G. Joannou Cycle Co. v. United States

46 Cust. Ct. 172
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMay 3, 1961
DocketC.D. 2253
StatusPublished
Cited by84 cases

This text of 46 Cust. Ct. 172 (G. Joannou Cycle 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
G. Joannou Cycle Co. v. United States, 46 Cust. Ct. 172 (cusc 1961).

Opinion

Lawrence, Judge:

An importation from Hong Kong described on the consular invoice as “Chromium Plated Cycle Horns” was classified by the collector of customs as parts of bicycles, and duty was imposed thereon at the rate of 30 per centum ad valorem, as provided in paragraph 371 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1001, par. 371).

Plaintiff claims, by its protest, that the articles are not parts of bicycles but are “properly dutiable at 13%% under Par. 353 as modified” (19 U.S.C. § 1001, par. 353), the modification being the Torquay Protocol to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 86 Treas. Dec. 121, T.D. 52739.

It is alternatively claimed that said articles should be classified as articles wholly or in chief value of base metal and dutiable at 20 per centum ad valorem, as provided in paragraph 397 of said act (19 U.S.C. §1001, par. 397), as modified by the Sixth Protocol of Supplementary Concessions to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 91 Treas. Dec. 150, T.D. 54108.

The pertinent text of the statutory provisions above referred to is here set forth:

Paragraph 371 of the Tariff Act of 1930:

Pae. 371. Bicycles, and parts thereof, not including tires, 30 per centum ad valorem: * *

Paragraph 353 of said act, as modified, sufra:

Articles having as an essential feature an electrical element or device, such as electric motors, fans, locomotives, portable tools, furnaces, heaters, ovens, ranges, washing machines, refrigerators, and signs, finished or unfinished, wholly in chief value of metal, and not specially provided for:
Batteries * * *
*******
Other * * *-13%% ad val.
Parts, * * * of articles provided for in any item 353 of this Part * * *-The same
rate of duty as the articles of which they are parts

[174]*174Paragraph 397 of said act, as modified, supra:

Articles or wares not specially provided for, whether partly or wholly manufactured:
* si: * * * * *
Composed wholly or in' chief value of iron, steel, copper, brass, nickel, pewter, zinc, aluminum, or other base metal (except lead), but not plated with platinum, gold, or silver, or colored with gold lacquer: Typewriter spools * * *
Not wholly or in chief value of tin or tin plate:
Carriages, * * *
*******
Other, composed wholly or in chief value of iron, steel, brass, bronze, zinc, or aluminum * * *_20% ad val.

At the trial, three witnesses were called, one for the plaintiff and two for the defendant, and the following two exhibits were received in evidence.

Plaintiff’s illustrative exhibit 1, an electric horn, representative of the imported merchandise, to which a battery had been attached. As imported, however, the horns which are composed of tinned steel, chromium plated, were without batteries. Brackets and screws came with the horns for the purpose of adjusting the horns to handlebars of various diameters.

Plaintiff’s illustrative exhibit 2, a buzzer which forms part of the mechanism in plaintiff’s illustrative exhibit 1.

Briefly stated, the claim of plaintiff is that the horns in controversy are not parts of bicycles because they are not dedicated to such use. While the evidence indicates that the horns are chiefly used on bicycles, it is also shown by the testimony that the horns were designed and adapted for other substantial uses on light motorcycles, tricycles, motorscooters, and, to some extent, on toy automobiles.

At the trial, plaintiff introduced the testimony of George Joannou, owner of the plaintiff company. Since 1937, his company had been engaged in the business of importing and dealing in motorcycles, bicycles, tires, and accessories.

The Government called as its first witness, Samuel J. Barnett, a manufacturer’s representative for factories engaged in the production of bicycles and juvenile vehicles, as well as accessories of all kinds. Due to the fact that electric horns, such as exhibit 1, were not in use in the days when Barnett was a distributor of parts, he was unable to give testimony as to their use.

