J. E. Bernard & Co. v. United States

11 Cust. Ct. 20, 1943 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3011
United States Customs Court·Decided June 24, 1943·No. C. D. 785·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Kincheloe, Judge:

This suit is for the recovery of certain customs-duty alleged to have been wrongfully assessed on an importation of 500 sets, 3 volumes per set, of a-book entitled “Pathology and Therapeutics of the Diseases of Domestic Animals.” The title page gives-the names of Dr. Franz Hutyra, Dr. Joseph Marek, and Dr. Rudolph Manninger, as the authors of the book, and further describes the book as “Fourth English Edition edited by” J. Russell Grieg, with the collaboration of J. R. Mohler and Adolph Eichhorn. The edition also-bears the date 1938.

[21]*21The books were imported from England in sheets and bound in this country by the importer, Alexander Eger, of Chicago. They were classified and assessed for duty by the collector as of other than bona fide foreign authorship at 25 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 1410 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which, so far as pertinent, reads as follows:

Par. 1410. Unbound books of all kinds, bound books of all kinds except those bound wholly or in part in leather, sheets or printed pages of books bound wholly or in part in leather, pamphlets, music in books or sheets, and printed matter, all the foregoing not specially provided for, if of bona fide foreign authorship, 15 per centum ad valorem; all other, not specially provided for, 25 per centum ad valorem: * * *.

The claim of the plaintiff is that the books are of bona fide foreign authorship, dutiable as such at only 15 per centum ad valorem under said quoted provision.

The first witness for the plaintiff was Robert S. Wolf, who stated he was connected with Alexander Eger, publisher and seller of veterinary books, and importer of the books in question, and who identified a 3-volume book entitled “Pathology and Therapeutics of the Diseases of Domestic Animals” by Hutyra, Marek, and Mannin-ger, made from the unbound sheets taken from this shipment. Whereupon said book was received in evidence as collective illustrative exhibit 1. (R. 4)

The witness stated further that this work was originally published about 30 years ago as by Hutyra & Marek; and that the present revised edition, although called “Hutyra, Marek & Manninger,” is still known popularly as “Hutyra & Marek.” (R. 4)

Plaintiff’s next witness was Dr. Adolph Eichhorn, connected with the Bureau of Animal Industry in the United States Department of Agriculture. He has been director of the Animal Disease Station located at Beltsville, Md., for 4 years. He stated that he is a veterinarian and obtained a degree from the New York University in 1900. When referred to collective illustrative exhibit 1 he stated he only assisted in editing this last edition of the book (exhibit 1). Also that he is well acquainted with Dr. John R. Mohler, who is his superior in the Department of Agriculture, and who participated in the preparation of said book to the same extent as he did. As to the nature of such participation, his testimony is as follows:

Q. Now will you please state gust what your activity was in connection with the publication of this book? — A. After the British Publishers had agreed to publish this particular edition, we were approached by the Editor in Chief, Dr. G-reig, whether we would not undertake to look over the manuscript, in order to correct it, and edit it, and make such annotations which might be of advantage for the veterinarians in this country.
Q. And did you agree to do that? — A. We have agreed to do that.
Q. That is you, and Dr. Mohler? — A. Dr. Mohler, and I.
[22]*22Q. Then what did you do? — A. We received manuscripts from time to time, in' parts of course, and first Dr. Mohler went over the manuscript, and later I received the same and made corrections as far as spelling and other things, particularly with regards to dates and names which were at times not exactly stated,, and also a few annotations have been made with regard to conditions prevailing in this country, in order to bring the work up to date insofar as the veterinary-profession is concerned in the United States.
Q. In making these annotations did you contribute any original ideas? — A. No,, we have not. (R. 10, 11)

The witness further stated he was personally acquainted with Dr-Franz Hutyra, who was the dean of the Royal Veterinary Colleger Budapest, Hungary, and who died 4 years ago; that Dr. Hutyra was; first assistant in one of the departments, and that he (the witness) was his assistant. That he also knows Dr. Joseph Marek, who retired 2 years ago as Professor of Internal Medicine at the Royal Veterinary College, after holding the chair for more than 30 years; and that he also knows Dr. Rudolph Manninger, who is Professor of Bacteriology at the same institution. (R. 14)

As to who were the authors of the book in question, the witness-stated that Hutyra was the author of the first volume, which deals with infectious diseases of domestic animals; that after Dr. Hutyra’s death Professor Marek revised it in its present form; and that the other 2 volumes were prepared by Professor Marek, and that even the-present edition,has been revised and brought up to date by Marek.

The same witness stated further that the original authors of the ideas embodied in the book are Hutyra, Marek, and Manninger. (R. 15) Also that he knows Dr. J. Russell Greig, who is in charge of research in the laboratories maintained in Scotland, pertaining to-•diseases of animals, and that Dr. Greig’s participation in this book was as editor in chief, selected by the publishers in Great Britain. (R. 15) Also that the book was originally written in Hungarian, but that the present edition was in Gorman, and was translated by two-British veterinarians, Dr. C. F. Marshall and Dr. Constance M. Ottley, as stated in the preface.

Dr. Eichhorn described the nature of the annotations made by himself and Dr. Mohler, as follows:

Annotations have been made only in the first volume, as far as the volume-dealing with the infectious diseases is concerned, and the annotations were very few. I dare say probably not more than 20 in all, and they consisted principally of editorial remarks pertaining to the American procedure of controlling the disease, or the knowledge which has been obtained through research in this country with regard to these respective diseases.

He stated further that they (he and Dr. Mohler) did not originate- or create any part of the book, and that such annotations as made by them had to be submitted to the authors for their approval; that he did this work in a private capacity and not in connection with his duties as an employe of the U. S. Department of Agriculture; that the-[23]*23book is accepted as a text book in all the veterinary institutions in the United States, and that it is considered the most important book of its kind published. (R. 17, 18)

On cross-examination Dr. Eichhorn stated that he agreed with the following taken from the preface of the book by Dr. Greig, on page V thereof:

* * * that I had as my associate editors Dr, John R. Mohler and Dr. Adolph Eichhorn, men who in their particular spheres are outstanding in international repute and, what perhaps is as important, are also my personal friends. They have made a close scrutiny of the entire text and many of the parenthetic notes which are subscribed “Editor” have been contributed by them.

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J. E. Bernard & Co. v. United States, 11 Cust. Ct. 20, 1943 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3011 (cusc 1943).

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Related

Protests 34217-K/89419 of J. E. Bernard & Co.
11 Cust. Ct. 282 (U.S. Customs Court, 1943)