United States v. S. Shamash & Sons, Inc.

32 Cust. Ct. 665, 1954 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2232
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedApril 21, 1954
DocketA. R. D. 41; Entry No. 13259
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 32 Cust. Ct. 665 (United States v. S. Shamash & Sons, Inc.) 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. Shamash & Sons, Inc., 32 Cust. Ct. 665, 1954 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2232 (cusc 1954).

Opinion

Johnson, Judge:

This is an application for review of a decision and judgment of the trial court (Ford, J.), decided April 7, 1953, involving the proper dutiable value of silk piece goods exported from Japan on or about October 6, 1950, S. Shamash & Sons, Inc. v. United States, 30 Cust. Ct. 527, Reap. Dec. 8208.

The merchandise is described on the invoice as “Japanese Silk Flat Ceepe, 16 Momme, Bleached, Size 36" x 50 yds. Grade: A & B.” It was originally entered at 90K cents per yard, but, subsequently, by amendment, the entered value was reduced to 70 cents per yard. It was appraised as entered on April 25, 1951.

[666]*666The importer contended before the trial court that the proper basis of value was the export value, as defined in section 402 (d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, and that said value was 80 cents per yard. The Government claims that the appraised value is the correct dutiable value. The position of the importer in claiming a higher valuation than the appraised value is explained by the fact that a lower rate of duty applies to silk piece goods valued at more than $5.50 per pound than to such goods valued at $5.50 per pound or less. (Paragraph 1205, Tariff Act of 1930, and said paragraph, as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T. D. 51802.)

The trial court found that the proper basis of valuation for the merchandise herein was the export value, that such value was 90 cents per yard, and that the foreign value was no higher. In appealing from that decision, the Government claims that the evidence does not support the findings of the lower court, that the appraised value represents the correct dutiable value, and that the importer has failed to overcome the presumption of correctness attaching to the appraiser’s action.

Since a detailed analysis of the evidence appears in the decision of the trial judge, we believe it would serve no useful purpose to outline the facts again, but they will be referred to as necessary in considering the questions raised by this appeal.

At the outset, particular attention should be paid to the fact that the date of exportation herein was October 6, 1950. The time factor is of importance because the prices quoted in the offers and sales in evidence herein vary from day to day within a range of 70 cents to 90 cents per yard. In accordance with section 402 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Customs Administrative Act of 1938, the dutiable value (whether foreign, export, or United States) is based upon the market value or price at the time of exportation of the merchandise. Consequently, offers and sales made considerably before or after the date of exportation may be too remote, especially where the market is not steady. Roessler & Hasslacher Chemical Co. v. United States, 1 Ct. Cust. Appls. 290, T. D. 31353; United States v. New York Merchandise Co., Inc., 31 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 213, C. A. D. 274; Sunshine Mushroom Imptg. Corp. v. United States, 1 Cust. Ct. 749, Reap. Dec. 4457.

The instant merchandise was purchased by the importer pursuant to an offer from Maruyei Co., Inc., Osaka, Japan, dated August 14, 1950, for 70 cents per yard. There was evidence that this merchandise was offered only to the importer and that it consisted of so-called Kodan goods, that is, that it had been obtained from an official Government agency, the Textile Foreign Trade Association, or Kodan. Kodan was organized to purchase and sell surplus silk piece [667]*667goods, which, it disposed of at certain stated times and in limited quantities. It did not offer the goods to all purchasers in the ordinary-course of trade but only on a contract or a sealed bid basis. Applications for purchase had to be received on certain dates, the right to inspect the goods was conditional, the agency reserved the right to suspend sales and to reject bids which were unsatisfactory, and there was no guarantee of the quality of the goods.

The record contains evidence of another sale at 70 cents per yard, by Japan Cotton and Trading Co. to the importer on September 15, 1950. This was also Kodan goods and was offered only to the importer.

We are in agreement with the holding of the trial judge that these sales do not establish the value of the merchandise in accordance with the requirements of section 402, not only because the merchandise was not freely offered to all purchasers in the ordinary course of trade, but also because, under the circumstances of this case, the dates are too far removed from the date of exportation herein.

The Government has also introduced evidence of certain sales of 16-momme crepe silk on October 26, 30, and 31, 1950. These sales not only occurred a considerable time after the date of exportation, but they involved crepe 40" wide, whereas the instant merchandise is 36" wide. The Government claims they are, nevertheless, evidence of the value of the imported fabric on the ground that, according to the witness Henry Otten, the price for 40" goods is the basic price for 36" goods, plus one-ninth for the increase in width. However, dutiable value must be determined under the statute by offers and sales and not by means of a mathematical computation. United States v. Alatary Mica Co., 19 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 30, T. D. 44871. In the case relied upon by the Government, United States v. Arkell Safety Bag Co., 22 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 258, T. D. 47210, it was held that value should have been found on the basis of the value of the paper per se, not the rolls in which it was wound. The court pointed out that the controversy did not depend upon any difference in the width or size of the paper sold for domestic use and that exported, but solely upon the difference in the diameter of the rolls. The court did not pass upon the correctness of the appraiser’s ap-praisement or his methods of calculation of value.

In the instant case, the difference between the two articles is the width of the silk, not the method of packing. The Arkell Safety Bag Co. case is not in point.

In order to establish a value other than the appraised value, the importer submitted a number of affidavits executed by members or employees of firms engaged in the silk piece goods business in Japan and several price lists and quotations on various dates between September 10 and October 30, 1950.

[668]*668The Government has endeavored to cast a doubt on the authenticity of the affidavits on the ground that they contain identical language. An examination of these documents discloses that they are not identical, but that similar phraseology has been used in the statements having to do with market value or price. In this, they merely follow the definition of export value given in section 402 (d). There is nothing in the record tending to impeach the veracity of the affiants or to indicate that the affidavits are not authentic.

As the trial judge pointed out, some of the affidavits state that the price at which this merchandise was freely offered for sale on October 6, 1950, to all purchasers in the usual wholesale quantities in. the ordinary course of trade in the principal markets of Japan, was “ ‘approximately’ 80 cents per yard.” We are in agreement that such statements are entitled to little weight due to the indefinite language used.

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Bluebook (online)
32 Cust. Ct. 665, 1954 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2232, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-s-shamash-sons-inc-cusc-1954.