United States v. Nippon Trading Co.

8 Cust. Ct. 658, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 692
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedApril 1, 1942
DocketNo. 5608; Entry Nos. 15589 and 15865
StatusPublished

This text of 8 Cust. Ct. 658 (United States v. Nippon Trading 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. Nippon Trading Co., 8 Cust. Ct. 658, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 692 (cusc 1942).

Opinion

Cline, Judge:

This is an application for review of the decision of the trial judge in Nippon Trading Co. v. United States, Reap. Dec. 5302, covering two appeals, Nos. 108142-A and 108143-A, which were consolidated for trial. This is the second time that the cases have been before this division. They were originally decided by the trial judge in Reap. Dec. 5022. On application for review of that decision, the judgment below was reversed by this division and the case was remanded to the trial judge with instructions to consider a report of Customs Agent Martin G. Scott which was admitted in evidence by the trial judge at the trial as exhibit 2 but was rejected in the decision of the case because the signature of the customs agent was not certified by the properly authorized authorities. Reap. Dec. 5173. Counsel for the importers waived the certification at the trial and made objection to the exhibit only on the ground that .the statements therein are irrelevant. In the second decision of the trial judge, the one now up for review, exhibit 2 was weighed and judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiff, holding that a buying commission of 10 per centum added on entry to meet advances of the appraiser in a test case was not a part of the export value of the merchandise.

An examination of the papers in the case shows that the entries were made at the unit invoice prices. The invoices cover a variety' of articles. For instance, the invoice covered by reappraisement 108142-A covers decorated porcelain and earthenware, brooms, paper dusters, lacquered wooden bowls, fur slippers, silk pin cushions, wooden cabinets, bone charms and beads, lacquered photograph stands, incense burners, and cuff buttons. Certain charges are added at the bottom of the invoice, one of which is “buying commission 10% on ¥1,533.08 — ¥153.31.” This commission was not computed on the total value of the invoice, which is ¥1,706.98. The commission and certain nondutiable charges were deducted on entry. The record contains also a copy of an application by the importer to amend the entry by adding the following:

10% buying commission_ ¥81. 84
On entire shipment add transportation charge_ 6. 88
¥88. 72

[660]*660The numbers of the cases of merchandise on which the 10 per centum commission was added are enumerated on this application and they include only the cases containing the decorated porcelain and earthenware from Goshigaisha Imoto Shoten. This application to amend was accepted by the collector. We note that this 10 per centum buying commission which was added on entry includes only ¥ 81.84 of the commission ¥153.31 added on the invoice.

The same condition prevails with respect to the invoice covered by reappraisement 108143-A. The importer added on entry a commission of ¥25.39, amounting tó 10 per centum of the decorated porcelain from Goshigaisha Imoto Shoten, instead of the commission of ¥63.76 added on the invoice and deducted on entry before the amendment.

The certificates filed under the authority of section 489 of the Tariff Act of 1922 attached to the invoice show that the sums ¥81.84 and ¥25.39 respectively were added on the entries to meet advances by the appraiser on entry 25640.

The merchandise was appraised at the entered values and the plaintiff below claims that the 10 per centum commission added on entry to meet the advances of the appraiser on the porcelain and earthenware from Goshigaisha Imoto Shoten is not a part of the value of the merchandise.

The record contains documentary evidence only. Exhibit 1 is an affidavit of Kojiro Kato, executed before the American vice consul on October 23, 1939. Exhibit 2 is a report of Customs Agent Martin G. Scott, dated at Kobe, Japan, on December 17, 1929. Exhibit 3 is another report of Customs Agent Martin G. Scott, dated at Kobe on March 18, 1930.

In exhibit 1 the affiant states that in November and December, 1929, he was employed by Nippon Boyeki Shokai of Nagoya, Japan, and that his duties with said firm consisted in part of purchasing various types of merchandise and of arranging the shipment thereof to the Nippon Trading Co., of San Francisco, which company is the importer herein; that during'this time he purchased and shipped the following:

(2) 45 cases porcelain, earthenware, manufacture of paper, and manufacture of grass, etc., purchased from Goshigaisha Imoto Shoten and others, of Nagoya, Japan, as per order of Nippon Trading Co. accepted by Nippon Boyeki Shokai December 15, 1929, and forwarded per steamer Bordeaux Maru under American consular invoice 123, dated January 25, 1930 at Nagoya.
(3) 30 cases decorated chinaware and earthenware, purchased from Goshigaisha Imoto Shoten and others of Nagoya, Japan, as per order of Nippon Trading Co. accepted by Nippon Boyeki Shokai December 15, 1929, and forwarded per steamer Tatsuno Maru under American consular invoice 133, dated January 27, 1930 at Nagoya.

[661]*661The exhibit contains also the following statement:

That in arranging for the purchase and shipment of above-described merchandise Nippon Boyeki Shokai acted only as agent of Nippon Trading Co., and the only things done by Nippon Boyeki Shokai in these transactions were the purchase and shipment of the articles. No process of manufacture or any similar work was performed or supervised by Nippon Boyeki Shokai, and the articles were shipped in exactly the same condition as when purchased.

An inspection of the papers shows that ,the merchandise in consular invoice 123 is covered by reappraisement 108142-A and that covered by consular invoice 133 is covered by reappraisement 108143-A.

Exhibit 2 is dated December 17, 1929, which- is slightly over a month prior to the shipment of the goods in the cases herein involved. The report reads in part as follows:

Complaints having been received from the trade that Imoto & Company, Naygoya, were underselling porcelains in the United States, particularly in New York, an investigation has been made into the activities of this firm, and the following report thereon is herewith respectfully submitted:
The office of this firm is at Shumokucho, Higashi-ku, Nagoya. The file of Consular invoices, from August to date was secured from the Consulate at Nagoya for the purposes of this investigation. These invoices show the firm ships to—
Imoto Bros. Inc., 17 East 17th St., New York.
Nippon Trading Company, 420 Grant Avenue, San Francisco.
Nippon Importing Company, 218 South 18th St., Omaha, Nebr.
Of the above firms, Imoto Bros., New York, and the Nippon Trading Company, San Francisco, are affiliated with Imoto & Co., Nagoya. The firm operates in Japan under the name of Nippon Boyeki Shokai (Nippon Trading Company). All invoices are made out in Nagoya, though merchandise is bought in Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto and other producing districts.

The report states further:

December 10th, a visit was made to the office of Imoto & Co., (Nippon' Boyeki Shokai), Shumokucho, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, their Mr. Tamesaburo Imoto, Partner, interviewed, and the following information secured, verified unless otherwise stated by the firm’s books and records:

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Bluebook (online)
8 Cust. Ct. 658, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 692, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-nippon-trading-co-cusc-1942.