. The delivery system inaugurated in 1935 was the outgrowth of the pre-existing system. No express contract between the bakery and the drivers, either written or oral, marked the inauguration of the new system. Contrary to the findings by the trial court that “it [bakery] entered into oral contracts with drivers who owned and operated their own trucks to sell to these drivers a daily supply of bread * * *” the bakery issued its ukase stating the conditions upon which deliveries would thereafter be made and the drivers had no option *18 blit to accept it or quit. Whatever is known of their contractual relations upon the inauguration of the new system and their subsequent contractual relations as the system developed is deducible only from what was done by the parties in the performance of their bilateral obligations. But there is no evidence to sustain the finding that oral contracts were entered into, one of the terms of which was the “sale” of bread to the drivers. The proposition as originally presented by the bakery to the drivers was that the bakery would cease to furnish delivery equipment and all drivers would thereafter be required to furnish and maintain their own delivery equipment and pay the cost of operating the same; that the bakery would sell its present equipment to such of the drivers who might desire to purchase the same and where necessary it would itself finance purchases; that stated wages and hours of labor would be discontinued; that the drivers would be required to make deliveries daily to the bakery’s present customers and to such additional retailers as might desire its products for retail sale; that the drivers would also be required to collect from the retailer the wholesale price of bread for each loaf of bread delivered, except in cases of certain stores, restaurants and public institutions to which the bakery personally extended credit, from which the driver would be entitled to retain the difference between the wholesale price and the price fixed by the bakery to the driver at the plant, amounting in the case of bread to eight mills per loaf. Delivery slips to credit customers were accepted by the bakery from the drivers as cash at the rate of eight mills for each loaf delivered. There is no evidence as to what the driver was entitled to retain from the wholesale price of bakery products other than bread.

Obviously, the bakery exercised no control over the equipment furnished by the driver or the manner of its *19 operation, but it exercised complete control over deliveries. Tbe retailers supplied by tbe bakery were scattered over tbe city of Honolulu and vicinity. Tbe bakery divided tbe urban and suburban areas containing tbe retailers purchasing its products into districts or routes and assigned a driver to each route. No competition existed between drivers and they were confined to tbe districts or routes to which they were assigned. All bread delivered was sealed at tbe bakery’s plant in a wrapper bearing tbe name of tbe bakery and tbe trade name applied by it to tbe particular type of bread enclosed therein. Sales slips bearing tbe name of tbe bakery and tbe bakery products to be delivered accompanied all deliveries. All prices Avere arbitrarily fixed by tbe bakery, viz., tbe price charged against drivers at tbe plant, tbe wholesale price to retailers and even the retail price to be charged by tbe retailer. These prices in course of time Avere changed by tbe bakery. Tbe differential that tbe drivers were entitled to receive was tbe amount which tbe bakery allowed to them, they having no part in tbe determination of tbe rates for tbe delivery service performed by them and upon Avhich their remuneration was computed. All settlements between tbe bakery and tbe drivers were made after and not before deliveries and as far as tbe record discloses tbe price of bread to drivers at tbe plant was never paid by the drivers when tbe bread was taken from tbe plant for delivery. The bakery, Avitli tbe exception heretofore noted, required that cash be collected by tbe driver upon delivery and any credit extended by tbe driver was upon bis own responsibility. Unsold bread was returnable to tbe bakery on tbe basis of the price at tbe plant to the driver and tbe quantity of bread to be delivered to each retailer was subject to limitation by tbe bakery. Tbe drivers from time to time met with the management of the bakery at tbe latter’s instance upon details of tbe delivery system. Tbe bakery *20 solicited new business and that secured independently by it was assigned to the driver of the appropriate district or route. The drivers also solicited and secured new business within the district to which they were assigned. Agents of the bakery upon occasion rode with the drivers to learn their routes and sometimes supplied relief drivers. In 1936 and 1937 the bakery paid bonuses to its drivers based upon service and annual income. In one instance a driver was secured by the bakery from a local employment office.

The drivers did not hold themselves out to the public as engaged in a delivery service. There is nothing to show that they were public carriers of goods. Upon occasion they did make deliveries for persons other than the bakery but this was done mainly in conjunction with their deliveries of the bakery’s products. When not engaged in making deliveries of the products of the bakery their time was their own but most of their working time was taken up with deliveries for the bakery. They did not maintain or operate an independent business, had no independent place of business — not even a telephone. Deliveries of the bakery’s products were made by them personally and they employed no assistance except when, through illness or otherwise they were unable to work, they employed. relief drivers. The deductions from the wholesale price to which the drivers were entitled averaged from $300 to $750 a month per driver. Their arrangement with the bakery was terminable at the will of either party.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
38 Haw. 16, 1948 Haw. LEXIS 34, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baileys-bakery-v-tax-commissioner-haw-1948.