Bailey-Mora Co. v. United States

57 Cust. Ct. 99, 1966 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1836
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJuly 26, 1966
DocketC.D. 2737
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 57 Cust. Ct. 99 (Bailey-Mora 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
Bailey-Mora Co. v. United States, 57 Cust. Ct. 99, 1966 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1836 (cusc 1966).

Opinion

Nichols, Judge:

The merchandise involved in these cases, which have been consolidated, was imported from Mexico and entered at the port of El Paso, Tex., on various dates in 1961,1962, and 1963.1 All of the items were assessed with duty at 16% per centum ad valorem under paragraph 412 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the Annecy Protocol of Terms of Accession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T.D. 52373 and T.D. 52476, as manufactures of wood, not specially provided for. Various claims are made in the protests, as amended, but that relied upon is that the items are properly dutiable at 25 cents per 1,000 feet, board measure, under paragraph 401 of said tariff act, as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T.D. 51802, as sawed pine lumber, and subject to internal revenue tax at 75 cents per 1,000 feet* board measure, under section 4551 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as modified, as sawed pine lumber, planed or dressed on one or more sides.

The Government conceded, at the trial, that the item described as “pattern R-4-E, 1 by 6, 1:¡/6 by 5%,” covered by entry 2259, protest 63/4914, is lumber not further advanced than planed or tongued and grooved. It contends that the collector’s classification was correct as to all other items, except exhibit 11, which it claims is molding to be used in architectural and furniture decoration, dutiable at 17 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 412, as modified by the Sixth Protocol of Supplementary Concessions to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T.D. 54108.

The pertinent provisions of the tariff act, and as modified, and the Internal Revenue Code, and as modified, are as follows:

[Par. 412, as modified by T.D. 52373 and T.D. 52476] Manufactures of wood or bark, or of which wood or bark is the component material of chief value, not specially provided for:
•I* »!* H» i $
Other (except * * *)-16%% ad val. [Par. 401, and as modified by T.D. 51802] Sawed lumber and timber not specially provided for, if of fir, spruce, pine, hemlock or larch-25$ per 1000 ft., board measure.
* * * and in estimating board measure for the purposes of this paragraph no deduction shall be made on account of planing, tonguing, and grooving: * * *.
[101]*101[Sec. 4551, Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (formerly section 3424 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939), as modified by T.D. 51802] Lumhp,r ine1udin~ sawed timber. rough. or Dialled or dressed on one or more sides (~xcept * * *)
Fir, spruce, pine, hemlock, larch, and cedar (except * * *) 750 per 1000 ft., board measure.
Sec. 4552.
(a) Board measure. In determining board measure for the purposes of this subchapter, no deduction shall be made on account of planing, tonguing, and grooving.
[Par. 412, as modified by TJD. 54108] Wood molding and carvings to be used in architectural and furniture decoration_* * * 17% ad val.

Plaintiffs claim that the items here are nothing more than pine lumber, not further advanced than by sawing, planing, tongue-and-grooving, such as involved in Best Moulding Corporation v. United States (Brown, Alcantar & Brown, Inc., Party in Interest), 51 CCPA 7, C.A.D. 829. The merchandise in that case consisted of pine wood moldings produced on a molding machine. It was held not to be further advanced than “planing” on the ground that “planing” included wood moldings produced on a molding machine. It was also held that such moldings were not the “Wood moldings and carvings to be used in architectural and furniture decoration” covered by paragraph 412. The trial court’s description of the merchandise was quoted, as follows (pp. 8-9) :

An examination of the merchandise as represented by the samples shows it to consist of strips of wood exhibiting various contours, such as quarter round, full round, cove, and others denominated by the witnesses as base, lattice, stop, ceiling mold, and so on. The merchandise is imported in bundles, each containing moldings of a particular pattern in a given length and size.
The record shows that, generally speaking, the moldings here involved are stock items, that is to say, they are common sizes, forms, and shapes of wood moldings made to generally known and widely used standards. However, in some instances, a pattern or a blueprint may be supplied to the mill producing the moldings calling for a special size, shape, or form of molding other than standard.
Further, the record indicates that, whether made under standard or special qualifications, the moldings in all cases are bought and sold on a linear or board toot basis and are not cut to size by the producer for particular uses.

Ten witnesses testified in the instant case, and the testimony of four witnesses in the Best case was incorporated herein:

For the plaintiffs:
[102]*102Oscar L. Shannon, plant superintendent of Molduras De Pino, the manufacturer.
Robert E. Kolliner, owner of Kolliner Lumber Co.
F or the defendant:
Joseph R. Bierd, vice president of Southwest Millwork Manufacturing, millwork manufacturer.
John C. Harbin, Jr., president of Harbin Sales, Inc., millwork manufacturer.
R. L. Silvey, president and general manager of Silvey Products Co., molding and millwork manufacturer.
David D. Day, building contractor with Day Construction Co.
Thomas J. Hedrick, general manager and vice president of Continental Moulding Co., molding and millwork manufacturer.
John E. Black, manufacturer’s agent for the southwestern sales area for Ideal Co., manufacturer and seller of millwork items.
Walter T. Howard, who has had a variety of positions in the forest products business.
T. R. Allen, manager of the molding plant of Southwest Forest Industries, processor of wood products, lumber, and moldings.
Incorporated testimony:
Oscar L. Shannon.
Robert E. Kolliner.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
57 Cust. Ct. 99, 1966 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1836, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bailey-mora-co-v-united-states-cusc-1966.