Ricks v. United States

29 Cust. Ct. 517, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1735
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedDecember 11, 1952
DocketReap. Dec. 8187; Entry Nos. 153-C and 328-C
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 29 Cust. Ct. 517 (Ricks 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
Ricks v. United States, 29 Cust. Ct. 517, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1735 (cusc 1952).

Opinion

Ekwall, Judge:

These appeals for reappraisement relate to an importation of men’s and women’s huaraches on November 4, 1942 (reappraisement No. 155927-A), and an importation of women’s and children’s huaraches on March 19,1943 (reappraisement No. 155945-A). Both shipments were made from Tijuana, Mexico, to San Ysidro, Calif.

Testimony was taken in reappraisement No. 155945-A at Los Angeles on February 22, 1945, and at San Diego on September 26, 1945. The record thus made was incorporated into the record in reappraisement No. 155927-A and the two cases were thereafter heard and submitted together.

Appraisement was made in both cases on the basis of export value, such value being based on the prices in Tijuana, which the appraiser considered to be one of the principal markets of Mexico for the imported merchandise. The importers claim, however, that Tijuana was not a principal market at the time of exportation herein and that the dutiable values should be based upon the prices in Guadalajara, which is alleged to be a principal market for this type of goods.

At the hearing on February 22, 1945, Ivan Lyons testified that he made the arrangements for the purchase of the huaraches involved in reappraisement No. 155945-A. The deal was made with Mr. Zara-goza at the witness’ place of business in Los Angeles and the merchandise was to be delivered and paid for in Los Angeles. He understood that the merchandise was brought in by Mr. Zaragoza personally from Tijuana. Ordinarily, his firm bought directly from a manufacturer in Oaxaca, but he had made about half a dozen fill-in purchases from Mr. Zaragoza in Los Angeles. Upon comparing the huaraches that came from Oaxaca and those purchased from Mr. Zaragoza, the witness concluded that the latter were Oaxaca huaraches. He added that Oaxaca is probably 2,500 miles from Tijuana.

At the next hearing, in San Diego, Mrs. Mary Hutchinson, customhouse broker, testified that there were no manufacturers of huaraches in Tijuana except one small concern that made huaraches of a different type from those involved herein.

Mr. Fernando Ortiz testified that he had been a shop owner in Tijuana for 8 or 10 years, dealing in the better type of merchandise, such as imports from Europe. During 1942 and 1943, he handled huaraches, which he acquired from Oaxaca and sold exclusively to Mr. Orlikoff in Los Angeles. He never kept a supply on hand nor did [519]*519lie freely offer such huaraches to all purchasers for home consumption or for exportation to the United States, because of this exclusive contract. He did obtain and sell in Tijuana 500 to 1,000 pairs of a better type huarache. The sale to Mr. Orlikoff consisted of 25,000 pairs which involved 8 to 11 shipments to this country. The merchandise was sent from Oaxaca to the nearest railroad point, then by truck to Tijuana, and then was taken by truck or automobile across the border to San Ysidro.

Mrs. Rose Orlikoff testified that she had started importing huaraches in 1942, continued during 1943 until rationing of shoes in this country started, and then began again in 1945. She stated that about three million pairs of huaraches are manufactured in Mexico per year, primarily in Guadalajara. She made her principal purchases from Mr. Macias in Guadalajara and Mr. Muro in Oaxaca. About “60 or 70,000” pairs were purchased by her from Mr. Muro. She was either contacted by Mr. Muro or his representative in Los Angeles or communicated by telephone or telegram with Oaxaca or Guadalajara. She said that Tijuana was used as a port of exportation from Mexico because it was easier for her to go to San Ysidro and because there was a 50 per centum reduction in the shipping rate to Tijuana.

The testimony of the above witnesses indicates also that a Mr. German Brambilla made and repaired shoes and owned a curio shop in Tijuana. He made and sold shoes and huaraches of a different type than those involved herein.

It also appears from the statements of these witnesses that a Mr. Teofolio Muro, a manufacturer of huaraches in Oaxaca, maintained a place of business in Tijuana in 1942 and 1943. Mrs. Orlikoff stated that his so-called warehouse consisted of a second-floor room which was also used as living quarters by his representative. The huaraches which were kept there were used exclusively for Tijuana sales. Those that Mrs. Orlikoff saw on the occasion of a visit to this room were of a better quality than those being shipped across the border.

At a later hearing, Mr. J. S. Bogan, who had been deputy collector and acting appraiser at the port of San Ysidro in 1942 and 1943, testified that the merchandise involved herein was appraised at the export value in the Tijuana market, Tijuana being selected as one of the principal markets of Mexico.

The defendant introduced into evidence two reports of Leroy B. Powers, customs agent, both dated May 22, 1944 (defendant’s exhibits A and B), and eight reports of Hugo Wallenfels, customs agent, made on various dates in August and September 1943 (defendant’s exhibits C through J). The pertinent information in these reports is as follows:

Mr. Wallenfels states in each of his reports that Tijuana is a principal market for huaraches, and that it receives a preferential rate of [520]*520postage on all parcel-post shipments from any part of Mexico, equal to 50 per centum of the regular parcel-post rate.

The reports indicate that sales of huaraches for export were made during 1942 and 1943 by a number of persons in Tijuana, many of whom were owners of small curio shops. The merchandise was purchased by them from manufacturers located in Mazatlan, Guadalajara, Oaxaca, and Leon, and from Teófilo Muro in Tijuana.1 “Many of these shippers ‘lend’ huaraches to each other when an order is too large to be filled by themselves, and take payment after exportation thereof, making only a few cents a pair profit.” (Defendant’s exhibit G, p. 3.) Some of these shippers carried a stock of huaraches and some did not. More specifically, it appears that Salomon Kanosky stocked huaraches purchased from Mexican manufacturers in Mazatlan. Sales were made to purchasers who came to his shop. He made two sales for export. In corroboration of the testimony, hereinabove outlined, defendant’s exhibit E indicates that Fernando Ortiz purchased huaraches from a manufacturer in Oaxaca and sold them to Mexican Artcraft Co. (A. Orlikoff, owner). He did not sell or deliver from stock in the ordinary course of trade. Vicente Zaragosa 2 personally entered his goods in this country and “peddled them around” to shops in Los Angeles. According to defendant’s exhibit F, dated September 15, 1943, Mr. Zaragosa had liquidated the small stock he formerly maintained at Tijuana for sample purposes. Mr. G. Brambila 3 not only sold his own make of huaraches but supplemented his stock by purchases from other Mexican manufacturers. Mr. Isaias Shapov and Mr. Cornelio Diaz made sales on the following bases:

1. The buyer took delivery at San Ysidro at a price exclusive of duty, or

2. The buyer insisted on and got a duty-paid price f. o. b. his place of business, or

3. The merchandise was entered by the seller and disposed of by him to American buyers at a duty-paid f. o. b. price.

Mr. Shapov carried a small stock of huaraches purchased from Joel Reisin, Oaxaca, which he sold for his own account, and also sold huaraches obtained from T. Muro, Tijuana, on a commission basis. Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 Cust. Ct. 517, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1735, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ricks-v-united-states-cusc-1952.