Advance Solvents & Chemical Corp. v. United States

34 C.C.P.A. 148, 1947 CCPA LEXIS 438
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedFebruary 10, 1947
DocketNo. 4549
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 34 C.C.P.A. 148 (Advance Solvents & Chemical Corp. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Advance Solvents & Chemical Corp. v. United States, 34 C.C.P.A. 148, 1947 CCPA LEXIS 438 (ccpa 1947).

Opinion

Jackson, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a judgment of the United States Customs Court, First Division, C. D. 992, overruling the protest of appellant against the classification by the Collector of Customs at the port of New York, under paragraph 31 (b) (1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, of a cellulose compound known as Tylose imported from Germany.

The paragraph reads as follows:

Par. 31. (b) All compounds of cellulose (except cellulose acetate, but including pyroxylin and other cellulose esters and ethers), and all compounds, combinations, or mixtures of which any sued compound is the component material of chief value:
(1) In blocks, sheets, rods, tubes, powder, flakes, briquets, or other forms, whether or not colloided, not made into finis tied or partly finished articles, 40 cents per pound, except that transparent sheets more than three one-thousandths of one inch and not more than thirty-two one-thousandths of one inch in thickness shall be subject to duty at the rate of 45 cents per pound;

The goods were entered April 17, 1939, and liquidation was made January 9, 1940. The protest, dated January 22, 1940, claimed the merchandise to be properly dutiable as “* * * glue, * * * not specially provided for * * *” under paragraph 41 of the act or as “* * * synthetic gums and resins not specially provided for * * *” under paragraph 11. On October 28, 1942, the protest was amended additionally to claim classification of the goods as a dextrine substitute under paragraph 84 which reads as follows:

Par. 84. Dextrine, made from potato starch or potato flour, 3 cents per pound; dextrine, not otherwise provided for, burnt starch or British gum, dextrine substitutes, and soluble or chemically treated starch, 2 cents per pound.

The case was tried on January 5, 1943, and, upon motion of appellant’s counsel, the record in General Dyestuff Corp. v. United States (protest 21454-K) was incorporated therein.

That case involved merchandise identical with Tylose and its classification by the collector was the same as that applied to the instant merchandise. Entry was made May 18, 1938, and liquidation followed on October 25, 1939.

The importer, represented by the same counsel as appears herein, filed a protest dated December 12, 1939, claiming the goods to be properly classifiable as glue not specially provided for. The protest was amended November 2, 1940, claiming the merchandise to be alternately properly classifiable as synthetic gums and resins not specially provided for. The trial began on December 2, 1940, and after some evidence was heard was continued until February 20, 1941. On that date both sides submitted and briefs were ordered filed. Subsequently at a time not appearing in the record the pro[150]*150test was abandoned by tbe plaintiff before decision and judgment dismissing tbe suit was rendered May 28, 1942.

We have set out tbe various dates so it may appear tbat witbin tbe relatively short period of time between tbe date of entry of tbe goods in tbe incorporated case to tbe date of trial in tbe case in chief, counsel for appellant apparently was not quite certain under which of tbe claimed paragraphs the cellulose ether was properly classifiable.

Tbe only difference between tbe issue in tbe incorporated case and tbe case in chief is tbat in tbe former no claim was made for classification as a dextrine substitute.

Tbe evidence of tbe plaintiff in the incorporated case was offered to prove tbat the merchandise was chiefly used as a glue or gum or resin, as claimed, on tbe theory tbat in both of those claims tbe doctrine of chief use was more specific than tbe paragraph under which it was classified.

It was stipulated in tbe incorporated case that tbe importation was a cellulose ether produced by methylating natural cellulose.

Tylose is a trade name and in tbe record is variously referred to as colloresin, methyl cellulose and Metbocel. It is a white, dry, fibrous substance and in order to be fitted for use is made into solutions of different strengths.

But one witness, employed as chief chemist by appellant, testified to sustain its contention tbat Tylose is a dextrine substitute. Five witnesses appeared for tbe Government whose testimony contradicted tbat contention. Tbe Government produced witnesses who were either highly qualified technically or experienced in tbe commercial manufacturing and selling of cellulose ether and dextrine or both.

In tbe incorporated case, four witnesses, including tbe one heretofore mentioned, testified for tbe importer and seven for tbe Government. All of those witnesses appeared to be well qualified.

Tbe trial court in its decision herein held tbat appellant bad not established by a preponderance of tbe evidence tbat tbe chief use of Tylose is either as a glue or a synthetic gum and therefore overruled tbe protest with respect to those claims. Tbe court further overruled tbe protest with respect to tbe claim tbat tbe imported merchandise is a dextrine substitute basing its bolding principally upon tbe legislative history of paragraph 84 and bolding tbat tbat paragraph, under tbe doctrine of ejusdem generis, is limited to starches and modifications thereof, thus excluding Tylose from classification thereunder.

Tbe court was of opinion tbat tbe evidence disclosed a great number of uses for Tylose as a glue, a gum and a substitute for dextrine “* * * rendering it virtually impossible, even were use tbe controlling factor, to determine on this record which, if any, is tbe chief use.” Tbe court concluded tbat appellant bad failed to establish [151]*151the classification of the collector to be erroneous and that it had not sustained any of its claims.

Appellant contends here, as it did below, that the provisions in the paragraphs under which it claimed are those of use, but since its contention as to chief use of the merchandise is limited in its brief to a dextrine substitute, it will not be necessary to review the testimony with respect to use as a glue, synthetic gum or a resin for the reason that where classification is proper under the doctrine of chief use, the determination must be made by proof of such use. United States v. Boker & Co., 6 Ct. Cust. Appls. 243, T. D. 35472; United States v. Spreckels Creameries, Inc., 17 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 400, T. D. 43835.

The record discloses that dextrines are made from starch by means of heat treatment in the presence of hydrolyzing agents and have no definite or fixed chemical composition. They are products between starches and sugars.

Appellant’s single witness in the case in chief testified that dextrines are used “* * * as paper adhesives in coatings, as thickening agents for dyestuffs, printing pastes, as textile sizings, and as binders for pigments for special purposes, and as protective colloids in emulsions.”

In the incorporated case the same witness testified that he had used Tylose “* * * in water solutions as a sizing, for the preparation of fibrous wallboards, for painting. I have used it in water solution as an emulsifying agent for petroleum oils and paraffin wax.

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34 C.C.P.A. 148, 1947 CCPA LEXIS 438, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/advance-solvents-chemical-corp-v-united-states-ccpa-1947.