National Carloading Corp. v. United States

16 Cust. Ct. 138, 1946 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 30
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedApril 25, 1946
DocketC. D. 1001
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 16 Cust. Ct. 138 (National Carloading Corp. 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
National Carloading Corp. v. United States, 16 Cust. Ct. 138, 1946 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 30 (cusc 1946).

Opinion

Ekwall, Judge:

These two petitions for remission, filed under ■section 489 of the Tariff Act of 1930, have been consolidated. They •seek remission of additional duties assessable for undervaluation on •entry of 31 importations at the port of New York and 2 at the port of Philadelphia. The merchandise consists of sodium hydrosulphite imported from Czechoslovakia during the period from April 1938 to May 1, 1939. The blue purchase form consular invoice was used in which Arthur A. Lehmann Co., Inc., of New York was named as purchaser and the United Chemical and Metallurgical Works, Ltd., of Prague, Czechoslovakia, as the seller. In the case of petition 6484-R, entry was made at the port of New York by the National Carloading Corp. and in petition 6483-R by Morris Friedman at the port of Philadelphia. These entrants are customs brokers who made entry in their own names, no owners’ declarations having been filed, which under the provisions of section 485 (d) of the Tariff Act of 1930 and article 300 of the Customs Regulations of 1937 would have relieved them from liability for payment of additional duties.

The price as invoiced was 11 cents per pound c. i. f. New York, packing included. The invoices also contain the following statement: “Home market value, taxes included, is 3 per cent higher than the invoice price.” Entry was made in each case at 11 cents per pound less nondurable charges, plus 3 per centum, on the basis of foreign value. All of the importations were appraised at a foreign value of 9.90 koruna per kilo, less 2 per centum cash discount, packed, plus 3 per centum, turnover tax, which represented an advance of over 50 per centum.

In both the New York entries and the Philadelphia entries inquiry sheets as to value were submitted by the customhouse brokers to the Government officials who passed upon this type of merchandise. Subsequently, but prior to appraisement, Arthur A. Lehmann'Co., Inc., submitted information to the Government examiners concerning prices and conditions under which sodium hydrosulphite was sold both for home consumption in Czechoslovakia and for export to foreign countries. This information had been obtained from the manufacturer and shipper of this sodium hydrosulphite.

Appeals for reappraisement from the appraisers’ finding of value were filed in each case by Arthur A. Lehmann Co., Inc., but were subsequently abandoned.

At the hearing the petitioners produced the testimony of five witnesses and the Government introduced the testimony of the customs examiner at the port of Philadelphia who had advisorily appraised the importations covered by petition 6483 — R.

The witnesses on behalf of the petitioners consisted of Mr. Arthur A. Lehmann, the president of Arthur A. Lehmann Co., Inc., the pm-[140]*140chaser, during the years 1938 and 1939; Mr. Fred Clausmeyer, vice president, and office manager of that company; Mr. Henry B. Edgar, entry clerk employed by the National Carloading Corp., which concern acted as customs brokers and made entry in its own name in connection with the importations covered by petition 6484-R; Mr. Morris Friedman, the Philadelphia customs broker, who made entry of the Philadelphia importations, and filed petition 6483-R; and Mr. Henry Rosenthal, the customs examiner at the port of New York in 1938 and 1939.

Mr. Lehmann produced contracts between the foreign manufacturer and the Arthur A. Lehmann Co., Inc., covering all the importations of sodium hydrosulphite involved in these petitions. By these contracts the Lehmann Co. was given exclusive selling rights in this country for this manufacturer’s sodium hydrosulphite. Under the terms thereof the Lehmann Co. sold the importations of this merchandise in the United States, paid the customs duties, and billed its customers, and after deducting 4 per centum as commission and the amount of the customs duties, paid the balance to the National City Bank for remittance to the manufacturer in Czechoslovakia.

The Lehmann concern • also stored sodium hydrosulphite in this country from time to time, paid the storage charges and insurance, guaranteed the credit of its customers, in four or five instances made good when customers failed to pay, sent monthly copies of their invoices to their customers to the shipper, also monthly statements of expenditures, and periodically sent reports regarding marketing conditions as to sodium hydrosulphite in this country.

It further appears from the testimony of this witness that the Treasury Department conducted an investigation under the Anti-dumping Act of 1921 in connection with these importations, and that the Secretary of the Treasury as a result of that investigation made a finding of no dumping.

During the course of the investigation and while appraisements of these importations were being withheld by the local appraiser, the Lehmann concern made inquiry from the manufacturer as to the sales and conditions of sales of this commodity in Czechoslovakia for home consumption and also for export to foreign countries. The information received from the manufacturer, which was in the form of a questionnaire and letters, was turned over to counsel for the petitioners by Mr. Lehmann. Appeals for reappraisement were duly filed from the finding of value made by the appraiser. An affidavit was sent to the manufacturer to be executed by a person having knowledge of the facts as to the sales and conditions of sales of this commodity for home consumption and also for export. The Lehmann Co. was advised by the manufacturer that the affidavit was returned duly executed, but it was never received by said Lehmann Co. The [141]*141plant of the manufacturer was occupied by the Nazis. Mr. Lehmann located the executive of the plant in this country and conferred with him, but was advised that he had no knowledge as to the prices at which this commodity was sold in Czechoslovakia. This witness also testified that during the course of an investigation involving a question as to the proper form of invoice for these transactions he had shown all the records and files of Arthur A. Lehmann Co., Inc., to the United States customs agent.

Mr. Fred Clausmeyer testified as to the method of ordering this merchandise and as to the dealings of the Lehmann Co. with the National City Bank in this connection and stated that he advanced the customs duties to the National Carloading Corp., who acted as customs brokers. This witness stated it as his belief that he conferred with the Government examiner relative to these importations; that he did not conceal any information from him nor misrepresent the facts. He did not show the contracts to the examiner, neither did he show him the reports made by his company to the manufacturer, nor did he show them to his customs broker.

Mr. Edgar testified that he had been entry clerk for the National Carloading Corp., the customs brokers, for about 25 years during 15 of which he had handled entries.' At the time of the trial he was import manager for that concern. As entry clerk he prepared the entries covered by petition 6484-R or they were prepared -under his supervision as were also the submission sheets. The submission sheets were submitted to Examiner Rosenthal and either Mr. Rosen-thal or his clerk made a notation thereon reading “Ascertain from shipper the correct foreign or export value.” The National City Bank sent him the consular invoices and bills of lading covering these importations with instructions to pay the duty and not to file an owner’s declaration; to get the customs duties from the Arthur A. Lehmann Co., Inc. These instructions he complied with.

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Bluebook (online)
16 Cust. Ct. 138, 1946 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 30, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-carloading-corp-v-united-states-cusc-1946.