United States v. Mutual Supply Co.

11 Cust. Ct. 461, 1943 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3764
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedNovember 10, 1943
DocketNo. 5950; Entry No. 6693, etc.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 11 Cust. Ct. 461 (United States v. Mutual Supply Co.) 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. Mutual Supply Co., 11 Cust. Ct. 461, 1943 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3764 (cusc 1943).

Opinion

Keefe, Judge:

These applications for review involve importations of baby clams, packed 5, 8, and 16 ounces to the can, and white clams, packed 8 ounces to the can, shipped from Japan between October 1938 and February 1940. The clams were entered to meet advances by the appraiser in previous cases at the American selling prices of competitive articles produced in the United States, under the provisions of section 402 (g) of the Tariff Act of 1930. Clams became the subject of appraisement upon the basis of the American selling price by reason of a proclamation by the President of the United States, as promulgated and published in T. D. 47031, issued [462]*462under and by virtue of section 336 of the Tariff Act of 1930, after investigation by the Tariff Commission. In such proclamation it was decreed that in order to equalize the differences in the cost of production between the foreign article and any like or similar domestic article, assessment of duty at 35 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 721 (b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, on clams other than razor clams and clams in combination with other substances (except clam chowder), packed in airtight containers, shall be taken upon the basis of the American selling price, as defined in section 402 (g) of said act.

It was stipulated and agreed between the parties before the trial court that the export values of the canned clams are represented by the invoice values plus 10 per centum and that the foreign values are not higher.

Considerable testimony was introduced below (1) as to whether or not any American products were like or similar to the imported products; (2) as to the principal market for the clams used as a measure of value by the appraiser; and (3) as to the values thereof in such market upon the various dates of shipment of the clams imported herein.

The plaintiffs below contended that if the clams contained in 5- and 8-ounce tins were to be valued at American selling prices the principal market therefor is the Boston district rather than San Francisco and the values in such market on the dates of shipment herein should prevail; that the clams in 16-ounce cans should not have been appraised on the basis of the American selling price because clams in such sized cans had not been sold or offered for sale by a producer in the United States and the defendant had failed to establish the price which an American producer would have been willing to receive for such merchandise at the time of exportation; and that none of the clams imported herein was like or similar to any article produced in the United States and therefore the export value was the proper basis of appraisement.

The court below held, first, that the clams packed 5 and 8 ounces to the can were dutiable upon the basis of the American selling price of “such, like, or similar” competitive domestic clams as produced and sold by Burnham & Morrill Co. of Portland, Maine, under their B & M brand, and that the principal market for B & M brand clams, packed 5 and 8 ounces to the can, was at Portland, Maine; second, that export value was the proper basis upon which to measure the dutiable value of clams packed in 16-ounce cans, and that such value was represented by the invoice prices plus 10 per centum, as per stipulation, supra, the court stating:

tha,t no such, like, or similar clam was canned and sold in the United States

and

[463]*463testimony as to what they would have received or were willing to receive for clams packed in 16-ounce cans is of little or no value.

The importer-appellant contends that the export values are the dutiable values and that the trial • court erred in finding that the baby and the white clams were similar to Burnham & Morrill Co.’s B & M brand of clams, and in holding such imported clams dutiable upon the basis of the American selling price. Alternatively, it is further contended that, if the imported clams in 5- and 8-ounce cans are dutiable upon the basis of the American selling price, like or similar American articles are more closely represented by Burnham & Morrill Co.’s cheaper Sealpakt brand than by their B & M brand.

The Government-appellant contends that the court below erred in holding that Portland, Maine, was the principal market for the 5- and 8-ounce cans of clams and in adopting the values in such market as the American selling prices to be used as a basis of value of the imported clams; that the lower court erred in not holding that the price the American manufacturer, producer, or owner would have received or was willing to receive for 16-ounce cans of canned clams, when sold in the ordinary course of trade and in the usual wholesale quantities at the time of exportation of the imported article, was the American selling price for duty purposes, and that by reason of the proclamation, supra, clams must be appraised on the basis of the American selling prices of like or similar clams.

After a careful consideration of the voluminous record and the many exhibits admitted in evidence in this case, we are in agreement with the lower court’s holding that the 5- and 8-ounce cans of clams, invoiced as baby clams and white clams, as here imported, are like or similar to the soft clams packed by Burnham & Morrill Co. under their B & M brand. There is nothing appearing in the evidence to establish that the imported articles were culls such as used .by Burn-ham & Morrill in their Sealpakt brand products. In fact, some of the witnesses were of the opinion that the imported clams were superior to the B & M brand clams.

With reference to the principal market of canned clams in the United States, the importers established that Burnham & Morrill Co. sell their merchandise, including canned clams, throughout the United States; that the majority of sales are made through brokers, working on commission, designated by the company to be in charge of their different territories; and that with the exception of the Pacific Coast and New Orleans territories the invoices are made out at Portland, Maine; that on the Pacific Coast the broker sells merchandise, either in the local warehouse or en route to that point, makes out the invoice on behalf of Burnham & Morrill, sends the original of the invoice to the customer and a copy to the home office, and the customer pays Burnham & Morrill at Portland, Maine, in accordance with the bill [464]*464or invoice supplied by tbe broker. Tbe Burnbam & Morrill Co. also sells to wholesale distributors who redistribute to other retail units and to chain stores large enough to maintain a warehouse, who also redistribute to their retail units; and that some sales are made direct to such chain-store customers who use substantial quantities.

To illustrate the different prices in the various markets the evidence disclosed that in Portland, Maine, a 5-ounce can of clams during the year 1940 was sold at a price of $1 per dozen, f. o. b.

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Bluebook (online)
11 Cust. Ct. 461, 1943 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3764, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mutual-supply-co-cusc-1943.