B. K. Elliott Co. v. United States

34 Cust. Ct. 121
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMarch 31, 1955
DocketC. D. 1690
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 34 Cust. Ct. 121 (B. K. Elliott 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
B. K. Elliott Co. v. United States, 34 Cust. Ct. 121 (cusc 1955).

Opinion

LawreNCE, Judge:

An importation of slide rules, composed of a plastic material described as polyvinyl chloride, was classified by the collector of customs as mathematical instruments in paragraph 360 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U. S. C. § 1001, par. 360) and duty was imposed thereon at the rate of 40 per centum ad valorem. Inasmuch as paragraph 360 provides that the merchandise be wholly or in chief value of metal, classification was made by virtue of the similitude clause in paragraph 1559 of said act (19 U. S. C. § 1001, par. 1559).

Plaintiff claims primarily that the merchandise is a. compound of casein, known as galalith, “or by any other name,” made into finished or partly finished articles, as provided in paragraph 33 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U. S. C. § 1001, par. 33), as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (82 Treas. Dec. 305, T. D. 51802), likewise invoking the similitude provision, and dutiable at 20 cents per pound and 25 per centum ad valorem.

In its brief, plaintiff states that other claims which were made herein “while not abandoned, are not pressed.”

The pertinent provisions of the statutes involved are here set forth—

Paragraph 360 of the Tariff Act of 1930:

Par. 360. Scientific and laboratory instruments, apparatus, utensils, appliances (including surveying and mathematical instruments), and parts thereof, [123]*123wholly or in chief value of metal, and not plated with gold, silver, or platinum, finished or unfinished, not specially provided for, 40 per centum ad valorem; * * *.

Paragraph 33 of said act, as modified, supra:

Compounds of casein, known as galalith, or by any other name:
* * * * * * * Made into finished or partly finished articles of which any of the foregoing is the component material of chief value not specially provided for_20^ per lb. and 25% ad val.

Paragraph 1559 of said tariff act, containing the similitude provision which both plaintiff and defendant invoke:

Par. 1559. That each and every imported article, not enumerated in this Act, which is similar, either in material, quality, texture, or the use to which it may be applied to any article enumerated in this Act as chargeable with duty, shall be subject to the same rate of duty which is levied on the enumerated article which it most resembles in any of the particulars before mentioned; and if any non-enumerated article equally resembles two or more enumerated articles on which different rates of duty are chargeable, there shall be levied on such nonenumerated article the same rate of duty as is chargeable on the article which it resembles paying the highest rate of duty; * * *.

At the trial, a sample of the imported slide rules was received in evidence and marked exhibit 1. A report of a chemical analysis made by the United States Customs Laboratory at the port of New York was received in evidence as exhibit 2. The chemist’s report reads as follows:

The rule, including the fixed and sliding parts, is made of a colored synthetic resin (polyvinyl chloride type) which contains 11.6% titanium dioxide. The runner, consisting of a framed colorless transparent plate with a fine vertical line in its center, is also made from a synthetic resin (polymethyl methacrylate type).

Two witnesses were called, both of whom testified on behalf of plaintiff.

Elmer H. Johnson, sales correspondent for the plaintiff company, testified merely for the purpose of identifying exhibit 1 as representing the importation; that, whereas there were several sizes of slide rules in the shipment, they were all of the same length “the difference in the rules being in the graduations on the rule, whether logarithmic type of plain multiplication and division rule.”

Ignatius J. Wernert, a highly qualified chemist in the employ of the plaintiff company, testified to his familiarity with the subject merchandise. He was then shown the chemist’s report of analysis, exhibit 2, and stated that he was familiar with synthetic resins of the polyvinyl chloride type and with titanium dioxide, which is a pigment. He agreed with the report of the United States chemist that “The runner [or cursor], consisting of a framed colorless transparent plate with a fine vertical line in its center, is also made from a synthetic resin (polymethyl methacrylate type).”

[124]*124Wernert also testified to his knowledge of casein and some of its compounds, such as galalith, which he described as “* * * a casein which has been treated with formaldehyde, and this treatment turns it into a plastic material, which is horn-like, tough, and it has other properties common to plastics.” He testified further that certain casein formaldehyde derivatives are classified under the name “gala-lith”; that the merchandise in controversy is similar in material to compounds of casein, known as galalith; and that there are well-defined similarities in quality between the imported articles and compounds of casein, known as galalith, in that — ■

They are both smooth. They are both capable of being machined. They are both of a high finish, which I suppose is smoothness. They are both capable of being printed. They have similar texture. I think it would be very difficult to distinguish between a slide rule made of galalith and one made of polyvinyl chloride without making a chemical analysis.
Regarding the imported slide rules, he stated that they are very similar to articles made of casein, known as galalith, and outlined 17 points of similarity as follows:
* * * both galalith and polyvinyl chloride are organic resins. They are both synthetic materials. They both are compounds of carbon, and they both contain hydrogen. They are both resistant to oxidation, and they are nonflammable. They both are high-molecular weight materials, that is they are heavy molecules. They are both solids. They both have indefinite melting points, or decomposition points. They are both rather hard and horn-like materials. They are both insoluble in many of the common organic solvents, as well as being insoluble in water. They are both transparent, or can be made in a transparent state. They both can be shaped with heat and pressure, either one or the other, or a combination of the two.
* * * * * * *
* * * They can both be machined. They can both be dyed. They can both be pigmented. They can both be made to take a high polish. They are both non-toxic, and I finally concluded this by saying that they have many similar applications, which I believe has already been brought out by the testimony I have given. There are probably other similarities, but these are the most important ones.

Finally, Wernert expressed the opinion that exhibit 1 is a plastic, which is similar in material, texture, quality, and use to the compound, known as galalith.

As noted earlier in this opinion, both parties rely upon the similitude clause in paragraph 1559, supra,

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Bluebook (online)
34 Cust. Ct. 121, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/b-k-elliott-co-v-united-states-cusc-1955.