United States v. Collin

4 Cust. Ct. 622, 1940 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3928
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedFebruary 6, 1940
DocketNo. 4723; Entry No. 102-H
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 4 Cust. Ct. 622 (United States v. Collin) 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
United States v. Collin, 4 Cust. Ct. 622, 1940 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3928 (cusc 1940).

Opinion

Evans, Judge:

This is an application by the Government for review of a decision and judgment of a single judge sitting in reappraisement involving the dutiable value of one beer-barrel cleaning or washing machine exported from Germany July 11, 1934. Entry was made at the port of Houston, Tex., at the invoice price of $3,300. The local appraiser appraised the machine at 12,511.30 reichsmarks net, packed, on the basis of the cost of production as defined in section 402 (f) of the Tariff Act of 1930. The single judge in Reap. Dec. 4580 found the dutiable value to be the United States value as defined in section 402 (e) of said tariff act, and found that value to be $3,529.92.

The statute (section 402 (a) of the Tariff Act of 1930) provides that the value for duty purposes shall be the foreign value or the export value, whichever is higher; that if neither of those values can be satisfactorily ascertained by the appraiser then the United States value shall be taken; and that in the absence of any of the values mentioned above, the value shall be based upon the cost of production. Said section 402 defines the different values named in sections (c), (d), (e), and (f) thereof.

The question of export value is not involved in the instant case as the record shows that the importer is the exclusive agent in this country for the foreign manufacturer.

The Government, the appellant herein, claims that the evidence does not negative the existence of a foreign value for this machine, and, further, that the importer has not sustained his burden of proving all the elements of United States value as defined by the statute. Alternatively, it is claimed that the presumption of correctness of the local appraiser’s finding not having been overcome by the importer, such presumptively correct appraised value should have been found to be the dutiable value.

[623]*623The contentions of the appellee, as set forth in its brief, are as follows:

(1) That no foreign value existed for the instant machine since such or similar machines were not freely offered for sale either for home consumption in Germany or for export to countries other than the United States;
(2) That imported machines such as or similar to that herein was freely offered for sale to all purchasers in the United States;
(3) That the United States value as represented by the price at which such or similar imported machines were freely offered for sale to all purchasers in the United States, less statutory deductions, is the proper value; and
(4) That the cost of production as determined by the appraiser, does not conform with the requirements of section 402 (f) of the Tariff Act of 1930.

Judge Dallinger, sitting as a trial judge below, found the following facts:

1. That at the time of the exportation thereof there was no foreign-market value for the merchandise at bar, as the barrel washing machines sold for home consumption in Germany, or for exportation to countries other than the United States, were of a different type of construction, and therefore not similar to the barrel-washing machine at bar.
2. That at the time of the exportation thereof there was no export value for the machine at bar since all sales for export to the United States were made under an exclusive selling agreement between the manufacturer and the importer herein.
3. That at the time of exportation such or similar machines to that involved herein were freely offered for sale to all purchasers in the United States, a single machine being the usual wholesale quantity.
4. That at the time of exportation the price at which such or similar imported machines were freely offered for sale to all purchasers in the United States, in the usual wholesale quantity and in the ordinary course of trade was $5,500 per machine.
5. That the general expenses during the year 1934 in the importation and sale of these machines amounted to 8.97 per centum; that the profit accruing on the sale of said machines amounted to 9.02 per centum; and that the ocean freight on each of said machines amounted to $100.53, and the insurance on each machine amounted to $18.82; and that the customs duty paid on each machine was at the rate of 27% per centum ad valorem.

From these facts the trial judge found as a matter of law that the proper basis of appraisement was the United States value. He further found that such United States value was $5,500, less the statutory deductions prescribed in section 402 (e), sufra, as follows:

United States selling price_$5, 500. 00
Less 8 per centum general expenses and 8 per centum profit_ 880. 00
4, 620. 00
Less Ocean Freight_ 100. 53
4, 519. 47
Less insurance_ 18. 82
4, 500. 65
Less customs duties ($4,500.65-5-1.275)_ 970. 73
United States value and dutiable value_ 3, 529. 92

[624]*624We think it is unnecessary and would extend this decision unduly to set out in detail the evidence adduced at the trial below. The Government, in support of its claim that this machine should have been appraised upon the basis of foreign value, produced Exhibits 16, 17, and 18, being entries filed at the port of New York at various dates during the year 1934, which covered identical machines from the same manufacturer, which the importer admitted he had entered at the port of New York on the basis of foreign value. In passing upon the admissibility of the aforesaid exhibits the court made the following statements:

Counsel for the Government contends that said entries should be admitted on the ground that they are admissions against interest. After mature consideration I have decided to admit them as Exhibits 16, 17, and 18, respectively, although I do not consider that they have any real probative value in ascertaining United States value in the instant case.

The Government attorney in offering these entries clearly stated that they constituted some evidence of a foreign value and since the importer had admitted that he entered at foreign value, they amounted to an admission on his part of the existence of a foreign-market value. They were not offered as having any bearing upon the question of United States value. We will therefore examine these documents to determine what they do show.

Exhibit 16 is an entry made April 5, 1934, of a similar machine wherein the value was given as 12,856.50 reichsmarks from which certain nondutiable charges were deducted. On April 11, 1934, an amended entry was presented to the entry division wherein the importer sought to deduct from his original entered value a certain sum of money to make United States value. On May 22, 1934, he presented another amendment to said entry in which he sought to deduct a slightly smaller amount to make United States value. On June 3, 1937, he presented and there was accepted, an entry on the original basis of valuation which amended entry went to liquidation. On the face of the consular invoice we find the statement:

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Bluebook (online)
4 Cust. Ct. 622, 1940 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3928, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-collin-cusc-1940.