Gellman Bros. v. United States

2 Cust. Ct. 37, 1939 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 10
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJanuary 20, 1939
DocketC. D. 82
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2 Cust. Ct. 37 (Gellman Bros. 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
Gellman Bros. v. United States, 2 Cust. Ct. 37, 1939 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 10 (cusc 1939).

Opinion

Sullivan, Judge:

The merchandise in question appears on the invoice as follows:

2151 400 grs. paper flying bird only, ¥1.52_ ¥608. 00-
* * ⅜ ⅜* * *
2151 400 Grs. 33" decorated bamboo stick for flying bird, ¥.50— ¥200. 00'

Above the item of "bamboo stick” is written in red ink, evidently by the examiner, “For above bird.” The two items are joined by a red ink bracket, outside of which is written in red ink “Toys, n. s. p. f_ @ 70% Par. 1513.”

The protest is against the assessment of duty by the collector at-St. Paul, Minn., on the “Bamboo sticks” only, and claims that they are free of duty under paragraph 1806 of the Tariff Act of 1930. This paragraph provides for free entry of sticks of bamboo, among-other things, “in the rough, or not further advanced than cut into-lengths suitable for sticks for umbrellas, parasols, sunshades, whips,, fishing rods, or walking canes.”

By amendment a claim has been added to the protest that the merchandise is dutiable at 45 per centum under paragraph 409 of the same-act. This paragraph covers, among other things, “articles not specially provided for, wholly or partly manufactured of * * * bamboo * * *.”

The official sample, Exhibit 1, consists of two short thin sticks of bamboo colored green, and partially wound spirally with strips of white and red paper.

At the opening of the trial in Minneapolis plantiffs’ counsel, after stating the assessment and specifying the merchandise as covered by the invoice, stated as follows:

The collector assessed the stick and the bird as an entirety. It is our contentions that the stick and the bird are separately dutiable, and, specifically, our contention is that the stick is dutiable as a manufacture of bamboo, at 45 percent, under-paragraph 409. The protest is limited to that.

Plaintiffs’ witness Gellman, a partner in the plaintiffs’ firm, testified' he is familiar with the item described on the invoice as “33 inch, decorated bamboo stick for flying bird.” He produced a sample-thereof which was received in evidence as Exhibit 1. He was also-familiar with the item described as “flying bird” on the invoice, and produced a sample thereof, which was marked “Illustrative Exhibit A.”

It was stipulated that Exhibit 1 “is partly manufactured of bamboo,, and is in chief value of bamboo.”

He further testified that he is familiar with the use to which Exhibit t is put, and that it is used with the bird as follows:

[39]*39The vendor usually takes the string that is attached to the bird, and takes that cane and cuts a little slit in the top of the cane, and then ties the string around it and seals it with the stick, so that the boy can swing the bird around with the stick.

He further testified that as imported a slit is not cut in the stick, and the street vendor must make one, or, in other words, “He takes a pocket knife usually and makes one himself”; that when the stick and bird are used together in the manner described they are chiefly used flor the amusement ofl children; that the bird, Illustrative Exhibit A, can be used without the stick; that “it is used by the string here, just whirled around the same way you would as if it were on a stick.” He further testified:

I can even enlarge on that a little bit. They have even gone so far as using that same bird in connection with 24-inch bamboo balloon sticks we have that we sell in connection with toy balloons, and they have taken that stick, Exhibit 1, and used that as a novelty cane; and they have gone ahead and attached fur monkeys and celluloid dolls on to that cane. For instance, last year was an illustration of that, when we were short of bamboo canes from Japan. The vendors that would purchase that article from us would also buy these 24-inch bamboo balloon sticks, which were domestic make, and attach the birds to those sticks, and then used these for canes, instead of the regular type bamboo canes they were unable to secure.

It was brought out on cross-examination that the birds and sticks as invoiced in this case are in equal amounts, that is, 400 gross each; and that they are contained in separate packages; that the purpose of the plaintiffs in importing them was that they would be used together, and that in the majority of cases they are used together; that it was not the witness’s intention at the time of importation to use the bird and stick separately; and that he “intended them and imported them to be used together.”

Mr. Gellman was the only witness.

The question then is, Are these bamboo sticks dutiable separately as manufactures of bamboo, as contended by plaintiffs; or are they more properly dutiable as classified by the collector as toys, as entire-ties with the birds?

In the case at bar the following indicate that these bamboo sticks and birds are entireties:

(1) The presumption of correctness attaching to the action of the collector, which instead of having been overcome by plaintiffs is somewhat strengthened by the facts in this case.

(2) The invoice description, which indicates that there are 400 gross of birds and 400 gross of sticks, and that these bamboo sticks are “for flying bird.”

(3) The testimony of Mr. Gellman that the purpose in importing them was that the birds and sticks be used together; that in the majority of cases they are used together; and that it was not the intention at the time of importation to use the bird and stick separately, but that plaintiffs “intended and imported them to be used together.”

[40]*40In Altman v. United States, 13 Ct. Cust. Appls. 315, T. D. 41232, the court said, after citing cases (p. 318):

A consideration of these pronouncements of the courts leads to the conclusion that if an importer brings into the country, at the same time, certain parts, which are designed to form, when joined or attached together, a complete article of commerce, and when it is further shown that the importer intends to so use them, these parts will be considered for tariff purposes as entireties, even though they may be unattached or inclosed in separate packages, and even though said parts might have a commercial value and bo salable separately.

It will be observed that according to the statement of plaintiffs’ counsel at the trial the entirety question is the only issue. In other words, that the bird and stick are not dutiable as entireties, but that each is dutiable separately. The classification of the collector of the entirety (if it is an entirety) as a toy, or an article chiefly used for the amusement of children has not been disputed by plaintiffs. Therefore, if this is an entirety, and we think it is, the collector’s classification stands.

The plaintiffs in their brief have cited, among other cases, Hartranft v. Meyer, 135 U. S. 237, and Bough v. United States, 14 Ct. Cust. Appls. 60, T. D. 41575.

The question in the Hartranft case, supra, was as to which of two provisions, viz, a provision for cloths “wholly or in part off wool,” or a provision “goods * * * not specially enumerated or provided for in this Act, * * ⅜ of which silk was the component material

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Bluebook (online)
2 Cust. Ct. 37, 1939 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 10, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gellman-bros-v-united-states-cusc-1939.