The Government’s second witness, Henry S. Lanceter, testified that, for about 4 months, he had been associated with the Chain Import Corp. and the Lewis Supply Co., importer of chains and distributor of bicycles and bicycle accessories, respectively; that, prior to joining [175]*175those firms, he had been with Henry Greenberg & Bros., importer and dealer in bicycles and accessories.

It appears that Joannou designed the horns in controversy with the idea that they would be adapted to use on various types of vehicles. Each horn, as imported, is packed in a bos together with a buzzer, which is operated by a button at the end of a wire, approximately 8 inches long, connected with a 1-cell, 1*4-volt battery, which is inserted after importation. The box also contains two brackets or clamps, together with screws, by means of which the horns may be attached to handlebars of different diameters, depending upon whether the handlebars are those of a bicycle, tricycle, motorcycle, or other vehicle.

Witness Joannou, apparently an alert businessman, has for several years traveled extensively throughout the United States calling upon distributors and selling his merchandise, studying and observing its uses over a wide area. His customers include dealers, distributors, chainstores, automotive stores, and motorcycle dealers. Joannou testified to having sold over 10,000 of these horns to a company in Chicago. This company, by a modification of the horns not clearly explained, used them as a fire warning device; another company, through some modification of the horns, used them as burglar alarms.

Government witness Lanceter testified that he was familiar with an article like exhibit 1 and that his firm sold it to bicycle distributors, jobbers, and some chainstores. He had never seen the article used on a tricycle or a full-sized motorcycle, nor on a toy automobile. In his opinion, exhibit 1 was designed primarily for use on bicycles. Lanceter’s experience and means of observation of the uses of exhibit 1 were much more limited than those of the witness Joannou.

Plaintiff relies upon the legal principle announced in United States v. American Bead Co. et al., 9 Ct. Cust. Appls. 27, T.U. 37873, which is embodied in the following quotation from the opinion in that case:

An article not an actual constituent of a manufacture can not be considered as part thereof unless it has been advanced to a point wbicb definitely commits it to that specific class and kind of manufacture.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Frank P. Dow Co. v. United States
54 Cust. Ct. 434 (U.S. Customs Court, 1965)
W. T. Grant Co. v. United States
54 Cust. Ct. 433 (U.S. Customs Court, 1965)
Cragstan Corp. v. United States
54 Cust. Ct. 333 (U.S. Customs Court, 1965)
Liebermann Waelchli & Co., N.Y., Inc. v. United States
54 Cust. Ct. 316 (U.S. Customs Court, 1965)
Everbest Jewelry Corp. v. United States
54 Cust. Ct. 311 (U.S. Customs Court, 1965)
I. B. Cohen & Sons Corp. v. United States
52 Cust. Ct. 373 (U.S. Customs Court, 1964)
R. H. Macy & Co. v. United States
52 Cust. Ct. 364 (U.S. Customs Court, 1964)
Hiller v. United States
52 Cust. Ct. 273 (U.S. Customs Court, 1964)
United States v. Ford Motor Co.
51 C.C.P.A. 22 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1963)
World Sales Promotion Co. v. United States
51 Cust. Ct. 271 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
F. B. Vandegrift & Co. v. United States
51 Cust. Ct. 239 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
Williams & Rosenbaum, Inc. v. United States
51 Cust. Ct. 228 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
Seedman International Corp. v. United States
51 Cust. Ct. 224 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
F. J. Strauss Co. v. United States
51 Cust. Ct. 216 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
Ace Importing Co. v. United States
50 Cust. Ct. 323 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
Ace Import Co. v. United States
50 Cust. Ct. 323 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
Oxford Int'l Corp. v. United States
50 Cust. Ct. 273 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
Victoria Distributors v. United States
50 Cust. Ct. 268 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
Oxford International Corp. v. United States
50 Cust. Ct. 251 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
Brechner v. United States
50 Cust. Ct. 230 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
46 Cust. Ct. 172, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/g-joannou-cycle-co-v-united-states-cusc-1961.