C. E. Dippel & Co. v. United States

8 Cust. Ct. 128, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 15
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedFebruary 2, 1942
DocketC. D. 590
StatusPublished

This text of 8 Cust. Ct. 128 (C. E. Dippel & 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
C. E. Dippel & Co. v. United States, 8 Cust. Ct. 128, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 15 (cusc 1942).

Opinion

Dallinger, Judge:

These are suits against the United States; arising at the port of New York, brought to recover certain customs duties alleged to have been improperly exacted on particular importations of meat-grinding machines. Duty was levied thereon at the rate of 35 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 353 of the Tariff Act of 1930 as articles having as an essential feature an electrical element or device. It is claimed that said articles are properly dutiable at the rate of 27K per centum ad valorem under paragraph 372 of said act as machines not specially provided for.

At the hearing held at New York the plaintiff offered in evidence the testimony of C. E. Dippel, president and general manager of the plaintiff-corporation, who testified in part as follows:

By Mr. Carter.
Q. Are you the C. E. Dippel that testified on February 13, 1940, in the matter of protest 974224^G in the name of C. E. Dippel & Company, Incorporated?— A. I did if that is the protest. There are several protests. I would like to see the evidence. Yes, I am the same man.
[129]*129Q. Are the meat grinders EMWF-150 and EMWL-200 covered by these two importations the same or different? — A. They are somewhat different.
Q. How do they differ? — A. Well, I tried to explain that before. In one of those plants that manufactures bolognas there are several functions necessary and for each one of those functions they need a different machine.
Q. Is the meat grinder EMWF-150 and the meat grinder EMWL-200 the same or different? — A. The meat grinders are identically the same, except for the size.
Q. So that you wish to correct your previous answer that they are different?— A. I do, if that refers to meat grinders.
:K * * ’ * * * *
Q. At the time these meat grinders were imported was there any motor, electric motor, part of these importations? — A. No. * * *
H”
Q. Was there any wiring or switches on these machines? — A. No, I don’t believe so.
Q. Do you know? — A. Well, of course it is a long time ago. I don’t think so. I am pretty certain there was none.
Q. Was there any electrical heating element in those machines or part of them?— A. There is no electrical element on the machines whatsoever.
Q. With reference to the slicer MC-60 covered by Entry 832813, Protest 25169-K, was there any motor that accompanied that machine? — A. May I see that again?
Q. Entry 832813, Protest 25169-K. — A. No motor was attached to that machine.
' Q. Was there any wiring or switches or electrical heating element or anything of that nature on that machine? — A. * * * I don’t think so.
Q. Do you know? — A. Of course I never order them but all things are possible. I don’t think so. I am pretty certain no electrical element was attached to any one of those machines because we didn’t get any.

At this juncture counsel for the plaintiff moved to incorporate the record in protest 974224-G, decided in. C. D. 369, on the ground that the merchandise involved herein was substantially the same, the issue the same, and the parties the same as in the cited case. Counsel for the Government objected to the incorporation on the ground that the merchandise was not substantially the same. The court denied the motion to incorporate. The witness then proceeded to testify in part as follows:

By Mr. Carter.
Q. Is it possible, basing your answer on your experience, to operate the machines before the court by any source of power? — A. Yes, by making necessary changes.
Judge Kincheloe. That is, by electricity, or by steam, or gasoline?
The Witness. Yes, sir.
By Mr. Carter.
Q. Suppose you wished to install a gasoline motor in these machines before the court, how would you do it?- — A. Well, there would be no change whatever, in my opinion.
Judge Kincheloe. What would you have to do with the machine?
The Witness. Well, just install a gasoline engine at the base of the machine.
[130]*130By Mr. Carter.
Q. How big a space in the base of the machine is there in which that motor would be installed?- — A. The space in the base of the machine is certainly limited. But for the size of the engines that are available and necessary to operate the machine, it is large enough.
Q. Suppose you wished to operate these machines by overhead shafting, how would you operate the overhead shafting? — A. In that case, we would have to make slight changes.
Q. How long would that take? — A. It would take about an hour for an engineer or a mechanic to do it.
Q. And by means of that overhead shafting would you be able to connect up to the machine any source of power you wanted? Could you use a steam engine?— A. Steam engine, yes.
Q. Water power? — A. Water power.
Q. Or gasoline engine? — A. Yes.
Q. Does your testimony apply to all the sizes of the machines covered by these two importations? — A. It does.

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

X Q. Mr. Dippel, do you put out a pamphlet entitled “50 years Alexander-werk-Butchers Machinery — 1885-1935”?—A. No, do not.
X Q. Do you or have you distributed that pamphlet? — A. We may have distributed it on behalf of the factory.
sf: jj: if: if: if:
X Q. That contains pictures of different machines used on meat products?— A. That is correct.
X Q. I show you that pamphlet and direct your attention to page 9, and ask you if that is a picture of the machine known as EMWF-150 and EMWL-200?-
if: if; # if: if:
A. This is a picture of the machines. This has been produced many, many years ago. I handed a thing like that to Mr. Grass, but we have our own circular.
Judge Hínchelos. You mean you didn’t distribute a pamphlet like that?
The Witness. We did not, not what we call a regular distribution. We have our own printed circulars. In fact, Mr. Carter has one of those.
By Mr. FitzGibbon.
X Q. Is that a picture of the machines known as EMWF-150 and EMWL-200? — A. It is an illustration of those machines.
X Q. And it is entitled, “Electric Pedestal Mincer with motor fitted in pedestal”? — A. Yes.

At this juncture page 9 of the said pamphlet was admitted in evidence as defendant’s exhibit 1 over objection interposed by counsel for the plaintiff.

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Related

C. E. Dippel & Co. v. United States
5 Cust. Ct. 55 (U.S. Customs Court, 1940)

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Bluebook (online)
8 Cust. Ct. 128, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 15, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/c-e-dippel-co-v-united-states-cusc-1942.