United States v. Livingston & Southard, Inc.

23 C.C.P.A. 214, 1935 CCPA LEXIS 263
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedDecember 2, 1935
DocketNo. 3876
StatusPublished

This text of 23 C.C.P.A. 214 (United States v. Livingston & Southard, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Livingston & Southard, Inc., 23 C.C.P.A. 214, 1935 CCPA LEXIS 263 (ccpa 1935).

Opinions

Lenroot, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a judgment of the United States Customs Court, First Division, in two reappraisement proceedings, Nos. 105434-A and 106295-A, which proceedings were consolidated for the purpose of trial.

The merchandise originally involved in these proceedings consisted of 12 instruments known as rotoscopes, imported from England in 1932 and 1933 by appellee, which is the sole agent in the United [215]*215States of the seller of the merchandise, the Scientific Apparatus Co. Six rotoscopes were included in each of said shipments.

They were entered for duty at £50 each, less 40 per centum discount, less 3% per centum cash discount, plus packing, which the ap-pellee claims is the foreign value. They were appraised at £50 each, less 20 per centum discount, less 3% per centum cash discount, plus packing, on the basis of foreign value.

Appellee appealed to reappraisement, and Judge Dallinger, sitting in reappraisement, found that the foreign value of 11 of the rotoscopes was the entered value. As to one of the rotoscopes, designated on the invoice as C732, he affirmed its appraised value. No appeal was taken by the importer with respect to the appraisal of said last-named rotoscope, and its appraisement by Judge Dallinger became final.

Upon an appeal by the Government to the First Division as to the appraisement of said 11 rotoscopes, the judgment of the trial court was affirmed and judgment was entered accordingly. From such judgment this appeal was taken.

Section 402 (c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, under which said appraise-ments were made, reads as follows:

Sec. 402. (c) Foreign Value. — The foreign value of imported merchandise shall be the market value or the price at the time of exportation of such merchandise to the United States, at which such or similar merchandise is freely offered for sale to all purchasers in the principal markets of the country from which exported, in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade, including the cost of all containers and coverings of whatever nature, and all other costs, charges, and expenses incident to placing the merchandise in condition, packed ready for shipment to the United States.

It is conceded that the price of the rotoscopes was £50 each, less certain discounts, the amount of which was dependent upon the number of rotoscopes purchased, and the only issue here is as to the amount of discount that should be allowed in determining the foreign value of the involved merchandise.

Upon the trial before the single judge it was stipulated that the merchandise involved in this case is the same in all material respects as the merchandise covered by reappraisement 98498-A, reported in T. D. 45359, 60 Treas. Dec. 1157, and that the record in said case be incorporated in the instant case. In addition to said record, the only evidence introduced on behalf of appellee was an affidavit by one Noel Arthur Mostyn, the relevant portion of which reads as follows:

Noel Arthur Mostyn, being duly sworn, deposes and says:
(1) I am the secretary of the Scientific Apparatus Company, of Letchworth, England.
(2) I am personally familiar with the sale and exportation of rotoscopes by the said Scientific Apparatus Company to Messrs. Livingston & Southard, Inc., of New York City.
[216]*216(3) All the rotoscopes covered by consular Invoice no. 18230 and certified at London on September 29th, 1932, and shipped on September 30th, 1932, on the steamship American Farmer, marked: “L. & S., B,. 19, N. Y.”, were sold by the said Scientific Apparatus Company to the said Livingston & Southard at s. 130.00 each f. o. b. steamer England.
(4) At the time said rotoscopes were exported from England and long prior thereto there was and now is an agreement whereby the said Livingston & South-ard, Inc., are the sole United States distributors of said rotoscopes and whereby it is agreed that no such rotoscopes will be sold for exportation to the United States except to the said Livmgston & Southard, Inc.
(5) The said Scientific Apparatus Company has at all times sold identical rotoscopes in the home market in England in retail quantities of one directly to the user at the price of £50, each less 20% less &%% discount for cash.
(6) The said Scientific Apparatus Company has at all times and is now offering to sell to all purchasers rotoscopes, identical with those shipped to the said Livingston & Southard, Inc., and covered by the consular invoice above referred to in the usual wholesale quantities of two or more each in the home market in England at a price of £50 each less 30% less 3K% discount for cash and to all purchasers of six or more at £50 each less 40% less 3%% discount for cash.
(7) Attached hereto are true copies of invoices representing sales of rotoscopes identical with those shipped to Livingston & Southard, Inc.

Upon behalf of the Government, in addition to the record stipulated as above, three reports of special Treasury agents were introduced.

This being a reappraisement proceeding, the only question before us is whether or not there is any substantial evidence in the record to support the judgment before us on appeal.

It is conceded that there was no export value of the merchandise by reason of the fact that appellee was the exclusive agent of the seller in the United States, and the appellate division so found. It is also conceded that there is substantial evidence that if 6 or more rotoscopes was the usual wholesale quantity of rotoscopes offered for sale in the principal markets of England at the time of the exportation of the involved merchandise to the United States, the judgment of the appellate division should be affirmed.

The case before us, therefore, depends upon the evidence found in the record with respect to what were “usual wholesale quantities” of rotoscopes offered for sale in England at the time aforesaid.

The evidence is uncontradicted that rotoscopes sold for use in England never exceeded one at a time, and there is, we think, substantial evidence that such sales were directly to users of the instruments. Upon such sales a discount of 20 per centum from the basic price was allowed, which the appraiser found, in the case at bar, should be allowed in determining foreign value. There is evidence of one sale of six rotoscopes to Alfred Herbert, Ltd., which were exported to Japan. The Government, however, claims that said purchaser was the exclusive agent of the seller in Japan, and that it was therefore a restricted sale. There is, however, another sale in 1932 of three rotoscopes for export to Japan, to the same party, after the [217]*217purchaser's agency for Japan, whatever the nature of such agency was, had ceased.

The record further shows a sale of two rotoscopes on November 13, 1930, to H. J. Stockton & Co., London, apparently for export to Japan. It also shows a sale on July 12, 1930, of two rotoscopes to the U. S. A. Export Co., apparently for export to China.

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Bluebook (online)
23 C.C.P.A. 214, 1935 CCPA LEXIS 263, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-livingston-southard-inc-ccpa-1935.