Wm. A. Foster & Co. v. United States

22 Cust. Ct. 412, 1949 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1786
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedFebruary 24, 1949
DocketNo. 7673; Entry No. 740264, etc.
StatusPublished

This text of 22 Cust. Ct. 412 (Wm. A. Foster & Co. v. United States) 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
Wm. A. Foster & Co. v. United States, 22 Cust. Ct. 412, 1949 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1786 (cusc 1949).

Opinion

Lawrence, Judge:

The twelve appeals listed in schedule “A”, hereto attached and made a part hereof, involve the question of the proper dutiable value of certain metal-covered paper. The paper was exported from Germany between October 4, 1934, and June 19, 1936, and entered at the port of New York on various dates between October 15, 1934, and July 1, 1936. The merchandise was entered at various prices, less nondutiable charges, such as freight, insurance, duty, etc., [413]*413and although it is stated on the papers attached to the invoices that these deductions were taken to make United States value, it is now contended that they were really deductions to make export value. The merchandise was appraised on the basis of foreign value at a considerable advance in each case.

Plaintiffs contend that there was no foreign value for this merchandise because there was a controlled market for such or similar merchandise in Germany during the period in question, and that the entered values are the proper dutiable export values. Defendant contends that there was no controlled foreign market and that therefore the appraised values represent the proper dutiable foreign market values for such or similar merchandise.

At the trial, when the plaintiffs rested, defendant moved to dismiss these appeals on the ground that plaintiffs had failed to establish a prima facie case. The motion which was taken under advisement is denied and an exception allowed. Moreover, it should be noted that the merchandise was appraised subsequent to the effective date of the Customs Administrative Act of 1938. Following the construction placed upon said act, as announced by our appellate court in United States v. Fischer, 32 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 62, C. A. D. 286, it is my duty in any event to find a value for the merchandise herein.

The record consists of the testimony of two witnesses; a copy of a contract between the exporter and Bradley & Baker, one of the importers; three affidavits, offered by the plaintiffs; and one special agent’s report, offered by the defendant. In many respects, the special agent’s report supports and confirms the evidence offered by the plaintiffs.

First, I shall consider the question of whether or not the market in Germany for such or similar merchandise to that here involved was a controlled market. On this phase of the case, I have the affidavit (exhibit 2) of the managing director of the aluminum foil association and the convention for aluminum-covered paper, cartels comprising as its members all the manufacturers of metal-covered paper in Germany. In this affidavit the affiant avers that, during the period here in question, these cartels fixed the prices at which metal-covered paper was sold in Germany by its members; that a penalty of 1 EM. per kilogram was levied if metal-covered paper were sold for consumption in Germany at prices lower than those fixed by this cartel; that these cartels had lists of individuals, partnerships, corporations, and other concerns to whom the members could sell metal-covered paper for home consumption in Germany; that members of these cartels were prohibited from selling metal-covered paper to any individual, partnership, corporation, or other concern who was not on the approved list; and that this list did not include all the possible purchasers of metal-covered paper.

[414]*414Affiant further states that these cartels required their members to stipulate in their offers to sell and in their sales of metal-covered paper to consumers in Germany that they must utilize the metal-covered paper and must not resell it; that those who violated this restriction were assessed a penalty or fine of 1 KM. per kilogram of the merchandise so sold without restriction for each violation; and that during the period of these importations this penalty was invoked in several instances. Further, it is stated that these cartels penalize any and all purchasers of metal-covered paper for violation of the restrictions hereinbefore set out by refusing such violators further deliveries of metal-covered paper.

The affiant further states:

That the purposes of the cartels comprising all of the manufacturers of Alu-minium Foil and Aluminium Metal Covered Paper in Germany during the period from January 1, 1934, to the date of the signing of this affidavit [October 18, 1939], are to control and direct the entire disposition of Aluminium Foil an [sic] Alu-minium Metal Covered Paper manufactured in Germany from the time of manufacture to the time of consumption in Germany; that the cartels control the prices and conditions under which Aluminium Foil and Aluminium Metal Covered Paper are offered for sale and sold for home consumption in Germany and imposes restrictions on the purchasers in exercising this control; that the cartels fix the penalties for all violators of prices and restrictions, and that the restrictions and penalties are made known to the purchasers at the time the Aluminium Foil and Aluminium Metal Covered Paper are offered for sale.

In collective exhibit 3 the affiant states that the exporter herein was a member of the aforesaid cartel and outlines the procedure followed by the exporter in complying with the requirements and restrictions imposed by the cartel.

Collective exhibit 4 is an affidavit by a director of the exporting corporation. The period of time covered by this affidavit runs from January 1, 1935, to June. 17, 1940. Affiant details a number of different kinds and qualities of metal-covered paper and lists the prices at which the same were offered for sale and sold, attaching copies of invoices as supporting evidence.

The evidence in this case as to the absence of a foreign market value for the merchandise here involved is essentially the same as that in the cases of United States v. Hensel, Bruckmann & Lorbacher, Inc., 7 Cust. Ct. 355, Reap. Dec. 5329; United States v. Nicholas Gal et al., 15 Cust. Ct. 395, Reap. Dec. 6192; and United States v. Wm. A. Foster & Co., Inc., 34 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 9, C. A. D. 336. Following the principles announced in the above authorities, I find and hold that that there was no foreign market value for the involved merchandise by reason of the controls and restrictions imposed by the German cartels.

Turning now to the question of whether or not plaintiffs have established an export value for the instant merchandise, counsel for the [415]*415defendant contends that the proof is lacking as to the nsual wholesale quantity in which the merchandise was freely offered for sale. The answer to this contention is to be found in the record where two well-qualified witnesses testified that the price did not vary with the quantity purchased. Under this state of facts, it is not necessary for me to find what constitutes a usual wholesale quantity. Jenkins Brothers v. United States, 25 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 90, T. D. 49093.

Plaintiffs’ witnesses- testified, without contradiction, as to the principal markets for the sale of this merchandise. As to the actual price at which this merchandise was freely offered for sale and sold to all purchasers, it is true, as pointed out by defendant in its brief, that there are slight variations in prices shown on the different invoices before us, but as stated by one of plaintiffs' witnesses: “* * * there’s nothing startling about that.” Few prices remain constant over a long period of time.

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Related

United States v. Hensel, Bruckmann & Lorbacher, Inc.
7 Cust. Ct. 355 (U.S. Customs Court, 1941)
United States v. Gal
15 Cust. Ct. 395 (U.S. Customs Court, 1945)

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Bluebook (online)
22 Cust. Ct. 412, 1949 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1786, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wm-a-foster-co-v-united-states-cusc-1949.