United States v. F. C. Gerlach & Co.

7 Cust. Ct. 494, 1941 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2118
United States Customs Court·Decided September 25, 1941·No. No. 5443; Entry Nos. 749030 and 734222·Published·Cited by 13 cases

Opinion

Cline, Judge:

This is an application for review of the decision of the trial judge in F. C. Gerlach & Co. et al. v. United States, Reap. Dec. 5084, and relates to the value of aluminum foil in rolls exported by Breisgau-Walzwerk of Singen-Hohentwiel, Germany in August and September, 1936.

Reappraisement 128263-A covers aluminum foil .00035-inch gauge, width 16)( inches, entered on the basis of export value at 36% cents, United States currency, per pound, packing included, less consul fee, inland freight and insurance. The merchandise was returned by the appraiser on the basis'of foreign value at 3.50 reichsmarks per kilo, less 2 per centum discount and plus cases and packing.

Reappraisement 128264-A covers aluminum foil .002-inch gauge, width 26% inches, entered on the basis of export value at 44 cents, United States currency, per pound, packing included, less consul fee, insurance, inland freight, ocean freight, and United States duty. The merchandise was invoiced at the delivered price in New York, United States duty included. Return by the appraiser was made on the basis of foreign value at 2.85 reichsmarks per kilo, less 2 per centum discount, plus cases and packing.

The trial judge appraised the merchandise on the basis of export value a,t the entered prices and held that the basis of foreign value was not applicable for purposes of appraisement because aluminum foil which is made for sale and use in Germany is different in several characteristics from that exported to the United States, and, furthermore, the sales of such commodities for use in the home market in Germany were controlled or restricted.

The appellant does not contend before this division that the merchandise should be appraised on the basis of foreign value as returned by the appraiser, the only contention being that the plaintiff below failed to prove all the elements necessary to establish export value and that in the absence of sufficient proof the trial court should have dismissed the appeal.

At the trial below, the first witness called by the plaintiff (the appellees herein) was Mr. Frank Y. Paul who is vice president of Adolphe Hurst & Co., Inc., which company made the entry in re-appraisement 128264-A. He testified that Adolphe Hurst & Co., [496] Inc., is the sole agent in the United States for Breisgau-Walzwerk, of Singen-Hohentwiel, Germany, the shipper of the merchandise in these cases, and he produced a copy of his written contract which was admitted in evidence and marked exhibit 1. The witness explained his usual procedure in making sales in this country as follows:

The procedure which I followed was that * * * I went out and visited and solicited the consuming trade in the United States for this foil. Most of them were known to me personally. When one of them was in the market for aluminum foil, I usually found out from him what quantity he desired and the approximate price he would be willing to pay. The usual procedure was that I cabled the factory abroad, Breisgau-Walzwerk, told them the name of the customer with whom I had negotiated, the tonnage involved, and asked them for their latest quotation by cable, and they usually answered the next day and gave me the quotation for the material. And I went back to the customer with the price ■and tried to obtain the order. In some cases the order was forthcoming, and in others it was not. If the price was in line with the customer’s ideas he placed the order, if it did not meet with his approval, he did not. It was sometimes necessary for us to go back for a second quotation to the factory. In cases where I was successfully able to obtain the order, I went back to the office and usually sent them the order by cable, and immediately sent them a written confirmation by mail, giving them the quantity, the price, and other necessary information. In due course, we got the order acknowledgment from the factory made out to the customer in this country. This confirmation was turned over to them. In due course, the merchandise arrived in this country. It was duly delivered to the customer’s place of business, and in the usual amount of time it was paid for according to the terms.

The witness testified further that Adolphe Hurst & Co., Inc., receives a commission of 5 per centum on all sales they make, and, when they buy merchandise for their own account, they receive a discount of 5 per centum; that sometimes the manufacturer negotiates directly with the customer and on sales made under such circumstances the manufacturer pays his firm the 5 per centum commission when the customer pays Breisgau-Walzwerk for the merchandise; that sales had been made by the manufacturer directly to Standard Rolling Mills, Inc., and also to another firm in Brooklyn, N. Y.; that in cases where his company makes a sale he usually collects the bill, and, after deducting the duty, expenses, and his commission, sends the remaining funds to the manufacturer.

As to the particular shipments herein involved, the witness testified that the merchandise covered by reappraisement 128263-A was sold by him to Standard Rolling Mills, Inc., and the merchandise was shipped by the manufacturer directly to that firm; that entry was made by Standard Rolling Mills, Inc., and payment for the goods was made by them directly to Breisgau-Walzwerk; that the merchandise covered by reappraisement 128264-A was sold by him to Peters Bros. Rubber Co., but the entry was made by Adolphe Hurst & Co.; that in both'instances his firm sent the order to Breisgau-Walzwerk and received a written confirmation from the manufac[497] turer which, was sent by him to the customer; that his firm collected the bill from Peters Bros. Rubber Co., covering the merchandise under reappraisement in 128264-A, and made payment to Breisgau-Walzwerk at the invoice prices less duty, cartage and commission-.

The witness testified further that other manufacturers in Germany sell comparable merchandise to customers in the United States and he had seen foil manufactured by firms other than Breisgau-Walzwerk in places of business of various customers in the United States. A copy of the order to the manufacturer for the merchandise covered by reappraisement 128263-A was admitted in evidence and marked exhibit 2.

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United States v. F. C. Gerlach & Co., 7 Cust. Ct. 494, 1941 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2118 (cusc 1941).

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