Minkap of California, Inc. v. United States

54 Cust. Ct. 641, 1965 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2474
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMay 4, 1965
DocketReap. Dec. 10972; Entry No. 15538, etc.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 54 Cust. Ct. 641 (Minkap of California, Inc. 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
Minkap of California, Inc. v. United States, 54 Cust. Ct. 641, 1965 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2474 (cusc 1965).

Opinion

Richardson, Judge:

The merchandise of these appeals consists of ladies’ sweaters, exported from Japan during the period between June and December 1957 and entered at Los Angeles, Calif. The sweaters were advanced in value upon appraisement .under the cost of production basis of valuation contained in 19 U.S.C.A., section 1402(f) (section 402(f), Tariff Act of 1930). It is claimed by the plaintiff that the sweaters should be appraised, as entered, under the export value basis of valuation, as defined in 19 U.S.C.A., section 1402(d) (section 402(d), Tariff Act of 1930).

The pertinent tariff provisions read as follows:

Section 402(d) :

Export value
The export 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 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, for exportation to the United 'States, plus, when not included in such price, the cost of all containers and coverings of whatever nature, and all other costs, charges, and expenses incident to placing the merchandise in condition, packed ready for shipment to the United 'States,

[643]*643Section 402(f):

Cost of production
Dor the purpose of this subtitle the cost of production of imported merchandise shall be the sum of—
(1) The cost of materials of, and of fabrication, manipulation, or other process employed in manufacturing or producing such or similar merchandise, at a time preceding the date of exportation Of the particular merchandise under consideration which would ordinarily permit the manufacture or production of the particular merchandise under consideration in the usual course of business;
i(2) The usual general expenses (not less than 10 per centum, of such cost) in the case of such or similar merchandise;
(3) The cost of all containers and coverings of whatever nature, and all other costs, charges, and expenses incident to placing the particular merchandise under consideration in condition, packed ready for shipment to the United States; and
(4) An addition for profit (not less than 8 per centum of the sum of the amounts found under paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subdivision) equal to the profit which ordinarily is added, in the case of merchandise of the same general character as the particular merchandise under consideration, by manufacturers or producers in the country of manufacture or production who are engaged in the production or manufacture of merchandise Of the same class or kind.

Certain of the facts are not in dispute. The involved sweaters are of Japanese manufacture, having been produced by either of two Japanese concerns. The sweaters were made up in two yarn compositions, namely, a blend of 75 percent lamb’s wool and 25 percent silk, and a blend of 80 percent lamb’s wool and 20 percent angora. They were also made up in an assortment of styles, identified either by a girl’s name or by a number. The silk blend sweaters bore the style names of Alma, Barbara, Clarice, Diane, Ellen, Gina, Honey, Inez, Janice, Kim, Leta, and Margo, and the style number 600; and the angora blend sweaters bore the style numbers 101, 102, 602, 603, 604, and 606. Prices varied according to the sweater style and were quoted in quantities of a dozen sweaters.

What the plaintiff contends here is that, at the times the involved sweaters were exported from Japan, similar sweaters of Japanese manufacture were freely offered for sale in Japan 'by a third Japanese concern, namely, Tokyo Marusangumi Co., Ltd., to all purchasers for exportation to the United States at the same prices at which the subject sweaters were invoiced and entered. Defendant contends that the evidence fails to establish such offerings of similar merchandise as claimed, by reason of which failure of proof the appraised values must be sustained.

Plaintiff relies upon the case of Minkap of California, Inc., etc. v. United States, 46 Cust. Ct. 723, Reap. Dec. 10033, affirmed, United [644]*644States v. Minkap of California, Inc., etc., 48 Cust. Ct. 708, A.R.D. 144, the record in which was incorporated in the instant case on plaintiff’s motion. In the incorporated case, among other things, one Jiro Wada testified that, between 1947 and 1959, he was the managing-director of the firm of Tokyo Marusangumi Co., Ltd., a manufacturer and exporter; that, during 1957, the company did manufacture and export sweaters; that, from 1953 to the end of 1956, his company had an exclusive agreement with A. O. Elliot Import Corp. (American) ; and that, in 1957, following an investigation to determine the big importers in the United States, he came to this country to meet them. Mr. Wada named China Consolidated Corp., J. B. Importers, Products of Asia, Minnesota Knitting Mills, Otto Gerdau, Ames C. Foster Corp., New York Merchandise Corp., and Minkap of California, Inc., as the firms he came here to meet. To these firms and some others, namely, Elliot Import and Arbit Trading, Mr. Wada testified that, "between Jwne and December 1957, Tokyo Maruswngumi offered to sell sweaters similar to those at bar in such blends and styles and at such prices as arre contended for by plaintiff herein, and that the prices quoted remained constant during that period and did not vary according to quantity. And one George Gonick, coowner of Minkap of California, Inc., also testified in the incorporated case. He stated that, during the period from Jwne through December of 1957, he received samples and quotations of prices from Tokyo Marusan-gumi, as stated by Mr. Wada.

The foregoing testimony, particularly that of Jiro Wada, constituted the evidence of an export value of similar sweaters which was before the courts in the incorporated case. And it was relied upon by the single judge and the appellate division in that case in finding and sustaining an export value for the merchandise there involved. The single judge said (p. 729) :

In the instant case, testimony was given hy Mr. Wada that offers were made at certain prices. This evidence was corroborated, insofar as offers to Minkap were concerned, by Mr. Gonick. It was not contradicted by anything in the record. Mr. Wada at the time had been managing director of Tokyo Marusan-gumi ; he had visited firms in this country to solicit business; he stated positively that he had offered the merchandise to various firms at named prices which did not vary because of quantity.

And of such testimony the appellate division said (p. 712) :

In this ease, there is before us the uncontradicted testimony of a qualified witness, who was competent, through experience' as managing director of a Japanese manufacturer and exporter, and by personal contact with American importers, to set forth market conditions, as they relate to statutory export value, that control appraisement of the present merchandise. The testimony of the witness, Wada, shows that, during the period in question, he offered sweaters, like those in question, for export to various firms in the United States, at certain prices which did not vary according to the quantity purchased.

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Related

Minkap of California, Inc. v. United States
56 Cust. Ct. 822 (U.S. Customs Court, 1966)

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Bluebook (online)
54 Cust. Ct. 641, 1965 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2474, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/minkap-of-california-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1965.