Ayrton Metal Co. v. United States

8 Cust. Ct. 29, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJanuary 5, 1942
DocketC. D. 577
StatusPublished

This text of 8 Cust. Ct. 29 (Ayrton Metal 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
Ayrton Metal Co. v. United States, 8 Cust. Ct. 29, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2 (cusc 1942).

Opinion

Dallinger, Judge:

Tbis is a suit against the United States, arising at tbe port of New York, brought to recover certain customs duties alleged to have been improperly exacted on a particular importation described in the invoice as “tin lead alloy in slabs.” The merchandise was classified by the collector of customs as solder under paragraph 392 of the Tariff Act of 1930, and duty was assessed on the lead contained therein at the rate of 2/4 cents per pound in accordance with the provision of said paragraph- It is claimed that said merchandise is properly entitled to free entry under the provision in paragraph 1786 of said act for “alloys in chief value of tin not specially provided for.”

At the first hearing, held at New York on May 13, 1940, a motion for the issuance of a commission out of this court was granted to take the testimony of B. F. Ewell, president of the Rochester Lead Works, Incorporated, at Rochester, N. Y., and of J. N. Novasel, president of the Victory White Metal Co. at Cleveland, Ohio, over the objection of counsel for the Government on the ground that such testimony was immaterial. Both of said commissions were returned and filed in this court.

At the second hearing, held at Now York on March 10, 1941, a report showing an analysis of a sample of the imported merchandise submitted by H. W. Eckweilcr, Government chemist, was admitted in evidence as exhibit 1. This report reads as follows:

The sample is solder metal containing:
46.3% lead
0.5% antimony
Remainder — tin
Copper and zinc not more than trace.

Upon this report it was stipulated and agreed by and between counsel for the respective parties in open court that the merchandise at bar was in chief value of tin.

In addition to said chemist’s report, the plaintiff offered in evidence the testimony of two witnesses. The first, John P. Collins, accountant in the employ of the plaintiff-corporation, testified that he recorded all of the incoming and outgoing invoices of his company and the merchandise covered thereby. The witness’ testimony that a portion of the merchandise at bar was sold to the Victor White Metal Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, on objection by counsel for the Government, was stricken from the record on the ground that the books of the company constituted the best evidence rather than the witness’ recollection of the same.

The plaintiff’s second witness, Burt F. Ewell, president and production and sales manager of the Rochester Lead Works, Incorporated, [31]*31testified that Ms company was engaged in the manufacture of lead products and alloys, including alloys of tin; that he had frequently purchased tin-lead alloys, also tin and lead, and manufactured them into other products; that in or about November, 1939, he purchased several tons of white metal from the Ayrton Metal Co. of New York City, the plaintiff herein; that said metal was purchased upon particular specifications that called for 54.5 per centum tin, .50 per centum antimony maximum, approximately 0.15 per centum impurities, and the balance lead; that when the merchandise was received at his company’s plant he personally caused it to be analyzed; that it was found to conform to the prescribed specifications; that the impurities therein consisting of zinc, antimony, and copper rendered the merchandise unsalable until they were removed; that after they were removed and the addition thereto of some virgin lead the’ merchandise was converted into solder and sold by his company as such; that, based upon his experience of 20 years in the white metal trade, in his opinion the merchandise as received from the plaintiff-corporation was not a commercial grade of solder but was tin alloy; that he was familiar with the specifications published by the Federal Government for solder contained in a pamphlet marked “QQ-S-571” which was admitted in evidence as exhibit 2 over objection by government counsel; that the pamphlet in question is recognized in the white metal trade as authoritative; and that the merchandise at bar does not fall within any of the six classifications or specifications for solder set forth in said exMbit 2.

On cross-examination the witness testified in part as follows:

X Q. Are there any other grades commercially sold besides the grades in these government specifications? — A. May I look at them and see what those grades are again? [The witness examines exhibit 2.]
Judge Dallingek. Do you understand the question?
The Witness. I do. That covers all -the commercial grades that are sold.
By Mr. Fitzgibbon.
X Q. I direct your attention to page 2 of exhibit 2 to Grade E, where it states “Tin (minimum per cent) — 30 per cent”. Did the metal you bought have a minimum of 30 per cent tin? — A. It did.
X Q. I direct your attention to the same page where it says, “Antimony (per cent) — .50 to .75”. Did the metal you purchased come within that? — A. It did.
X Q. It also states there, “Copper (maximum per cent) .15.” Did the merchandise you purchased come within that? — A. It did.
X Q. It also states, “Sum of zinc, aluminum, and cadmium (maximum per cent), .50.” Does it state that there? — A. Yes.
X Q. Did the merchandise you purchased come within that? — A. It did.
X Q. Then there is a note (2) before that “.50”, and it states under that note, “Not more than 0.30 per cent of zinc, aluminum, or cadmium, individually, will be permitted”. Did the merchandise you purchased come within that? — -A. [32]*32I would not know. It was not analyzed specifically for those impurities; it was for the total impurities.
X Q. But the total impurities did not amount to more than 0.15 per cent?— A. Correct.
X Q. And that gives an allowance of 0.30 per cent. So it did come within that? — A. By inference.
X Q. So that your merchandise came within the government specifications for Grade E solder? — A. It didn’t come to those specifications.
* if: * Jfc * * ;fi
X Q. I ask you then d:d your merchandise come within the Grade E specifications for solder as set forth in Exhibit 2?-
ifc * - * # * *
Judge Dallinger. He is asking you whether this merchandise as you received it from the seller, whether it came within those specifications?-
Judge Kincheloe. You can answer that question yes or no. If you can’t say so.
A. No, it did not.
*******
X Q. Have I asked you about everything in that specifications for Grade E? — A. Yes.
X Q. And you have answered that your merchandise as purchased came within each of those specifications? — A. Came within them, yes.
X Q. Now I call your attention to Grade D which is listed just above Grade E. Did your merchandise as imported come within each of the figures in the colufims for Grade D? — A. It came within them.
X Q. It came within them for Grade D? — A.

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8 Cust. Ct. 29, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ayrton-metal-co-v-united-states-cusc-1942.