Jacksonville Paper Co. v. United States

18 Cust. Ct. 358, 1947 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 453
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedFebruary 3, 1947
DocketNo. 6831; Entry No. J-97, etc.
StatusPublished

This text of 18 Cust. Ct. 358 (Jacksonville Paper 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
Jacksonville Paper Co. v. United States, 18 Cust. Ct. 358, 1947 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 453 (cusc 1947).

Opinion

Kincheloe, Judge:

These appeals for reappraisement involve the market value of importations of kraft paper from Sweden by the Jacksonville Paper Co. at the port of Jacksonville, Fla., between September 13, 1936, and November 28, 1937. There are 17 appeals altogether, which were consolidated at the trial herein (It. 15).

The merchandise in the present instances is variously described on the invoices as “Unglazed pure Kraft wrapping paper,” “Sack Kraft paper,” “M. F. Kraft sack paper,” “Unglazed (sack) Kraft paper,” and “M. G. Pure special striped Grey Kraft.” It is shown that “M. F.” means machine finished and “M. G.” means machine glazed.

In the case of reappraisements 124236-A to 124248-A, inclusive, and as to part of the paper in 125159-A, the importer made voluntary [359]*359additions to the invoice values upon entry to make what it considered was the true market value of the merchandise. In reappraisements 124236-A to 124246-A the merchandise was appraised at a value of 310 Swedish kronor per 1,000 kilos, packed, on the basis of foreign value. In reappraisements 124247-A to 124251-A and 125159-A the merchandise was appraised at a value of 406 Swedish kronor per 1,000 kilos, packed, foreign value. In addition, reappraisement 125159-A also covered an item invoiced as “M. G. Pure Special Striped Grey Kraft” at $69 per 2,000 pounds, less 2 per centum discount c. i. f. Jacksonville, entered at an advance of $0,702 per 100 pounds, and appraised at 421 Swedish kronor per 1,000 kilos, packed, also on the basis of foreign market value.

In Reap. Dec. 4670, involving the market value of certain machine-glazed kraft paper described on the invoices as “M. G. Kraft paper,” imported from Sweden by the Arkell Safety Bag Co. during the years 1930 to 1934, inclusive, it was held that the home market in Sweden was a controlled market such as to preclude its consideration for the purpose of determining value, and that the export value of the merchandise was the proper basis. Such holding has been held in several subsequent reappraisement decisions on kraft paper from Sweden, and it is conceded in the present instance that the foreign value does not apply, so that the issue herein is therefore limited to the question of export value (R. 16).

On motion of counsel for plaintiff the record in the Arkell case, supra (Reap. Dec. 4670), has been incorporated herein (R. 16/18).

The importer has introduced in evidence as exhibit 1 an affidavit of Ludvid Lundquist, managing director of the Swedish Paper Mills’ Association. On the subject of the export price or value of the merchandise in question, he states:

* * * the invoice prices paid by Jacksonville Paper Company for such paper as shown on the attached list, as far as can be judged from the material available, are the prices at which such paper was offered for sale and sold in the ordinary course of business in Sweden in wholesale quantities for export to the United States when-the corresponding contracts were accepted. Affiant further says that there is no difference in the wholesale price of kraft paper so imported by Jacksonville Paper Company because of quantity purchased in excess of ten (10) tons, and that any quantity of paper so purchased during said period in excess of ten (10) tons would carry the same price per ton as quantities of ten (10) tons. * * *
Affiant further says that invoice prices quoted from time to time during said period on such paper for export to the United States are subject to a discount of two per cent (2%) and to a deduction for inland freight, ocean freight, dock dues, wharfage and insurance premiums, and that the invoice prices for the shipments shown on the schedule hereto attached were subject to such deductions.

Mr. C. G. McGehee, president of the importing company, testified that the prices paid for this merchandise were based on quotations [360]*360from price lists of the Swedish Paper Mills’ Association and from brokers representing the mills in New York, and that the prices shown on the invoices are .the actual prices that the Jacksonville Paper Co. paid (R. 23). He also testified that jumbo rolls, i. e., rolls of more than 9 inches in diameter, are sold at a lower price than the smaller rolls, which are designated as counter rolls, and are used for wrapping-paper purposes in stores, whereas the jumbo rolls are used in the manufacture of bags. All the paper in question was jumbo rolls used for the manufacture of sacks and bags. Also that this paper was machine finished, not machine glazed (R. 27).

In regard to the notation made by the appraiser on the consular invoice in reappraisement 124247-A reading “Sulphite wrapping paper,” appraised at 406 Swedish kronor, the witness stated that that was an error and should be sulphate, as “Sulphite is an entirely different process.”

Upon the transfer of the case to New York, plaintiff introduced in evidence the affidavit of L. C. F. Rain, vice president of H. Reeve Angel & Co., Inc., which is engaged in the sale in the United States of various kinds of paper, including kraft paper, manufactured in Sweden, and which has an affiliated company in Gothenburg, Sweden (exhibit 2). This affidavit is to the effect that H. Reeve Angel & Co., Inc., sold to the plaintiff company the merchandise involved in these reappraisements, and that the prices at which these sales were made were not lower than the usual wholesale prices at which such paper was freely offered for sale in the principal markets of Sweden for export to the United States, less the 2 per centum discount, the said prices including inland and ocean freight, dock dues, wharfage, insurance, and packing.

Witness Joseph Goldstein testified in person to the effect that he is a partner in the-brokerage firm of Paper Sales Agency Co., representing Swedish paper mills in the United States; that it is part of his business to keep in touch with market conditions and prices of paper from Sweden, and that he was familiar with same during the time of the present importations; that he sold to the Jacksonville Paper Co. the merchandise covered by reappraisement 124238-A; that he made other sales to the same company during the period covering April 1936 to October 1936; that his concern represented the mill of J. H. Munktells Pappersfabriks A/B Grycksbo, Sweden; that he sold jumbo rolls of kraft paper at $2.60 per 100 pounds, less 2 per centum cash discount; that counter rolls and jumbo rolls are identical in character, but that counter rolls carry a higher price; that he became familiar with the export prices in Sweden by receiving price lists, cable communications, and by trips to Sweden; that his firm has sold the Munktells paper to many customers in the United States, and that the prices at which sold were the prevailing prices in the principal [361]*361markets of Sweden for export to the United States, and that such prices were without any restrictions (R. 45); that the Jacksonville Paper Co. did not pay other than the invoice prices either to them or their principals; that there was no. additional discount on large quantities of paper. The witness further stated that his records showed a shipment of unglazed, or M. F.

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18 Cust. Ct. 358, 1947 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 453, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jacksonville-paper-co-v-united-states-cusc-1947.