Field v. United States

7 Ct. Cust. 30, 1916 WL 21549, 1916 CCPA LEXIS 31
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedMarch 9, 1916
DocketNo. 1615
StatusPublished

This text of 7 Ct. Cust. 30 (Field v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Field v. United States, 7 Ct. Cust. 30, 1916 WL 21549, 1916 CCPA LEXIS 31 (ccpa 1916).

Opinion

MartiN, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The merchandise in the present case consists of certain linen and jotton handkerchiefs which were imported under the tariff act of 1913.

The collector assessed duty upon the articles at the rate of 60 per cent ad valorem as “handkerchiefs, embroidered,” within the provisions of paragraph 358 of the act.

The’ importers protested, claiming an assessment of the cotton handkerchiefs at the rate of 25 per cent or 30 per cent ad valorem under paragraph 255, and of the linen ones at the rate of 35 per cent or 40 per cent ad valorem under paragraph 282 .of the act.

The protest was submitted upon evidence to the Board of General' Appraisers. The board found that the handkerchiefs represented by Nos. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of collective Exhibit A, as well- as those of collective Exhibit B, were in fact embroidered, while those represented by No. 4 of collective Exhibit A were scalloped. As to the foregoing articles the board overruled the protest, from which decision the importers appealed. On the other hand, the board [31]*31found that tbe handkerchiefs represented by No. 5 of collective-Exhibit A were neither embroidered nor scalloped. As to these the protest was sustained, from which ruling no appeal was taken-by the Government.

The following is a copy of the relevant provisions of the tariff act of 1913, to which is added a copy of the paragraph relating to silk handkerchiefs, for illustration:

255. Handkerchiefs or mufflers composed of cotton, not specially provided for in this section, whether finished or unfinished, not hemmed, twenty-five per centum ad valorem; hemmed, or hemstitched, thirty per centum ad valorem.
282. Handkerchiefs composed of flax, hemp, or ramie, or of which these subsl anees, or any of them, is the component material of chief value, whether in the piece or i ther-wise, and whether finished or unfinished, not hemmed or hemmed only, thirty-five per centum ad valorem; if hemstitched, or imitation hemstitched, or revered, or with drawn threads, hut not embroidered, initialed, or in part of lace, forty per centum ad valorem.
315. Handkerchiefs or mufflers composed wholly or in chief value of silk, finished or unfinished; if cut, not hemmed or hemmed only, 40 per centum ad valorem; if hemstitched or imitation hemstitched, or revered, or having drawn threads, but not embroidered in any manner with an initial letter, monogram, or otherwise, 50 per centum ad valorem.
358. * * * Handkerchiefs, napkins, wearing apparel, and all other articles or fabrics made wholly or in part of lace or of imitation lace of any kind; embroideries, wearing apparel, handkerchiefs, and all articles or fabrics embroidered in any manner by hand or machinery, whether with a plain or fancy initial, monogram, or otherwise,, or tamboured, appliquéd, or scalloped by hand or machinery, any of the foregoing, by whatever name known; * * * all of the foregoing, of whatever yarns, threads,, or filaments composed, sixty per.centum ad valorem.. . i

The question presented by the present record, as already stated, is twofold: First, whether the handkerchiefs now upon appeal come within the eo nomine provision for handkerchiefs contained in paragraph 358, supra; and, second, if so, whether that provision governs the assessment of the present articles to the exclusion of the competing eo nomine provisions for handkerchiefs contained in paragraphs 255 and 282, supra. Upon these issues the board found, as a matter of fact, that the handkerchiefs in question were either embroidered or scalloped, and thus were within the terms of paragraph 358; and, as a matter of law, further found that the latter paragraph governed the assessment of the articles to the exclusion of paragraphs-255 and 282.

There was but a single witness who testified in the case; this was Mr. Nutting, who was called by the importers, and who apparently is identified with them in business. The witness testified that he was a buyer of handkerchiefs, and had for 14 years made frequent trips to Europe for the purpose of buying such articles; that he had prepared a list of the items covering the merchandise in question. This memorandum was produced and filed as part of his testimony. The witness also produced samples of the merchandise, and these were [32]*32received as exhibits. They were marked “Collective Exhibit A” (containing nine numbers), “Collective Exhibit B,” and “Collective Exhibit C.” The witness stated that the handkerchiefs in question were all embroidered, except No. 5 of collective Exhibit A. In the memorandum submitted by the witness all of the handkerchiefs are said to be embroidered except No. 5, just referred to, and No. 4, which, however, is described in the memorandum as scalloped.

The last question and answer appearing in the witness’s testimony are as follows:

Q. You don’t dispute tliat they are all embroidered? — A. No, sir.

An inspection of the exhibits leads to an acceptance of the witness’s statement that the handkerchiefs are all embroidered or scalloped, except No. 5, which is not now in issue. In the case of Nos. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9 of collective Exhibit A, and all of collective Exhibit B, ornamental figures, in part colored, are superimposed by needlework upon the fabric of the handkerchiefs. In the case of No. 6 of the first exhibit a permanent and ornamental initial is similarly added to the fabric. No. 5 has scalloped edges within the rule laid down in Gardner & Co. v. United States (2 Ct. Cust. Appls., 477; T. D. 32228). Upon this record' therefore it is unnecessary for us to review the definitions and decisions relating to embroideries, since it must be accepted by the court as an undisputed and indeed conceded fact that the handkerchiefs in question in this case are either embroidered or scalloped. As we construe paragraph 358 this finding brings the articles within the provisions of that paragraph, for “handkerchiefs, and all articles or fabrics embroidered in any manner by hand or machinery, whether with a plain or fancy initial, monogram, or otherwise, or tamboured, appliquéd, or scalloped by hand or machinery, any of the foregoing by whatever name known.” In our view the term “handkerchiefs” as well as the succeeding term “all articles or fabrics ” is modified by all of the descriptive terms following it in the quotation just above copied. The phrase “by whatever name known” was manifestly added out'of great caution, and may apply less aptly to handkerchiefs than to the other subjects which it concurrently modifies, but nevertheless the terms quoted are all parts of a single construction. The eo nomine enumeration of handkerchiefs was evidently placed in the paragraph to make more manifest the legislative intention that such articles when embroidered or scalloped should bear the same rate of duty as that imposed in the paragraph upon other embroideries.

It appears from the testimony and the exhibits that the handkerchiefs which are represented by collective Exhibit B are not yet finished, their edges being yet unbound and unhemmed in any manner. It nevertheless appears that they already have, in fact, acquired the name and character of handkerchiefs, and they would [33]*33therefore fall within that enumeration of paragraph 358; but even if they were not far enough advanced in the process of manufacture to respond to the eo nomine

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Gardner & Co. v. United States
2 Ct. Cust. 477 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1912)
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6 Ct. Cust. 120 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1915)

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Bluebook (online)
7 Ct. Cust. 30, 1916 WL 21549, 1916 CCPA LEXIS 31, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/field-v-united-states-ccpa-1916.