Fisher Scientific Co. v. United States

25 Cust. Ct. 418, 1950 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 654
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedSeptember 8, 1950
DocketNo. 7878; Entry No. 175, etc.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 25 Cust. Ct. 418 (Fisher Scientific 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
Fisher Scientific Co. v. United States, 25 Cust. Ct. 418, 1950 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 654 (cusc 1950).

Opinion

Rao, Judge:

These eight appeals for reappraisement, consolidated for the purpose of trial, involve the question of the proper value of certain analytical balances, and parts thereof, which were exported from Switzerland during the period between September 1948 and March 1949 and entered at the port of Pittsburgh, Pa.

The initial suit, listed as entry No. 175, reappraisement No. 172950-A, designated as the test case, covers 12 Mettler analytical balances, model No. 200 A4N. The merchandise was entered at the invoice price of 1,630 Swiss francs each, plus a Swiss turnover tax of 4 per centum. It was appraised at 2,140 Swiss francs each, net packed.

The remaining seven cases consist of so-called duress entries. All of said cases, except reappraisement No. 174683-A and reappraisement No. 175977-A, involve the same model as that covered by the test [419]*419case. In reappraisement No. 174683-A, the merchandise consists of five balances, model- No. 100 A5M, which are claimed to be valued at 1,825 Swiss francs each. They were entered under duress at 2,400 Swiss francs each, and appraised as entered.

Reappraisement No. 175977-A covers special magnifiers for use with Mettler analytical balances which were appraised, as entered under duress, at 19.692 Swiss francs each, and are claimed to be dutiable at 15 Swiss francs each.

Both parties agree that foreign value is the proper basis for appraisement of the instant merchandise. The dispute arises herein over the question of whether the entered values or the appraised values constitute such foreign value. The difference between the two results from the adverse contentions of the parties as to what were the usual wholesale quantities in which said merchandise was sold or offered for sale within the meaning of section 402 (c) of the Tariff Act of 1930. That section, as amended by the Customs Administrative Act of 1938, provides as follows:

SEC. 402. VALUE.
(c) Foeeign Value. — The foreign value of imported merchandise shall be the market value or the price at the time of exportation of such merchandise to the United States, at which such or similar merchandise is freely offered for sale for home consumption to all purchasers in the principal markets of the country from, which exported, in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade, including the cost of all containers and coverings of whatever nature, ahcS all other costs, charges, and expenses incident to placing the merchandise in condition, packed ready for shipment to the United States.

Moreover, there is no substantial disagreement concerning the fundamental facts in the case, which are to be derived almost entirely from certain documentary evidence offered by the respective parties at the time of trial. This consists of an original and a supplementary affidavit (plaintiff’s exhibits 1 and 2) of one Hans H. Mettler, a director of the firm which manufactured and exported the instant merchandise; and a duly certificated report of the United States consul at Zurich, Switzerland (defendant’s exhibit A).

By way of oral evidence, there was offered, on the part of the plaintiff, only the testimony of Benjamin R. Fisher, vice president of the plaintiff company, who explained that a Mettler balance is a precision instrument used in laboratories for the precise weighing of very small quantities of material.

The said Hans H. Mettler, in his affidavit (exhibit 1), states that he is the brother of E. Mettler, the sole owner and proprietor of the establishment which manufactured the instant analytical balances; that he is personally familiar with the manufacture, sale, and distribution of Mettler analytical balances, both for domestic consumption and for exportation; that he is also familiar with the trends and practice [420]*420in the precision-instrument industry arid of all products manufactured and sold in that industry; that there were no similar instruments manufactured, sold, or offered for sale in Switzerland; that Fisher Scientific Company, the plaintiff herein, was the exclusive selling and distributing agent in the United States for said merchandise; that the prices stated on the respective invoices were the prices actually paid by said Fisher Scientific Company and received by E. Mettler; that all sales of said merchandise are made and consummated at Zurich, Switzerland; that prior to, at, and since the dates of exportation the prices at which E. Mettler freely offered for sale or sold his analytical balances and parts thereof in Switzerland to all purchasers who buy either for their own use or for resale in quantities of one to four of one or assorted models were as follows:

Model Price (Swiss francs)
200A3 2,040.00 plus Swiss sales tax
200A4N 2,140.00 plus Swiss sales tax
100A5M 2,400.00 plus Swiss sales tax

and in quantities of five or more of one or assorted models at the following prices:

Model Price (Swiss francs)
200A3 1,530.00 plus Swiss sales tax
200A4N 1,605.00 plus Swiss sales tax
100 A5M 1,800.00 plus Swiss sales tax

that these prices were in effect until May 6, 1949, and that thereafter they were reduced; that there were no restrictions of any kind on such sales; that parts for analytical balances were freely sold or offered for sale to all purchasers at the prices set forth in the invoices to Fisher Scientific Company; and that the prices thereof were the same to all purchasers regardless of the quantity purchased.

In addition, the said Hans H. Mettler alleged the following, which because of its materiality I quote in full:

Those who bought these Analytical Balances for their own consumption or use and not for resale purchased in quantities of one model to as many as ten of one or assorted models and those who purchased for the purpose of reselling them, bought in quantities of five upward of one model or assorted models. Of all the sales made in the ordinary course of trade in the principal markets of Switzerland, in quantities of five or more of one model or assorted models, to any and all purchasers, that is to say, to purchasers who bought for their own use or consumption, those who purchased them to resell and any other purchaser, by actual count the sales in quantities of five Analytical Balances exceeded and were more numerous than the sales thereof in any other quantity.

The supplementary affidavit of the said Hans H. Mettler merely sets forth the reduced prices at which Mettler analytical balances were freely sold and offered for sale in Switzerland on and after May 7, 1949. As the change in prices occurred subsequent to the [421]*421latest date of exportation herein involved, such prices have no bearing upon the issues before me.

Substantially every statement contained in plaintiff’s exhibits 1 and 2 is corroborated by the report of the American consul at Zurich, defendant’s exhibit A. Attached to said report, as enclosure No. 5, there is a list of sales to Swiss customers, which was furnished to the consul by Mr. Mettler.

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Related

United States v. Fishes Scientific Co.
28 Cust. Ct. 599 (U.S. Customs Court, 1952)

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Bluebook (online)
25 Cust. Ct. 418, 1950 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 654, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fisher-scientific-co-v-united-states-cusc-1950.