United States v. Schwartz Jewelry Co.

2 Cust. Ct. 1032, 1939 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1733
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJune 15, 1939
DocketNo. 4606; Entry No. 6043
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2 Cust. Ct. 1032 (United States v. Schwartz Jewelry 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. Schwartz Jewelry Co., 2 Cust. Ct. 1032, 1939 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1733 (cusc 1939).

Opinion

Cline, Judge:

This is an appeal for a reappraisement, filed by the collector of customs at the port of Buffalo, of certain cameos and semiprecious stones imported from Wilhelm Klein & Sóhne, the invoice [1033]*1033being dated at Idar-Oberstein, May 10, 1938, and certified by the United States consul at Cologne, Germany, on May 11, 1938.

The merchandise was entered at values in United States currency, plus packing and 2 per centum sales tax, and it was appraised at the entered value. The plaintiff introduced a copy of a report by Treasury Representative Horace A. Browne, dated October 6, 1937, from which it appears that the Treasury representative visited the Association of Precious Stone Workers in Idar-Oberstein and obtained copies of certain price lists. Those particular price lists were not identified but it is stated in the report:

Page 6 of Berlin report No. 290/36 states that the Export List for Cameos and Intaglios and List No. 2 for Cabouchons, Tigereyes, Ringstones, etc., became effective April 1, 1937, subject to the approval of the trade group in Berlin. That approval was secured and the price lists remain in force. These are the prices to American dealers whether or not members of the New York Association of Precious Stone Dealers.
These prices are not restricted to members of the New York association but are freely offered to all dealers, i. e. those who resell in the condition as imported.

It is stated in the report further that there are about 80 dealers in the United States and about 30 of these belong to the New York association; that about 80 per centum of the total sales are made to dealers and 20 per centum to American manufacturers; that the German association has agreed to sell to American manufacturers at prices 15 per centum higher than to American dealers and has raised prices to that extent for cameos and intaglios and also for cabouchons, tigereyes, ringstones, etc.; that an export price list for cameos and intaglios effective June 15, 1937, has been issued (a copy thereof being attached to Exhibit 1). It is stated further as follows:

Por Cabouchons, Tigereyes, Ringstones, etc., i. e., Price List No. 2, no new list has been issued as yet, but will be issued in about one month and copies thereof when received in this office will be forwarded with report. These lists for Cameos, Intaglios, Cabouchons, Ringstones, Tigereyes, etc., are the prices to American manufacturers and are 15% higher than the prices to American dealers, as per association’s agreement (both effective 6/15/37).
The terms are ex-Idar-Oberstein, packing and postage and all other costs extra, less 3% for COD or 2% for 30 days payment.

The plaintiff called John D. Wolf, the United States appraiser at the port of Buffalo, who testified that the instant shipment of semiprecious stones was the first one at these prices received at the port of Buffalo, and he reported it to the United States appraiser at New York, who sent him a report from the Treasury representative at Berlin (Exhibit 1). He compared the invoice items with the price list attached to Exhibit 1 and testified regarding values for the items on the invoice which were shown on the price list. On cross-examination he admitted that he had no information concerning the price list at the time he made his appraisement.

[1034]*1034Leon Hayman, a partner, testified in behalf of the importing firms. He stated that the importer is a jewelry manufacturer; that in April 1937 the stone dealers association in New York tried to induce the German exporters to raise their prices to the American manufacturers-so as to compel the American manufacturers either to pay a higher-price to the German exporters or to purchase the stones from the dealers in the United States; that the dealers association in Germany issued a new price list whereby the American manufacturers were-charged 15 per centum higher prices than was charged to the stone dealers; that the price fist took effect in June 1937, but all the orders that were on hand prior to that date were shipped at the old prices; that the instant shipment was an old order which was priced on the old price list; that as far as he knew there was no importation made at the new price list; that the instructions were received before any shipments were made and he had received cables from the German exporters stating that the new prices were rescinded. On cross-examination the witness stated that he had received merchandise identical to that herein involved since the instant shipment arrived and the-appraiser advised him that the price was 15 per centum higher and he increased the value accordingly upon entry, with the deduction of the 3 per centum cash discount; that he received a copy of the price list attached to Exhibit 1 in April 1937; that the purchase prices are not 15 per centum higher and he does not pay the higher prices.

Counsel for the plaintiff stated that the merchandise should be appraised on the export value and that there was no foreign value, but there is no evidence in the record upon which a finding could be based that there was no foreign value. The appellant in a reappraisement case has the burden of meeting every material issue involved in the case, citing United States v. T. D. Downing Co., 20 C. C. P. A. 251, T. D. 46057; Golding Bros. Co., Inc. v. United States, 21 C. C. P. A. 395, T. D. 46926; Stone & Downer Co. (Dennison Manufacturing Co.) v. United States, 21 C. C. P. A. 479, T. D. 46958. In the case of United States v. T. D. Downing Co., supra, the court said:

We have had frequent occasion to endeavor to point out just what is required and upon whom the duty of proof primarily rests in' appeals to reappraisement. In United States v. Malhame & Co., 19 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 165, T. D. 45276, we-discussed a number of questions relating to reappraisement procedure at considerable length and cited numerous cases in support of the rules there stated. We shall not here restate the principles of law and practice there outlined.
It is sufficient here to bear in mind that the importer having appealed, it was incumbent upon it to show (1) the foreign value and (2) the export value, to the end that the higher might be taken as the dutiable value, or to show (1) a foreign value and the nonexistence of an export value, or (2) an export value and the nonexistence of a foreign value. Being the appealing party, it was incumbent upon it “to meet every material issue involved in the case.” Meadows, Wye & Co (Inc.) et al. v. United States, 17 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 36, 42, T. D. 43324.

[1035]*1035Furthermore, the export value claimed by the plaintiff is not established. It appears from the record that a new price list, which became effective June 15, 1937, was issued by the German association which raised the prices by 15 per centum on cameos and semiprecious stones sold to jewelry manufacturers in the United States only, a cash discount of 3 per centum being allowed, and that the price list did not affect sales to dealers in the United States who resell the stones. It also appears that 80 per centum of the total sales of such goods were made by the German shippers to dealers in the United States who resell and only 20 per centum to American jewelry manufacturers.

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Related

American Shipping Co. v. United States
4 Cust. Ct. 873 (U.S. Customs Court, 1940)

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Bluebook (online)
2 Cust. Ct. 1032, 1939 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1733, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-schwartz-jewelry-co-cusc-1939.