Rotaprint Machines, Inc. v. United States

9 Cust. Ct. 500, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1307
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJune 25, 1942
DocketNo. 5669; Entry No. 37418, etc.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 9 Cust. Ct. 500 (Rotaprint Machines, 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
Rotaprint Machines, Inc. v. United States, 9 Cust. Ct. 500, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1307 (cusc 1942).

Opinion

•Dallingee, Judge:

These appeals to reappraisement involve the question of the dutiable value of certain so-called rotaprint machines imported from Germany and entered at the-port of New York in April and August 1939. The machines covered by reappraisemont appeal 139611-A were described in the invoice as “Two office offset printing and duplicating machines Rotaprint model R-30 without motors and small rollers,” and were entered at 3,900 reichsmarks each less 247.50 reichsmarks for composition on two machines, plus packing. The said machines were appraised at 6,978.50 reichsmarks each, plus packing.

The machines covered by reappraisement appeal 139612-A were described on the invoice as “Two Rotaprint office offset printing and duplicating machines model Rkl, with automatic inking and dampening device,” and were invoiced and entered at 1,021.25 reichsmarks-each, plus packing. They were appraised at 2,040 reichsmarks each, plus packing.

The machines covered by reappraisement appeal 139613-A were described in the invoice as “Two office offset printing and duplicating machines Rotaprint model R-30 without motors,” and were invoiced and entered at 3,900 reichsmarks each, plus packing. They were appraised at 7,226 reichsmarks each, plus packing.'

All of said machines were appraised bn the basis of foreign value. It is claimed that the proper basis for determining dutiable value is the export value, as entered.

At the hearing, held at New York on December 16, 1941, the plaintiff offered in evidence the testimony of Edgar Floer, president and general manager of the plaintiffrcorporation, who testified that he was [501]*501a citizen of the United States; that his corporation was engaged ip the importation of office equipment and supplies from abroad; that in 1939 it imported the machines at bar under a contract with the German manufacturer, dated May 12, 1939, a photostatic copy of which was admitted in evidence as plaintiff’s exhibit 1, and the first part of which reads as follows:

We, Rotaprint Akt.-Ges., Berlin, Germany, herewith confer to you the exclusive right to sell and deal in Rotaprint office offset printing and duplicating machines together with all parts, accessories, materials and supplies for these machines in the following territory:
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire.

The witness then proceeded to testify in part as follows:

Q. Did you have any agreement with the manufacturer whereby the manufacturer was forbidden to sell freely its machines to persons in other states than those enumerated in this contract? — A. No.
Q. Will you state how you knew the manufacturer was carrying on business during this period with persons other than yourself in the United States?- — A. May I explain that a little in detail as to how I know?
Q. Yes. — A. Prior to our own importations, we were purchasing these same equipments and supplies from another organization in another state not mentioned in this contract, and at the termination of their contract with the manufacturer we obtained our contract, and, simultaneously, he signed a contract of the same wording but applying to other states; and he continued doing business at the same time we did, and we used the same forwarding agent and customhouse broker, and I do know entries were made, to the best of my knowledge, during those few months.
Q. And did you have occasion to do business with that other concern during that period? — A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did you sell them machines at times when they were short? — A. Yes, sir.
Q. And did you buy machines from them? — A. Yes, sir.
Q. What is the name of the concern, and where are they located? — A. American Rotaprint Corporation, 1909 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.
Q. Now, during the life of this written contract, Exhibit 1, state what was the relationship existing between your concern and the manufacturer. — A. They were the seller and we were the buyer.
Q. And the machines were all purchased outright by your concern? — A. Yes, sir.
Q. Not consigned to your concern, were they? — -A. No.
Q. Now, will you state what models of machines were covered by these importations. You have the papers before you to refresh your memory. — A. Model Rkl. and Model R-30.
Q. Were these the only machines you imported? — A. The only two types which we imported.
Q. Now, will you state * * * what your purchase price was for these two machines? — -A. The Rkl. machine was purchased by us from the manu[502]*502facturer at Rm. 1,021.25 each, f. o. b. factory,-without packing. The price of the R-30 machine under the same conditions is Rm. 3,900, even.
Q. Have you another invoice from which you might obtain the packing charged? — A. The packing charges for the R-30 machines are Rm. 98 for each.
Q. That was the R-30? — A. Plus Rm. 4.25, making a total of Rm. 102.25 for each R-30 machine.
Q. Have you got anything on the Rkl. for packing?
# % iji :}: ‡ ‡
A. * * * the packing charge for each machine would be Rm. 30.80.
Q. Mr. Floer, were these machines complete when they were imported by you?—
A. No.
Q. Wherein were they incomplete? — A. They are not equipped with an electric motor, which is necessary for their operation, and they are furthermore not assembled for use completely.
Q. What about the ink roller, ink attachments? Were they attached to the machines or imported with the machines? — A. Not always.
Q. In cases where they were not imported with the machines, state what you did to procure such inking devices, if you did procure them. — A. At times these machines arrived without the composition on the ink rollers, which is a rubber product, and made by the rubber manufacturer mostly in Dayton, Ohio, to whom we sent the bare steel shafts so they could weld on the mass of composition and then grind the rollers down to the proper size so they would insure operation of the machine as it was supposed to operate.
Q. Then, after receiving the motors and rolls, state what you did to put the machine in complete condition for operation. — -A. The motor, which we purchased from a domestic manufacturer had to be built into the machine and connected, the proper wiring made, and then the parts of the machine that were not assembled had to be affixed to the machine.
Q. After the machines were completely set up and put into operation, what did you do with these machines? Did you sell them?- — A. We sold them, yes.
Q. To customers in the United States? — A. Yes, sir.
Q. Have you got a list of the persons to whom you sold these machines and the dates on which you sold them? — A. Yes, sir.

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Related

Rotaprint Machines, Inc. v. United States
10 Cust. Ct. 586 (U.S. Customs Court, 1943)

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Bluebook (online)
9 Cust. Ct. 500, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1307, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rotaprint-machines-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1942.