Dyestuffs v. United States

60 Cust. Ct. 286, 282 F. Supp. 493
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMarch 25, 1968
DocketC.D. 3368
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 60 Cust. Ct. 286 (Dyestuffs 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
Dyestuffs v. United States, 60 Cust. Ct. 286, 282 F. Supp. 493 (cusc 1968).

Opinion

Watson, Judge:

The merchandise in the case at bar consists of a product described as “2-methyl-indole.” It was assessed with duty under paragraph 27 (a) (3) (5) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the Torquay Protocol to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T.D. 52739, supplemented by T.D. 52820, at the rate of 3% cents per pound, plus 25 per centum ad valorem, under the provisions therein for “All products (* * *) by whatever name known, which are similar to any of the products provided for in paragraph 27 or 1651, Tariff Act of 1930, and which are obtained, derived, or manufactured in whole or in part from any of the products provided for in either of said paragraphs.”

Plaintiff claims the involved merchandise properly free of duty under paragraph 1651 of the tariff act which provides as follows:

Paragraph 1651, Tariff Act of 1930:

Coal-tar products: * * * and all other materials or products that are found naturally in coal tar, whether produced or obtained from coal tar or other source, and not specially provided for in paragraph 27 or 28 of Title I of this Act.

The record herein consists of the testimony of three witnesses for the defendant, and four exhibits, one for the plaintiff and three offered on behalf of the defendant. A report of the United States Customs Laboratory was received in evidence as plaintiff’s exhibit 1. The parties stipulated that the facts therein stated are true. (R. 4.) Said report reads as follows:

The sample is 2-methyl-indole, a product which is synthesized commercially from a product provided for in paragraph 27. It is -also found naturally in coal-tar.
It is similar to, and the same in strength as 2-methyl-indole made by Aldrich Chemical Co., Inc.

Defendant’s exhibit A is a list of chemical compounds found in coal tar. (R. 11-12.) Two-methyl-indole is on that list (fourth page of the exhibit, first column). A pictorial representation of the constituents of coal tar was received in evidence as defendant’s exhibit B. (R. 15-17.) A commercially purified sample of 2-methyl-indole produced by duPont was received in evidence as defendant’s exhibit C. (R. 33-37.)

Defendant’s first witness was Dr. Francis E. Cislak, director of research, development, and engineering for Reilly Tar & Chemical [288]*288Corporation, Indianapolis, Indiana, whose business is processing coal tar and treating wood. (R. 5-6.) Dr. Cislak holds a Ph. D. in organic chemistry; has published research papers on coal-tar products, including one on pyridine chemistry; and wrote the chapter on coal tar in the Encyclopaedia Britannica. (R. 8.) It further appears that the witness is a member of several professional associations and holds more than 100 patents in the coal tar field. He stated that “coal tar is the condensation product obtained by heating coal in the absence of air. It is a by-product of the production of coke by the steel mills.” (R. 5.) He testified that more than 300 chemical compounds have been found or identified in coal tar as listed in defendant’s exhibit A, including 2-methyl-indole. (R. 10-12.)

Dr. Cislak further testified that the 2-methyl-indole content of coal tar is not a factor in the purchase of coal tar by his company, 'because “you couldn’t get it out if you wanted it, economically”; and that, to his knowledge, the 2-methyl-indole has no use, either commercially or noncommercially (R. 14.), and that it is not commercially recoverable from coal tar. (R. 15.) On cross-examination, Dr. Cislak testified that benzene is an important product obtained in the carbon-ization of coal tar. The steel companies, which supply his company with coal tar, extract and keep the benzene, which is condensed in the gases separately. The witness agreed that coal tar contains only one-tenth of one percent of benzene. (R. 18.) He stated that his company never produced benzene commercially because it is not present in the coal tar received by his company from the steel mills. (R. 19.) The record herein discloses the following:

Judge Watson : Let me ask one question, if I may. To your knowledge, Doctor, have there been any improvements in the processing of coal tar in order to extract these by-products which you have mentioned, or have diagrammed on Defendant’s Exhibit B ?
The Witness : Yes, there have. There have been several improvements. Originally you made practically all of your extractions by distillation. Now we have a new technique called solvent extraction, where you can, if you mix oil with water, they spray it into layers. If you have some constituent in that oil that is lighter in volume than water, you can get it out of the oil. We use water for some of these, but there are ways of now taking this apart without all of that distillation, but by extraction methods. * * *
Judge Watson: Relating this to 2-methyl-indole, have there been any improvements, to your knowledge, of extracting this by-product out of coal tar to a greater degree than you have indicated here of three-hundredths to five-hundredths of 1 per cent?
The Witness: No, I have no knowledge on that at all.
[289]*289By Me. Steinberg:
Q. You say you have no knowledge. What did you mean? You know of no improved method ? — A. I know of no improved methods that have been used to get the 2-methyl-indole out. [E. 20-22.]

Defendant’s second witness was Dr. Arnold F. Plue, a doctor of philosophy, major in organic chemistry, who is a technical associate in the research and development department of the General Aniline & Film Corporation for 17 years. His company manufactures dyestuffs and photographic chemicals. (R. 22-23.) The witness testified that he had developed the process by which his company synthesizes it from aniline, commonly known as aniline oil, a basic intermediate. He stated that, in developing the process, he gave consideration to extracting 2-methyl-indole from coal tar but “considered it to be too impractical and uneconomical.” (E. 25-27.) “Based on the very minute quantity present, the cost would be prohibitive.” (E. 29.) On cross-examination, Dr. Plue stated that 2-methyl-indole is sometimes referred to as alpha-methyl-indole or methyl-ketol. (E. 28.) The witness further testified on cross-examination that his company would not have any use for most of the other products of coal tar inasmuch as his company is “not set up for coal tar distillation.” (E. 29.)

Defendant’s third witness was Dr. Joseph E. Laucius, a doctor of philosophy in organic chemistry, who is “division head in the technical end of the manufacturing” of the duPont company at Deepwater, Hew Jersey. (E.

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Bluebook (online)
60 Cust. Ct. 286, 282 F. Supp. 493, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dyestuffs-v-united-states-cusc-1968.