United States v. Heemsoth-Kerner Corp.

9 Cust. Ct. 580, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1360
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedSeptember 22, 1942
DocketNo. 5722; Entry No. 812338
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 9 Cust. Ct. 580 (United States v. Heemsoth-Kerner Corp.) 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. Heemsoth-Kerner Corp., 9 Cust. Ct. 580, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1360 (cusc 1942).

Opinion

Keefe, Judge:

This is an application for review of the decision of the trial court, Reap. Dec. 5381. The question involved is whether -or not certain printing type imported from Germany in January 1938,. should be appraised upon the basis of the United States value or the' cost of production. The trial court found the proper basis of appraisement to be the cost of production. The Government has appealed from such finding.

The trial court in its decision has set out a comprehensive statement of the testimony and of the exhibits, and conclusions as to the facts contained therein with which we are substantially in agreement. The court stated:

Upon this record I find the following facts:
1. That the Bauer Type Foundry, Inc., is the sole importer and agent in the United States for the printing type constituting the merchandise at bar.
2. That said Bauer Type Foundry, Inc., sells such type to certain so-called distributors or dealers appointed by it.
3. That said Bauer Type Foundry, Inc., binds itself not to permit its type to be sold by any other person in the respective territory of each distributor.
4. That said distributors or dealers sell the said type in their allotted territories only to consumers at the said retail prices fixed by the Bauer Type Foundry, Inc.
5. That in certain sections of the United States outside of the territories allotted to its distributors, the Bauer Type Foundry, Inc., appoints agents who are given the privilege of selling said type in certain specified areas only at the prices fixed by said Bauer Type Foundry, Inc., the agents receiving certain commissions therefor.
6. That the only type sold by the Bauer Type Foundry, Inc., for resale is that sold to the said distributors, 13 in number, no one of whom may sell to any purchaser outside his respective territory.

In our consideration of the evidence we find it pertinent and essential to enlarge upon some of the facts contained in the record. Exhibit 2 consists of a book of orders for the month of January 1938. It contains all of the transactions entered into by the importer during the period of exportation of the instant merchandise, including the sale of printing type in units of “fonts.” The Government is not in agreement with the importer’s analysis of such sales as set out in collective exhibits A and A-l, considered by the trial court. A careful tabulation by this court of the order sheets contained in exhibit 2 discloses:

First, that there were 841 of such orders involving 828 sales of merchandise, 15 thereof not being printing type; that out of the 813 sales 798 were made throughout the United States and 15 in Canada; that shipment thereof was made from the importer’s place of business in New York City and the shipping expenses with few exceptions were charged to the purchasers.

[582]*582Second, that 536 of said sales were made to consumers in the city pf New York at list prices plus 2 per centum tax (in New York City a 2 per centum sales tax is placed upon all retail sales); that 8 additional sales were made in New York City at list prices, no tax being added, making a total of 544 sales at the importer’s retail list prices.

Third, that 5 sales were made in New York City to two firms, to wit, Damon & Peets, and Zimmer Printers’ Supply, upon which discounts of 20 per centum and 25 per centum respectively were allowed from the list prices.

Fourth, that 99 sales were made at list prices throughout the United States, including 24 sales in New-York State; that these sales were made in 23 states; that in 3 of these sales two dealers received the credit and in 32 sales the agents in various territories received credit; that the order sheets failed to note as to the remainder of these sales whether or not credit was given to agents or distributors, although 22 sales were made in territories of distributors and 4 sales in the territory of the St. Louis agent.

' Fifth, that 51 sales were made to one distributor at list prices less 30 per centum discount and 95 sales were made to ten distributors in territories throughout the United States who received discounts from list prices of 25 per centum.

Sixth, that 4 sales were made at list prices less 20 per centum discount, to wit, 1 each to E. C. Palmer, New Orleans; Bush-Krebs Co., Louisville, Ky.; Bladen-Mathewson Co., Washington, D. C.; and Kelsey Press, Meriden, Conn.

Seventh, that out of the 15 sales to Canadian firms, three received “trade discounts” from thelist prices of 25 per centum upon a total of 8 sales; that one firm, Cornish & Wimpenny, received a 10 per centum “trade discount” upon their first order during January and 20 per centum “trade discount” upon their second order; and that there were five firms to each of whom 1 sale was consummated at the importer’s retail fist p'rices, although it is noted that sales to two of these firms were credited to the Universal Book Mart at 20 per centum and the sale to one other firm was credited to the Toronto Type Foundry. The actual sales record for the month of January shows, therefore, that the importer made 643 sales to consumers or users throughout the United States and 146 sales to distributors; that in the United States at least 8 sales were made at list prices less discounts to purchasers who were not distributors or agents and 1 sale was made to an agent at a 20 per centum discount; and that in Canada 5 sales were made at list prices and 10 sales were made at list prices less “trade discounts.”

In view of the importer’s uncontradicted testimony that in the ordinary course of business sales are made by the importer either directly or through agents to consumers or users at net prices fixed in the retail price list, or by the importer to certain specified distributors [583]*583for resale to consumers or users in their respective territories at fixed net prices, we are of the opinion that such sales were not consummated at freely offered prices, packed ready for delivery in the principal market of the United States to all purchasers at the time of exportation of the imported merchandise, in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade. It might be stressed here that there is but one market in the United States for this class of merchandise, and in such market the importer offers the goods first, to a specified trade, to wit, consumers or users, at fixed prices, and second, to distributors specially selected by the importer who are obliged to sell within specified districts at prices fixed by the importer to consumers or users only and that the price to distributors is granted splely upon condition of resale to users. The control as to use of the merchandise by the distributors may be illustrated by one of the order sheets appearing in exhibit 2, of Mackenzie & Harris, Inc., of San Francisco, a distributor. There it is shown that 5 orders of printing type amounting to $20.75 were used in the distributor’s own shop. The importer billed the distributor for $5.18 additional, noting thereon the following: “25% additional for type used in your own shop.” In our opinion it is apparent that the merchandise was not freely offered for sale in the United States to all purchasers, inasmuch as it was restricted and controlled in respect to sales to distributors.

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Bluebook (online)
9 Cust. Ct. 580, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1360, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-heemsoth-kerner-corp-cusc-1942.