E. W. Goldstein Co. v. United States

57 Cust. Ct. 562, 1966 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1857
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJune 28, 1966
DocketR.D. 11200; Entry No. 790326
StatusPublished

This text of 57 Cust. Ct. 562 (E. W. Goldstein Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Customs Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
E. W. Goldstein Co. v. United States, 57 Cust. Ct. 562, 1966 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1857 (cusc 1966).

Opinion

OliveR, Judge:

The merchandise involved in this appeal to re-appraisement consists of certain anodized aluminum chain, exported from West Germany on August 13, 1960, and identified on the commercial invoice as SP 60 flat anodized aluminum silver chain. The chain is used in the manufacture of jewelry. It was appraised on the basis of export value, as defined in section 402(b), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Customs Simplification Act of 1956, at $3.01 per 100 meters, net packed. Plaintiff accepts the basis of appraisement but claims that the proper dutiable value is only $2.75 per 100 meters, net packed.

The parties stipulated that August 1960 represented the date of exportation for this merchandise (R. 5).

Plaintiff introduced into evidence both the prime and supplemental affidavits of Werner Fink, manager of Walter Fischer, the German manufacturer of the imported articles. They were received in evidence as plaintiff’s exhibit 1 (R. 3). The affiant states, therein, that Walter Fischer is a manufacturer of chain and imitation jewelry and in such capacity it produces a type of anodized aluminum chain, silver in color, which is identified on the invoices of sales to United States purchasers as “SP 60 chain or 06/33.”1 The affidavit contains a tabulation of these sales during most of 1960. One part lists individual sales, from February to November, made to the importer, E. W. Gold-[563]*563stein Go., Inc. Another part contains individual sales, from January to December, said to be made to other purchasers in the United States. Beneath this tabulation there is the statement that the merchandise was freely offered to all United States purchasers at wholesale prices, with no restrictions as to use or disposition.

Page 3 of the prime affidavit deals with the differences in production and cost between this anodized aluminum silver chain and the same chain in gold color. While both chains are produced by an electrochemical process, the silver chain, being the color of the aluminum, does not require the addition of coloring ingredients. The affiant states that, in the production of the silver color chain, only one shade of silver is possible and, therefore, color control between one production lot and another is unnecessary. For this reason, silver color chain can be produced under day or night conditions all year round. In the production of gold color chain, however, chemical coloring ingredients are added and several shades may occur. For purposes of color control, natural as opposed to artificial light is required. Production is, therefore, possible only during daylight hours and this time is further curtailed during the fall and winter months. Cost factors of production are claimed to vary for this reason.

The supplemental affidavit of Mr. Fink contains exhibits A and B which represent samples of the silver and gold colored aluminum chain discussed in the prime affidavit.

These affidavits were received in evidence without objection and at this point plaintiff rested its case.

The Government called as its witness Mr. Max Greenberg, a customs examiner in the United States Appraiser’s Office in New York. Mr. Greenberg’s line of merchandise included jewelry and parts. He testified in substance as follows: That, in the course of his official duties, he had examined the entry of merchandise presently before the court in this appeal; that, from his personal examination of invoices of importations from the Walter Fischer Co. in Germany, he knew of five other importers of merchandise described as anodized aluminum chain of this general type; that, based upon a tabulation of these sales, it was his determination that 5 to 10 thousand meters represented the usual wholesale quantities in which this merchandise was sold. Mr. Greenberg testified that he was unable to remember if the importer involved in this case, E. W. Goldstein Co., Inc., imported any types or styles of aluminum chain from Walter Fischer other than that contained in the entry under consideration.

Defendant’s illustrative exhibits A through G were received in evidence and identified by the witness as some of the styles and types of aluminum chain manufactured by Walter Fischer and imported by companies other than the plaintiff herein. All but one such exhibit [564]*564had a tag with what the witness stated was a type or style identification number used by Walter Fischer. None was tagged as SP 60 or 06/33 chain. Mr. Greenberg further testified that the exhibits represented the styles and types of merchandise he had considered in determining the usual wholesale quantity for the instant importation.

On cross-examination, the witness stated that his records respecting quantities of imports of aluminum chain manufactured by Walter Fischer included styles and sizes other than those in exhibits A to G.

On redirect examination, he explained that by aluminum chain he meant those used for jewelry applications.

In rebuttal, the plaintiff called Mr. Edmond W. Goldstein, president of the plaintiff corporation. He testified that he was an importer of stones, chains, pearls, and imitation pearls which he sold to the jewelry manufacturing trade. He identified exhibit A, which was attached to plaintiff’s exhibit 1, as the SP 60 anodized aluminum chain imported by his company. He further identified plaintiff’s collective illustrative exhibit 2 as articles of jewelry made with the imported SP 60 chain. Finally, he testified that he would not accept defendant’s illustrative exhibits A through G as orders for the merchandise at bar.

On cross-examination, he acknowledged that defendant’s illustrative exhibits are possibly susceptible to use by jewelry manufacturers, although none of his customers use it.

Another stipulation was entered into by the parties at trial which further narrowed the area of dispute in this case. It was agreed that, if the court should hold that types and styles of chain other than that involved herein may not be taken into consideration in determining the usual wholesale quantity, then the claimed quantity of 100,000 meters represents the usual wholesale quantity, and further, that the entered value of $2.75 per 100 meters represents the freely offered price for this merchandise in that quantity (E.6-8).

It has long been recognized that parties in a reappraisement proceeding may stipulate on ultimate facts and thereby focus the court’s attention on the real matters in controversy, Pacific Trading Co. v. United States, 19 CCPA 361, 363-365, T.D. 45508; Brooks Paper Company v. United States, 40 CCPA 38, 47, C.A.D. 495. Thus, the issue in this case, as stated by both parties in their briefs, is whether it was proper for the appraiser in determining the “usual wholesale quantities” to include information respecting sales of various styles and sizes of aluminum chain, other than the particular type involved in this entry, which were produced and sold by the same manufacturer. The pertinent provisions of the law are set forth as follows:

[Sec. 402] (b) Export Value. — For the purposes of this section, the export value of imported merchandise shall be the price, at the [565]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
57 Cust. Ct. 562, 1966 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1857, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/e-w-goldstein-co-v-united-states-cusc-1966.