PERIOD TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION BEING RESTRICTED TO LATE JANUARY AND EARLY FEBRUARY 1976 , THOSE STATEMENTS ARE IMMATERIAL .
64 AS REGARDS COMET , THE COMMISSION , IN ESSENCE , STATES IN PARAGRAPHS ( 41 ), ( 50 ), ( 82 ) AND ( 98 ) OF ITS DECISION , THAT THAT UNDERTAKING EXPORTED LARGE QUANTITIES OF PIONEER EQUIPMENT BEFORE RECEIVING MR TODD ' S LETTER BUT THAT THOSE EXPORTS CEASED FOLLOWING THE LETTER , WHEREAS EXPORTS OF OTHER MAKES CONTINUED .
65 THOSE FINDINGS BY THE COMMISSION ARE BASED ON A WRITTEN STATEMENT MADE ON 3 JUNE 1977 BY A DIRECTOR OF COMET , MR MASON , ON THE REPORTS OF ITS INSPECTORS RELATING TO VISITS TO COMET AND EURO-ELECTRO AND ON DOCUMENTS RELATING TO COMET ' S ACCOUNTS . OF THOSE DOCUMENTS , ONLY MR MASON ' S STATEMENT WAS KNOWN TO THE APPLICANTS BEFORE THE ADOPTION OF THE CONTESTED DECISION . AS STATED ABOVE IN PART A ( C ), THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE OTHER DOCUMENTS MUST THEREFORE BE DISREGARDED .
66 AT POINT 3 OF HIS STATEMENT , MR MASON DECLARES THAT , IN ABOUT 1974 , COMET COMMENCED AN EXPORT BUSINESS , MAINLY IN HI-FI EQUIPMENT , TO OTHER EEC COUNTRIES . HOWEVER , UNTIL DECEMBER 1975 , THOSE EXPORTS INCLUDED ONLY SMALL AMOUNTS OF PIONEER EQUIPMENT . ON THE OTHER HAND , IN THE PERIOD FROM 19 DECEMBER 1975 TO 16 JANUARY 1976 , THE DATE OF THE LAST CONSIGNMENT , COMET SOLD TO EURO-ELECTRO IN BRUSSELS PIONEER EQUIPMENT WORTH IN TOTAL MORE THAN UKL 33 000 . IN RESPECT OF THE PERIOD PRIOR TO RECEIPT OF MR TODD ' S LETTER , THE STATEMENT THUS SUPPORTS THE FINDINGS OF THE COMMISSION .
67 AT POINT 5 MR MASON STATES :
' ' ON 30 JANUARY 1976 A LETTER WAS RECEIVED BY THE COMPANY ADDRESSED TO THE CHAIRMAN FROM THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SHRIRO ( UK ) LTD . THE COMPANY WAS ANXIOUS TO PRESERVE ITS GOOD RELATIONS WITH SHRIRO AND TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE OBTAINING SATISFACTORY SUPPLIES . A PLACATORY LETTER WAS THEREFORE SENT TO SHRIRO . FOLLOWING THIS CORRESPONDENCE THE MATTER HAS BEEN DISCUSSED WITH SHRIRO , BUT NOTHING ADDITIONAL TO WHAT IS SET OUT IN THE LETTER OF 30 JANUARY 1976 HAS BEEN SAID . . . . SINCE JANUARY 1976 WE HAVE RECEIVED VARIOUS REQUESTS FOR PIONEER EQUIPMENT FROM ABROAD , BUT BECAUSE OF THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF CREDIT LIMITS ON OUR CUSTOMERS AND AVAILABLE MARGINS , WE HAVE SO FAR ONLY BEEN ABLE TO MEET THESE REQUESTS TO A VERY LIMITED EXTENT , THOUGH THE COMPANY HAS NOW MADE IT CLEAR TO SHRIRO ( UK ) LTD IT MUST BE FREE TO TRADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH EEC LAWS . ' '
68 THE APPLICANTS MAINTAIN THAT , ALTHOUGH THAT STATEMENT IN FACT CONFIRMS THAT NO LARGE QUANTITIES OF PIONEER EQUIPMENT WERE EXPORTED AFTER RECEIPT OF MR TODD ' S LETTER , IT INDICATES ON THE