Kress v. United States

22 C.C.P.A. 421, 1934 CCPA LEXIS 201
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedDecember 3, 1934
DocketNo. 3784
StatusPublished

This text of 22 C.C.P.A. 421 (Kress 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
Kress v. United States, 22 C.C.P.A. 421, 1934 CCPA LEXIS 201 (ccpa 1934).

Opinion

Hatfield, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a judgment of the United States Customs Court, First Division, holding certain “children’s size masks,” in chief value of paper or papier máché, chiefly used for the amusement of children, dutiable at 70 per centum ad valorem under the provision for “all other toys, and parts of toys, not specially provided for,” contained in paragraph 1513 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as assessed by the collector at the port of Baltimore, Md., rather than as masks composed of paper or papier máche at 25 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 1403 of that act. ■

The paragraphs in question read as follows:

Par. 1513. Dolls and doll clothing, composed in part, however small, of any of the laces, fabrics, embroideries, or other materials or articles provided for in paragraph 1529 (a), 90 per centum ad valorem; dolls and toys, composed wholly or in chief value of any product provided for in paragraph 31, having any movable member or part, 1 cent each and 60 per centum ad valorem; not having any movable member or part, 1 cent each and 50 per centum ad valorem; parts of dolls or toys, composed wholly or in chief value of any product provided for in paragraph 31, 1 cent each and 50 per centum ad valorem; all other dolls, parts of dolls (including clothing), doll heads, toy marbles, toy games, toy containers, toy favors, toy souvenirs, of whatever materials composed, air rifles, toy balloons, toy books without reading matter (not counting as reading matter any printing on removable pages), other than letters, numerals, or descriptive words, bound [423]*423or unbound, and parts thereof, garlands, festooning and Christmas tree decorations made wholly or in chief value of tinsel wire, lame or lahn, bullions or metal threads, and all other toys, and -parts of toys, not specially provided for, 70 per centum ad valorem. 4s used in this paragraph the term “toy” means an article chiefly used for the amusement of children, whether or not also suitable for physical exercise or for mental development. The rates provided for in this paragraph shall apply to articles enumerated or described herein, whether or not more specifically provided for elsewhere in this Act. (Italics ours.)
Pab. 1403. Filter masse or filter stock, composed wholly or in part of wood pulp, wood flour, cotton or other vegetable fiber, 20 per centum ad valorem; indurated fiber ware, masks composed of paper, pulp or papier máché, and manufactures of papier máché, not specially provided for, 25 per centum ad valorem; manufactures of pulp, not specially provided for, 30 per centum ad valorem.

The cause was submitted to the court below on a stipulation entered into by the parties. It reads:

It is stipulated and agreed, by and between the parties hereto, that the masks contained in an envelope submitted herewith, are children’s size masks, manufactures in chief value of paper or papier mache, true and representative samples of Items Nos. K/32 and K/33 contained in Invoice No. 9 of Entry No. 1025, Steamship West Arrow, entered August 28, 1930.
It is further stipulated and agreed, by and between the parties hereto, that the masks may be admitted in evidence and marked Collective Exhibit 1 and that this protest may be deemed submitted on this stipulation. * * *

On this record the trial court, in an opinion by Sullivan, J., held that as the collector had found that the involved masks were chiefly used for the amusement of children, and as there was no evidence tending to establish that they were not chiefly so used, the importer had failed to overcome the presumption of correctness attending the collector’s classification, and, accordingly, overruled the protest.

It is contended here by counsel for appellant that the involved masks are specially provided for under paragraph 1403, supra, and that, therefore, they are not dutiable under the provision in paragraph 1513, supra, for “all other toys, and parts of toys, not specially provided for.” In support of his contention, counsel for appellant states in his brief that—

The phrase “and all other toys, and parts of toys, not specially provided for” is susceptible of but one meaning. That meaning can only be that if such toys are “specially provided for” they are excluded from the provision for “all other toys.”
The phrase “whether or not more specifically provided for elsewhere in this Act”, which appears in the concluding clause of the paragraph, is likewise susceptible of but one meaning. That meaning can only be that the articles to which the clause refers are not to be excluded from paragraph 1513 even if specially provided for elsewhere.
Obviously the phrases “not specially provided for” and “whether or not more specifically provided for” are directly opposite in meaning and were not intended to apply to the same articles. If the words “all other toys, and parts of toys” were governed by both qualifying clauses, then clearly, the provision could not be administered without completely nullifying one or the other of these two directly opposing clauses.
[424]*424It is, of course, an elementary principle of statutory construction that, if possible, effect must be given to all parts of an Act. The clause “not specially provided for” cannot be read out of the paragraph, if the paragraph is susceptible of a meaning which would include it..

We agree with counsel for appellant that one of tbe primary rules of statutory construction is that the .entire context of a statute must be considered, and, if possible, force and effect given to all “language contained therein.” See Nestle’s Food Co., Inc. v. United States, 16 Ct. Cust. Appls. 451-455, T. D. 43199.

However, the purpose of that rule, as well as all other rules of statutory construction, is to ascertain the legislative intent. Were it not for the fact that the legislative history of paragraph 1513, supra, indicates clearly, we think, that the Congress did intend to include all toys in that paragraph, we would be disposed to give the statute the construction claimed for it by counsel for appellant.

Paragraph 1414 of the Tariff Act of 1922, the predecessor of paragraph 1513, supra,

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Nestle's Food Co. v. United States
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
22 C.C.P.A. 421, 1934 CCPA LEXIS 201, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kress-v-united-states-ccpa-1934.