F. B. Vandegrift & Co. v. United States

38 Cust. Ct. 187
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMarch 21, 1957
DocketC. D. 1861
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 38 Cust. Ct. 187 (F. B. Vandegrift & 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
F. B. Vandegrift & Co. v. United States, 38 Cust. Ct. 187 (cusc 1957).

Opinion

WilsoN, Judge:

The merchandise here involved (plaintiff’s ex-

hibit 9) was invoiced as “MangaNese Dioxide (Manganese Ore Washed Ground Battery Manganese No. 2).” During the trial of the case, the materials were referred to by the plaintiff’s witnesses and counsel as manganese dioxide ore and activated manganese ore. It is admitted by both parties that the product is not manganese salt. An analysis of a sample of the merchandise by Government chemists showed it to contain 52.68 per centum “metallic manganese” (R. 27). Upon arrival in the United States, the imported material was not further processed by the importer, but was sent directly to certain manufacturers of dry cell batteries. The involved product was classified by the collector as a manganese compound, dutiable under the provisions of paragraph 50 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T. D. 51802, at 20 per centum ad valorem. It is contended by the plaintiff that the product now before us should be classified under paragraph 302 (a) of said tariff act, as modified by T. D. 51802, at the rate of one-fourth of 1 cent per pound on the metallic manganese content, or, in the alternative, under paragraph 214 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by T. D. 51802, at 15 per centum ad valorem, as “Earthy or mineral substances * * * not decorated.” The latter claim was likewise advanced by the defendent, without, however, abandoning, in any way, the collector’s classification.

It is not disputed that, as set forth in the deposition of one J. Jacobi of London, a chemical engineer, who managed the plant of the exporter in England, certain manganese ore mined on the Gold Coast of Africa was transported to England where, in the words of Mr. Jacobi’s deposition, it was processed in the following manner:

The ore is crushed and ground by a series of conventional operations to such a fineness that 80 per cent of the ore passes through a 200 mesh screen. During these operations some drying and removal of magnetic impurities is also carried out. The ore is then calcined at dull red heat so as to render the undesirable manganese compounds and most of the other impurities soluble in dilute mineral acid. After calcination, the ore is cooled under reducing conditions, which ensures that the impurities remain soluble. The calcined ore is subsequently treated with hot dilute sulphuric acid to remove the soluble compounds of manganese and impurities in the ore. The solid ore residue, which contains all the desirable manganese oxides, is filtered to separate it from the liquor which contains the dissolved portion of the ore and thoroughly washed. The washed filter cake is dried, pulverised [sic] and suitably packed into sacks. [Answer to direct interrogatory 29, plaintiff’s exhibits 1 and 1-A.]

In answer to defendant’s cross-interrogatories, Mr. Jacobi testified as follows:

[2.] Q. Please state the percentages of impurities that are present, as well as the percentages of the various manganese compounds that constitute the ore [189]*189used. — A. I am speaking from memory and the percentages vary, but I will attempt to set down what may be a typical analysis of a consignment: Si O2 3-5%, Fe2 03 2-3%, Co 0.05%, Cu 0.10%, Ni 0.15%, Sb 0.05%, As 0.04%, Al2 03 3%, Mn 02 (all forms) 73-75%, Mn¡ O4 approx. 10%, H2 O 3-5%; and smaller amounts of Ca O, P2O5, Mg O, and others.
$ * * * # * $
[6.] Q. In connection with the processes described in your answer to Direct Interrogatory No. 29, please state the quantities of ore used and the quantities of other substances used (if any) and the amount of manganese dioxide obtained therefrom which was shipped to Asbury Graphite Mills, Inc. — -A. 1.8 lbs. of raw manganese ore, 1.38 lbs. of sulphuric acid (75% strength) and 4 lbs of water are required to produce 1 lb. of the finished product. There are no other raw materials used.

It is contended by the plaintiff that the heating and acid bathing treatments removed from the raw ore substantially all the gangue, or waste materials, and left the manganese dioxide constituent of the ore in a somewhat more pure and usable state. The testimony of all the witnesses discloses that, when the ore in question was subjected to the high temperatures referred to in the Jacobi deposition, supra, some oxygen was released from the manganese dioxide and a new product, referred to as a manganese sesquioxide, was formed. However, as will appear from a fuller review of the testimony, hereinafter set forth, the extent of this change varied considerably, according to the evidence of the various witnesses.

The plaintiff relies, in large measure, for the support of its contentions, upon the testimony of Martin H. Johnson, a chemical engineer, who holds the degree of bachelor of science in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin. Mr. Johnson who, at the time of the trial, was employed by the Ray-O-Vac Co., of Madison, Wis., as manager of advanced research and as a manganese consultant, testified that he has specialized in the field of electrochemistry, as well as in the field of manganese processing (R. 38-39). He stated that African Gold Coast manganese ore, which was the raw material used by the English shipper to produce the involved merchandise, is not “activated,” but that the imported merchandise was activated in England by subjecting it to the processes described in the Jacobi deposition, supra; that the activating process involved removing impurities. The witness also stated that metallic manganese is not a substance that exists as such in nature (R. 100). He further testified that all the compounds named in paragraph 50 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified, supra, are chemical compounds of “manganese combined with borate, with sulphate, resinate, organic material” (R. 105). In referring to the Jacobi process, to which the imported materials were subjected, the witness testified as follows:

* * * you can follow one-particle all the way through the process if you so desire, and you will find the product that is there at the end was_there at the start. It hasn’t been changed.
[190]*190Q. That is the manganese product? — A. * * * It hasn’t been changed other than the fact that you have removed some of these soluble constituents. The particle size may be slightly smaller, but that is the same particle that was there at the start.
Q. Is that true of the articles in paragraph 50? — A. That is not true of the articles in paragraph 50. (R. 109.)
* :f: sfc Hí * * *
Judge Mollison: Is manganese dioxide a compound chemically?
The Witness: Manganese dioxide is a chemical compound. (R. 111.)

On the question of what constitutes a manganese concentrate, Mr. Johnson testified as follows:

Q. What is a manganese concentrate? — A. A manganese concentrate is an ore material which has been upgraded as regards the manganese content. We have removed the undesirable elements as far as practical.
Judge Wilson: By upgrading, you mean increasing the content of the thing you are after?
The Witness: That is correct, increasing the content of the particular material that we are after. It may be manganese carbonate. It may be a mixture of manganese carbonate and something else. It may be manganese dioxide.

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38 Cust. Ct. 187, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/f-b-vandegrift-co-v-united-states-cusc-1957.