United States v. S. S. Kresge Co.

30 Cust. Ct. 645, 1953 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 489
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMay 19, 1953
DocketA. R. D. 24; Entry No. 816484, etc.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 30 Cust. Ct. 645 (United States v. S. S. Kresge 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. S. S. Kresge Co., 30 Cust. Ct. 645, 1953 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 489 (cusc 1953).

Opinion

Johnson, Judge:

This application for review by the Government of the decision and judgment of the trial court (Reap. Dec. 8127) was filed against the value found for the celluloid-covered thumb tacks, 50 pieces mounted on each board, by reason of the holding that the export value, as that value is defined in section 402 (d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, is the proper basis for determining the value of the merchandise, and that such export value, which was the purchase price, was not less than the foreign market value, and that, consequently, the Antidumping Act of 1921 does not apply, contrary to the finding of the appraiser.

The Government contends that plaintiff’s exhibit 1 merits no probative weight and fails to overcome the presumption attaching to the appraiser’s action; also, that the evidence of the Government fully supports a finding that the purchase price, under section 203 of the Antidumping Act of 1921 (19 U. S. C. § 162), is less than the foreign market value under section 205 of said act. Consequently, special dumping duties, under the provisions of section 202 (a) of said Anti-dumping Act, are just and proper. Counsel for the Government [646]*646stresses the fact that Government’s exhibit 2 evidences an inland price list of the exporter which shows prices for celluloid-covered thumb tacks on cardboards with 50 tacks, single colored or striped, for size 2, the size here in question, at EM 93 per 1,000 cardboards; that page 6 of Government’s exhibit 4 contains the exporter’s price list showing inland sales, and particularly that the several thumb tacks illustrated fall under the following association groups:

* * * Group VI “Cello” celluloid-covered head, also lacquered-head, one color or striped.

The Government insists that the evidence in these exhibits supports the findings of the appraiser that the purchase price is lower than the foreign market value, particularly for the reason that the exporter had published a price list, effective April 1, 1936, for inland or home consumption sales which included the celluloid-covered thumb tacks on cardboards with 50 tacks, and contends that such price list establishes that the tacks in question were, for that reason, freely offered for sale; that Government’s exhibit 5 discloses that the association price list, effective April 1, 1936, remained unchanged in 1938, thus establishing that the prices and terms were in effect on the dates of purchase as well as the dates of exportation of the thumb tacks here in question. From such exhibits, counsel for the Government contended that the foreign value was EM 93 per 1,000 boards, less 33K per centum trade discount, less 3 per centum cash discount, which, according to his calculations, would equal EM 60.14 per 1,000 boards, and which, when reduced to the price per gross boards of 50, is EM 8.6602. Eespecting the goods covered by reappraisement 125792-A, the purchase price was calculated as EM 8.5510. In view of such findings, counsel for the Government sought to establish that the dumping duties were properly applicable, the home market selling price being greater than the purchase price herein. Counsel for the Government admits, however, that the statutory purchase price, as calculated, would vary with each of the shipments herein.

The Government does not dispute the fact that the actual purchase price is EM 8.85, less 3 per centum per gross boards, but contends that such price does not represent the statutory purchase price under the provisions of section 203 of the Antidumping Act, because, under that act, in order to obtain the required statutory price more than the invoice purchase price and the discount must be considered. In other words, the Antidumping Act not only provides for sales in the home market, but for sales and offers for sale to countries other than the United States as representative of a foreign market value thereunder.

The Government urges that no probative weight should be accorded to plaintiff’s exhibit 1 by the court, not only because it was obtained many years after the transactions in question were consummated, but [647]*647also because under Brooks Paper Company v. United States, 40 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 38, C. A. D. 495, a statement appearing in the affidavit that the vast majority of sales at wholesale for export to the United States and to other countries were in quantities of 1,000 gross boards or more, falls short of establishing the usual wholesale quantity. In that respect, the case of Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. United States, 31 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 36, C. A. D. 246, was also cited.

The provisions of the Antidumping Act of 1921, so far as applicable, provide:

DUMPING INVESTIGATION.
Sec. 201. (a) That whenever the Secretary of the Treasury (hereinafter in this Act called the “Secretary”), after such investigation as he deems necessary, finds that an industry in the United States is being or is likely to be injured, or is prevented from being established, by reason of the importation into the United States of a class or kind of foreign merchandise, and that merchandise of such class or kind is being sold or is likely to be sold in the United States or elsewhere at less than its fair value, then he shall make such finding public to the extent he deems necessary, together with a description of the class or kind of merchandise to which it applies in such detail as may be necessary for the guidance of the appraising officers.
SPECIAL DUMPING DUTY.
Sec. 202. (a) That in the case of all imported merchandise, whether dutiable or free of duty, of a class or kind as to which the Secretary has made public a finding as provided in section 201, and as to which the appraiser or person acting as appraiser has made no appraisement report to the collector before such finding has been so made public, if the purchase price or the exporter’s sales price is less than the foreign market value (or, in the absence of such value, than the cost of production) there shall be levied, collected, and paid, in addition to the duties imposed thereon by law, a special dumping duty in an amount equal to such difference.
PURCHASE PRICE.
Sec. 203.

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Related

F. W. Woolworth Co. v. United States
34 Cust. Ct. 459 (U.S. Customs Court, 1955)
S. S. Kresge Co. v. United States
32 Cust. Ct. 566 (U.S. Customs Court, 1954)

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Bluebook (online)
30 Cust. Ct. 645, 1953 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 489, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-s-s-kresge-co-cusc-1953.