W. X. Huber Co. v. United States

19 Cust. Ct. 284, 1947 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1358
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in W. X. Huber Co. v. United States. Read the opinion of the Court — 19 Cust. Ct. 88
United States Customs Court·Decided November 3, 1947·No. No. 7430; Entry Nos. 8551; 758117, etc.; 1439, etc.·Published

Opinion

Cline, Judge:

This case involves 22 appeals for reappraisement covering merchandise exported from England on various dates between October 2, 1937, and March 30, 1941, and entered at the ports of Los Angeles, Portland, Oreg., and New York. The merchandise consists of earthenware glazed tiles in various designs. Except in reappraisement No. 140441-Á, it was entered at the invoice values which are claimed to represent export value and was appraised on the basis of foreign value. In reappraisement No. 140441-A, the merchandise was entered under duress at a higher value, and was appraised as entered.

The case was heard originally before Judge Dallinger on December 5, 1941, but objection was made to certain exhibits offered by the Government because the samples mentioned therein were not submitted. Judge Dallinger therefore restored the case to the Los Angeles docket in order that the Government might produce the samples. Subsequently, on agreement of both parties, the case was reopened for all purposes, and considerable additional evidence was submitted both in Los Angeles and in New York.

At the original hearing, it was stipulated that

* * * if the court finds there is no foreign market value, and that export value is the proper basis of appraisement then the invoice value represents the correct dutiable export value.

The principal questions involved, therefore, are whether a foreign market exists for this or similar ’merchandise, and if not, whether an export value can be found.

Plaintiffs introduced into evidence an affidavit 'of W. E. Sergeant, commercial and sales manager of the firm of H. & R. Johnson, Ltd., manufacturers of the imported merchandise (exhibit 3). He stated that it was necessary for him to be familiar with the kind and quality of tile bought and sold in Great Britain for home consumption and for export, and that he was personally familiar with the requirements of the markets for which his firm manufactured tile; that H. & R. Johnson, Ltd., offered four grades of tile for home consumption and export to countries other than the United States — Best, Commercial, Seconds, and Thirds; but that the only quality offered and actually sold for export to the United States was Standard Export Quality, described by the witness as follows:

(12) That due to the peculiar demands of the United States market, certain tile, as is hereinbelow more specifically set forth, had to be made specially for said market, which tile could not be sold in Great Britain or for export to other countries; that as a result it was necessary to require that the American purchaser take the run-of-the-kiln, excluding only “pitchers” and bad faults which are after-wards broken and not offered for sale; this enables H. & R. Johnson Ltd., to dispose of practically all of the tile manufactured, without the cost of selection, and enables it to offer said tile at the prices reflected in the invoices to Donald A. Holm, Inc.; that this quality is known as Standard Export Quality, and is not offered by any other English manufacturer and is a term of selection not recognized by the Association;

[286]*286Mr. Sergeant further stated that tile sold to Donald A. Holm, Inc., in 6" x dimensions is known as “liners” and is manufactured solely for export to the United States and must necessarily be sold in Standard Export Quality, “that is, the purchaser must take the run-oi-the-Iciln, as it is impossible to utilize any surplus for sale in any of our other markets”; that he had endeavored to promote the sales of such “liners” in other markets, but only a few isolated sales resulted and these were made only in the Best Quality and not in the ordinary course of trade. As to the other types of the sold to Donald A. Holm, Inc., they were manufactured and sold for home consumption in Great Britain, but not in Standard Export Quality. He explained the differences in the grades of tile sold in the home market as follows: Best is a “superfine selection”; Commercial is a “high selection excluding certain faults, and reasonable consistency in squareness, freedom from warping and even shade and color”; Seconds Quality “is composed of tiles with defects in the course of manufacture such as faults on the face, slightly warped or crooked and approximate in shade,” and Thirds Quality is “tile with similar faults as in Seconds Quality but to a more accentuated degree.”

Defendant offered in evidence a report of Treasury Representative Percy G. Dwyre, dated February 19, 1938 (collective exhibit 5). It is stated therein that the merchandise sold to the United States consists of 6" x K" borders with fittings therefor; that Mr. Sergeant stated that this size was freely offered for sale for home consumption, but that it was not suitable for the English market; that the only prices quoted in the price list were for Best Quality, but that Standard or Commercial Quality would be approximately 25 per centum lower. The report also states:

The usual quality of border tiles sold in the Home Market is “best”, while the quality sold for export to the United States is so-ealled “Standard” or Commercial. Only the prices for the “Best” quality in these sizes are set forth in the price list. It was stated that if “Standard” or commercial quality were sold in such market the price would be approximately 25% lower.

A later report of Treasury Representative Martin H. Rawlyns, dated March 25, 1939, was also introduced into evidence (collective exhibit 4). As to foreign value, the report states that identical and similar merchandise as that sold for export to the United States is freely offered and sold to all purchasers in the home market; that the merchandise sold to Holm was produced primarily for the United States, and that sales in the home market were infrequent and in small quantities; that 6" x border tile was usually sold in Best Quality and only occasionally in the Commercial or run-of-the-kiln Quality. There is attached to this report a price list with the following heading:

[287]*287II. S. A. PRICE-LIST

Prices F. O. B. Liverpool

Commercial Quality

Donald A. Holm, secretary-treasurer of Donald A. Holm, Inc., testified that he was familiar with the importations in these cases and that he had seen a considerable portion of them personally; that the merchandise was imported under a grading known as Standard Export Quality, which consists of approximately a kiln run of production, that is, of material as it comes out of the kiln; and that very often there is a good deal of material that is far below any graded tile. He recalled one shipment of about 2,000 pieces all far below standard, which could not have been shipped as any sort of selection of tile. He added that kiln-run merchandise sometimes has a very small percentage of defective tile and sometimes a hundred per centum, but thej^ had to take and pay for it nonetheless; that the tile they sold was sold as Standard Quality tile, but that they had to segregate it very often when a considerable portion was bad, and a lot of it was thrown on the dump heap.

Defendant had introduced into evidence the samples referred to in the Treasury Agents’ reports above mentioned, and these were marked exhibits 4-H, 5-A, 5-B, and 5-D. The witness Holm described exhibits 4-H and 5-A as liners, and 5-B as trim sections. Plaintiffs then introduced samples illustrative of the imported tile and these were marked plaintiffs’ collective illustrative exhibits 6-A to 6-G. Mr.

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W. X. Huber Co. v. United States, 19 Cust. Ct. 284, 1947 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1358 (cusc 1947).

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