Lightolier Co. v. United States

1 Cust. Ct. 134, 1938 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 36
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedSeptember 29, 1938
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1 Cust. Ct. 134 (Lightolier 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
Lightolier Co. v. United States, 1 Cust. Ct. 134, 1938 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 36 (cusc 1938).

Opinion

Sullivan, Judge:

The provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 involved in this suit are contained in paragraph 218 (c) and read as follows:

Illuminating articles of every description, finished or unfinished, wholly or in chief value of glass, for use in connection with artificial illumination: * * * chimneys, 55 per centum ad valorem; globes and shades, 70 per centum ad valorem * * *.

The merchandise was assessed at 70 per centum and claimed dutiable at 55 per centum under the foregoing provisions. It is invoiced as “chimneys,” and is represented by Exhibits 1 to 8, inclusive. As to Exhibit 3 the plaintiff admits it is a globe and was properly classified by the collector.

Exhibits 1, 2, 4, and 7 bear some resemblance to the chimneys of old-fashioned kerosene lamps, and are apparently intended to be used in an upright position over an electric-light bulb. They have flanges on the base by which they can be attached by clips or otherwise to an electric lamp. Exhibits 5, 6, and 8 are without such flanges.

The item numbers of this merchandise are Nos. 9908 (Exhibit 1), 9916 (Exhibit 2), 9952 (Exhibit 3), 9856 (Exhibit 4), 9994 (Exhibit 5), 9964 (Exhibit 7), 9713 (Exhibit 6), and 4651 (Exhibit 8). As heretofore stated, there is no controversy as to Exhibit 3.

Plaintiff’s witness Adler testified he had to do with the designing of the articles at bar, and that in designing these articles he and his associates “had in mind to design an old colonial lantern” to be illuminated by electricity instead of the candle formerly used; that this is true as to all of the exhibits except Exhibit 3; that, in other words “we were going to reproduce the old colonial fixture”; that with the exception of Exhibit 3 the name in his trade for all these articles is “chimneys”; that the witness had seen kerosene lamps or other oil lamps, having glass chimneys upon them of “about the same shape but different designs” as the articles in question. The witness then defined “chimney” as follows:

—A chimney is a glass article in cylindrical form. It may have a straight shape, or also a little like you see here, the shapes.
Q. It may be in the form of a bulb? — A. Yes, sir.

In response to the court’s questions the witness then testified as follows:

Presiding Judge McClelland. You remember the old kerosene lamp?
The Witness. Yes, sir.
Presiding Judge McClelland. The kerosene lamp had a chimney?
The Witness. Yes, sir.
Presiding Judge McClelland. And a globe too?
The Witness. Yes, sir.
Presiding Judge McClelland. How does that article, Exhibit 1, compare with the globe that you have seen on the old colonial lamp?
[136]*136The Witness. That is a chimney. * * * That is the same as the chimney on the kerosene lamp.

The witness testified that Exhibit 1 represents the “glass cylindrical article surrounding the wick” in the kerosene lamp.

There was introduced in evidence as Exhibit A a sample fixture for which Exhibit 2 was designed. This fixture is evidently intended to attach to a wall and to contain an electric-light bulb in an upright position. Outside of the socket for the bulb is a holder or socket of a size suitable to contain Exhibit 2 as a chimney or shade outside the light. Exhibits 5, 6, and 8 could not be placed in such holder or socket, as they lack the flange necessary for insertion therein. The flanges on Exhibits 1, 4, and 7 are not suitable for this fixture Exhibit A.

The witness then testified that the fixtures for which the other exhibits, with the exception of Exhibit 3, are designed are similar electrical reproductions of old kerosene or candle lamps; that in the past he had seen chimneys used on such lamps having “frosting, or sand-blasting, or decorations similar to that on Exhibit 1”, also on all the other exhibits, except Exhibit 3; that on some of the lamps for which these exhibits are designed there are “shades around them, in addition to these glass articles.”

On cross-examination the witness testified “the colonial chimney” does not differ from articles like Exhibits 1 to 8.

Plaintiff’s witness Moser testified he is employed by the plaintiff as a designer of electrical fixtures; that he has made a study of colonial fixtures; that with the exception of Exhibit 3 he designed these exhibits and the lamps or fixtures for which they are used; that there was a part of a colonial lamp or candle fixture known as a chimney, which “was usually the glass put above or around the light to give it the necessary draft and to steady the flame, so that the light would burn steadily and not flicker”; that these articles, with the exception of Exhibit 3, are “created in imitation of the chimneys used on colonial lamps or candle fixtures”; that he designed Illustrative Exhibit A, and Exhibit 2 was designed by him to fit therein; that Exhibit A imitates “an old oil font.”

An electric wall fixture was introduced in evidence as Illustrative Exhibit B. The witness testified he designed it, and Exhibit 5 was designed to be used with it. Exhibit B contains a socket for an electric bulb to be held in an upright position. Around this socket is a rim over which Exhibit 5 fits.

The witness testified Exhibit B imitates “an old oil font.”

An electric wall fixture was introduced in evidence as Illustrative Exhibit O. The witness testified he designed it, and that Exhibit 4 was intended to be used with it. In Exhibit C there is an electric-[137]*137light socket, round and colored white, evidently intended to represent a candle. The flange on Exhibit 4 fits into a rim surrounding this socket. As to Exhibit C the witness testified:

This is also an old oil font, but in this ease we put in a small candle. We took it away from the oil font, and used a small candle, just for sales appeal, but theoretically it is the same as the other, same oil font theory.

A page of a catalog was received in evidence as Illustrative Exhibit D. The witness testified that the cut, No. 2320, represents a lighting fixture with Exhibit 1 thereon. This resembles somewhat an old-fashioned hanging oil lamp, suspended from a ceiling by a chain. The cut numbered 2310, described “With Hurricane globe that gives the hall a most interesting decorative note” [italics ours], depicts an electric fixture evidently intended to be attached to a ceiling, containing Exhibit 4 therein.

Another catalog page received in evidence as Illustrative Exhibit E, in a cut numbered 4822, depicts a wall electric fixture, representing a kerosene lamp, enclosed in a lantern casing, having Exhibit 2 thereon.

The next exhibit in evidence is a catalog page, marked Illustrative Exhibit F. A cut numbered 2252 represents a wall fixture having two articles like Exhibit 5 mounted thereon. The same is true of 2250, a hanging lamp; 2251, a wall lamp; and 2255, a chandelier, containing four lamps with Exhibit 5 mounted thereon.

A catalog page, Illustrative Exhibit G, was also received in evidence. The cut 2569 depicts a hall lamp attached to a ceiling on which Exhibit 8 is mounted.

The witness then responded in the affirmative to the following question:

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

Related

Haber v. United States
62 Cust. Ct. 746 (U.S. Customs Court, 1969)
Protest 959089-G of Lightolier Co.
5 Cust. Ct. 377 (U.S. Customs Court, 1940)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1 Cust. Ct. 134, 1938 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 36, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lightolier-co-v-united-states-cusc-1938.