John J. Coates Co. v. United States

36 Cust. Ct. 149
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMarch 15, 1956
DocketC. D. 1768
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 36 Cust. Ct. 149 (John J. Coates 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
John J. Coates Co. v. United States, 36 Cust. Ct. 149 (cusc 1956).

Opinion

Rao, Judge:

The protests listed in exhibit X, annexed to this decision and made a part hereof, which were consolidated for the purposes of trial, raise the question of the proper dutiable classification of certain paper, invoiced variously as “Safir Lampshade Parchment Paper,” “Lampshade Parchments,” “Lampshade Paper,” and “Lampshade Board.” This paper was alternatively classified either as uncoated paper, embossed, within the provisions of paragraph 1405 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 82 Treas. Dec. 305, T. D. 51802, with the consequent assessment of duty at the rate of 4% :!cents per pound and 10 per centum ad valorem; or as greaseproof paper, which is provided for in said paragraph 1405, as modified by the Annecy Protocol to said General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 84 Treas. Dec. 403, T. D. 52373, supplemented by Presidential proclamations of April 27, 1950 (85 Treas. Dec. 116, T. D. 52462), and of May 13, 1950 (85 Treas Dec. 138, T. D. 52476), at the rate of 1 % cents per pound and 7K per centum ad valorem.

As submitted for decision herein, the claim of plaintiffs is that this merchandise is vegetable parchment paper and is, therefore, dutiable at the rate of 1 cent per pound and 5 per centum ad valorem within said paragraph 1405, as modified by said General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, either directly or by virtue of the similitude provisions of paragraph 1559 of said act.

The tariff laws which affect this action provide as follows:

Paragraph 1405, as modified by T. D. 51802, supra.
Papers with coated surface or surfaces, not specially provided for__2)4j6 per lb. and 7)4% ad val.
[151]*151Papers with coated surface or surfaces, embossed or printed otherwise than lithographically, and papers wholly or partly covered with metal or its solutions (however provided for in paragraph 1405, Tariff Act of 1980), or with gelatin, linseed oil cement, or flock; uncoated papers, including wrapping paper, with the surface or surfaces wholly or partly decorated or covered with a design, fancy effect, pattern, or character, except designs, fancy effects, patterns, or characters produced on a paper machine without attachments, or produced by lithographic process; any of the foregoing, whether or not embossed, whether or not printed otherwise than lithographically, and whether or not wholly or partly covered with metal or its solutions, or with
gelatin or flock_4)4$ per lb. and 10% ad val.
Hi * * H« Hi Hs *
Vegetable parchment paper_10 per lb. and 5% ad val.

Paragraph 1405, as modified by T. D. 52373, as supplemented, supra.

Grease-proof and imitation parchment papers which have been [have not been] supercalendered and rendered transparent or partially so, by whatever name known, and all other greaseproof and imitation parchment paper, not specially provided for, by whatever name known_1 per lb. and 7%% ad val.

Paragraph 1559.

That each and every imported article, not enumerated in this Act, which is similar, either in material, quality, texture, or the use to which it may be applied to any article enumerated in this Act as chargeable with duty, shall be subject to the same rate of duty which is levied on the enumerated article which it most resembles in any of the particulars before mentioned; * * *. If two or more rates of duty shall be applicable to any imported article, it shall be subject to duty at the highest of such rates.

At the trial, counsel for plaintiffs offered in evidence as exhibit 1 a stipulation of the parties, which recites the following agreed facts:

1. The merchandise covered by the protests listed in “Exhibit X”, attached hereto and made a part hereof, consists of paper imported by the plaintiffs herein and was classified by the Collector of Customs at the port of New York as “un-coated paper, embossed” or as “greaseproof paper” under the provisions of paragraph 1405 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended and modified, and duty was assessed thereon at the appropriate rates provided in said paragraph.
2. Subject to the approval of the Court, the protests listed in said “Exhibit X” are amended so that all claims made therein are abandoned except the claim that the merchandise covered thereby is classifiable as “vegetable parchment paper” under the provisions of paragraph 1405 of the said Act, or in the alternative, is dutiable as “vegetable parchment paper” in said paragraph 1405 by virtue of the similitude provisions of paragraph 1559 of said Act, and to include said claims in any of the said protests in which said claims have not been made.
3. The merchandise covered by the protests as aforesaid was manufactured by the following process: cellulose fiber sheets, the same in all material respects [152]*152as “Exhibit A” were embossed on embossing machines to produce a design and effect previously determined, resulting in embossed sheets which were the same in all material respects as “Exhibit B”; said embossed sheets were stored for several weeks to permit the embossing impressions to become fixed and to dry; the dried sheets were then immersed in a solution of sulphuric acid for the purpose of parchmentizing the sheets; the sheets so embossed and parchmentized were then immersed in successive baths of a resinous solution to permeate and coat the sheets therewith; the sheets were then hung on racks for 10 to 14 days for drying, after which they were wound into roils or cut into sheets of predetermined sizes, in which condition they were imported into the United States; “Exhibit C” is a sample of said merchandise as imported.
4. The said imported merchandise was sold to manufacturers of lampshades within the United States who manufactured them into lampshades.
5. Tests to determine the water and grease resistance of samples taken of the imported merchandise were made by the Electrical Testing Laboratories, Inc., located at 2 East End Avenue, City and State of New York; the results of said tests showing the degree of resistance to water and grease of the imported merchandise appear in “Exhibit D”; Said results are within the limits of water and grease resistance for vegetable parchment paper.
6. “Exhibit E” is a pamphlet published by the Vegetable Parchment Manufacturers’ Association located at 122 East 42nd Street, City and State of New York, giving the method of producing, the properties and uses, and other pertinent data of vegetable parchment paper.
7. The protests listed in “Exhibit X”, as amended, are submitted on this stipulation, the plaintiffs waiving the right to the first docket call and further amendment of these protests.
8. Subject to the approval of the Court, the plaintiffs shall have until May 13, 1955, to file a brief herein and the defendant 30 days thereafter.

Motions to amend, as hereinabove noted, are hereby granted.

For the record, the exhibits referred to in the foregoing stipulation were received in evidence as plaintiffs’ exhibits A, B, O, D, and E, respectively.

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Related

Great Lakes Paper Co. v. United States
52 Cust. Ct. 64 (U.S. Customs Court, 1964)

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Bluebook (online)
36 Cust. Ct. 149, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/john-j-coates-co-v-united-states-cusc-1956.