E. Dillingham, Inc. v. United States

52 Cust. Ct. 147, 1964 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1307
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMay 6, 1964
DocketC.D. 2452
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 52 Cust. Ct. 147 (E. Dillingham, Inc. 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
E. Dillingham, Inc. v. United States, 52 Cust. Ct. 147, 1964 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1307 (cusc 1964).

Opinion

Lawrence, Judge:

Two protests, 61/24855 and 61/24835, were consolidated for the purpose of trial and determination.

The merchandise in controversy was exported from Canada and is described on the entry papers as “steel-drop-forgings.”

The collector of customs classified the merchandise as cutting tools, not specially provided for, in paragraph 396 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1001, par. 396), as modified by the Annecy Protocol to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 84 Treas. Dec. 403, T.D. 52373, supplemented by Presidential proclamation, 85 Treas. Dec. 116, T.D. 52462, and imposed duty thereon at the rate of 22% per centum ad valorem.

The sole claim of plaintiffs, set forth in their protests, is for classification in paragraph 319(a) of said act (19 U.S.C. §1001, par. 319(a)), as modified by the Sixth Protocol of Supplementary Concessions to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 91 Treas. Dec. 150, T.D. 54108, as forgings of iron or steel, not machined, tooled, [148]*148or otherwise advanced in condition by any process or operation subsequent to the forging process, dutiable at the rate of 10% per centum ad valorem.

The pertinent provisions of the statutes under consideration read as follows:

Paragraph 396 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified, sufra:

Drills (including breast drills), bits, gimlets, gimlet-bits, countersinks, planes, chisels, gouges, and other cutting tools; all the foregoing, if hand tools not provided for in paragraph 352, Tariff Act of 1930, and parts thereof, wholly or in chief value of metal, not specially provided for-22%% ad val.

Paragraph 319 (a) of said act, as modified, supra:

Forgings of iron or steel, or of combined iron and steel, not machined, tooled, or otherwise advanced in condition by any process or operation subsequent to the forging process, not specially provided for-10%% ad val.

At the trial, the following exhibits were introduced in evidence: Plaintiffs’ exhibits 1, 2, and 3 illustrate the merchandise in its condition upon arrival in the United States.

Plaintiffs’ exhibit 4 — sample of a billet or bar from which merchandise, such as exhibits 1,2, and 3, is fabricated.

Plaintiffs’ exhibit 5 — finished product resulting from processes applied to exhibit 2 subsequent to importation.

Plaintiffs’ exhibit 6 — illustrates exhibit 2 after it has been completed by processes subsequent to its importation, with handle permanently attached.

The only witness in the case, John E. Hammell, testified for the plaintiff in substance as follows: He is vice president of Walters Axe Co., Inc., in Ogdensburg, N.Y. (the real party in interest), and manager of the Walters Axe Co., Ltd., in Hull, Province of Quebec, Canada, which are two separate companies. He has been an employee of the Canadian company for 16 years and is presently its manager, having charge of production and operations in connection with the manufacture of axes.

The witness was thoroughly familiar with the forging operations used in the production of the imported merchandise, represented by exhibits 1, 2, and 3. Using exhibit 2 as an example, he described the operations in forging the article as follows: Starting with a bar or billet, represented by plaintiffs’ exhibit 4, heat is applied to a temperature of approximately 2,150 degrees Fahrenheit. The metal is then subjected to a pounding to a desired shape, such as exhibit 2,. by a drop hammer, weighing 3,000 pounds.

Next is an operation in what is known as a punch press, by which the excess metal that accumulates around the edges of the drop die cavity is sheared off. The article is then placed in what is referred to as a forging upset machine, by means of which the “eye” of the [149]*149forging is pierced while the metal is still hot. The resulting product is in the form of exhibit 2, except that, before shipment to the United States, another operation is performed to remove any sharp burrs or slivers of steel resulting from the forging operations. This is done by a grinding operation on a stone.

After the merchandise arrives in the United States, it is subjected to various finishing processes and eventually a handle is inserted to make a complete commercial article, such as plaintiffs’ exhibit 6. These processes account for 95 percent of the value of the finished product.

It is the contention of plaintiffs that the merchandise represented by exhibits 1,2, and 3 consists of forgings of iron or steel—

* * * not machined, tooled, or otherwise advanced in condition by any process or operation subsequent to the forging process * * *. [Italics supplied.]

within the meaning of paragraph 319(a), sufra.

In support of their contention, plaintiffs rely upon the decisions in J. D. Richardson Co. v. United States, 40 Treas. Dec. 255, T.D. 38913, and Tower v. United States, 1 Ct. Cust. Appls. 408, T.D. 36981.

The merchandise in the Richardson case consisted of unfinished shovel blades, black and unpolished, and the issue before the court was whether they should be classified in paragraph 106 of the Tariff Act of 1913 as “* * * forgings of iron or steel, * * * but not machined, tooled, or otherwise advanced in condition by any process or operation subsequent to the forging process” or as agricultural implements within the meaning of paragraph 391 of said act.

It was stipulated that when the shovel blades were fully completed with handles attached they would be similar in all material respects to the shovels which were the subject of decision in the case of Tower v. United States, supra. The opinion of the court, in the Richardson case, does not inform us precisely how the unfinished shovel blades there under consideration had been produced. However, the classification by the collector of customs, which was affirmed, carries with it the presumption that the forgings had not been advanced in condition by any process or operation subsequent to the forging process. Consequently, that case offers little light upon the real issue involved herein.

The Tower case, above referred to, related to long-handled, round-point polished shovels and D-handled, square-point shovels, which the evidence showed were chiefly used by farmers for agricultural purposes. They had been classified as articles or wares, not specially provided for, composed of metal, in paragraph 167 of the Tariff Act of 1913, and were held by the court to be admissible free of duty as agricultural implements. That case, therefore, is of little importance here.

[150]*150Tbe Government invites our attention to the following two cases to support its contention that the merchandise involved herein has been further advanced than forging: United States v. Anderson & Co., 2 Ct. Cust. Appls. 850, T.D. 32080, and Ford Motor Co. v. United States, 19 CCPA 69, T.D. 44897.

In the Anderson

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Related

W. R. Filbin & Co. v. United States
63 Cust. Ct. 200 (U.S. Customs Court, 1969)
E. Dillingham, Inc. v. United States
61 Cust. Ct. 33 (U.S. Customs Court, 1968)

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Bluebook (online)
52 Cust. Ct. 147, 1964 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1307, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/e-dillingham-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1964.