Menchaca v. United States

55 Cust. Ct. 494, 1965 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1569
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedDecember 2, 1965
DocketNo. 69660; protest 321370-K (Laredo)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 55 Cust. Ct. 494 (Menchaca 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
Menchaca v. United States, 55 Cust. Ct. 494, 1965 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1569 (cusc 1965).

Opinion

Ford, Judge:

The merchandise involved herein consists of lithographed paper postcards bearing an embroidered design of rayon yarn superimposed thereon. Duty was assessed at the rate of 45 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 1529(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the Sixth Protocol of Supplementary Concessions to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 91 Treas. Dee. 150, T.D. 54108, as articles in chief value of rayon, ornamented.

The ease was originally submitted for decision at Laredo, Tex., on a stipulation of facts by counsel. After plaintiff’s brief had been filed, the stipulation was set aside at the request of the defendant, and the case was restored to the calendar.

At the hearing of this case at Laredo, Tex., the testimony of two witnesses for the defendant was presented. Upon the record as thus made, plaintiff contended, first, that the shipment was a nonimportation because it was reexported the day following alleged entry, but that, if dutiable, the merchandise should be properly assessable at the rate of 5 cents per pound under paragraph 1406 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 82 Treas. Dec. 305, T.D. 51802, as lithographic paper postcards over 0.020 inch thick. Thereafter, briefs for the respective parties were filed, and this court rendered its decision in favor of the plaintiff, rejecting the issue of nonimportation and also overruling the collector’s classification of the merchandise under paragraph 1529(a), holding that the merchandise was properly dutiable under paragraph 1406 at 5 cents per pound, as claimed by plaintiff, Israel Menchaca v. United States, 48 Cust. Ct. 276, C.D. 2349.

Counsel for defendant thereafter filed a motion for rehearing on the ground that paragraph 1406 should not have been invoked for the classification of an article which was not in chief value of paper, lithographically printed.

At such rehearing, the judgment was vacated and set aside, and the case was set for later hearing on oral argument (Abstract 67208). At this later hearing, the court granted plaintiff’s motion to amend its protest to include the following claims:

1. Paragraph 1410 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as postcards, not including American views, decorated, at 15 per centum ad valorem; or, alternatively, under the same paragraph, as greeting cards and other cards, at 15 per centum ad valorem;

2. Paragraph 1413 of said tariff act, as modified by the Annecy Protocol of Terms of Accession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 84 Treas. Dec. 403, T.D. 52373, as manufactures of paper, at 17% per centum ad valorem.

3. Paragraph 1410 of said tariff act, as modified by the Sixth Protocol of Supplementary Concessions to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 91 Treas. Dee. 150, T.D. 54108, as greeting cards and all other social and gift cards, with or without greeting, title, or other wording, at either 14 per centum or 21 per centum ad valorem; or.

4. Paragraph 1558 of said tariff act, as modified by the Torquay Protocol to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 86 Treas. Dec. 121, T.D. 52739, as articles manufactured in whole or in part, not specially provided for, at 10 per centum ad valorem.

[495]*495Tlie case was thereupon resubmitted, with leave to both counsel to file additional briefs, in lieu of oral argument.

Since the court has already adjudicated the issue of nonimportation by its aforesaid decision of June 20, 1962 (48 Cust. Ct. 276, C.D. 2349), wherein full summary of the trial record is duly reported, the remaining and only issue before the court is a determination as to the proper tariff classification of the involved merchandise.

In our original decision of June 20, 1962, supra, we ruled that the collector’s classification of the postcards herein under paragraph 1529(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930 was in error, and that they were properly classifiable under that portion of paragraph 1406 of the said tariff act relating to “all articles other than those hereinbefore specifically provided for in this paragraph.”

The pertinent portions of the statutes involved herein follow:

Paragraph 1529(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930:

* * * fabrics and articles embroidered * * * by whatever name known, and to whatever use applied, and whether or not named, described, or provided for elsewhere in this Act, when composed wholly or in chief value of filaments, yarns, threads, tinsel wire, lame, bullions, metal threads, beads, bugles, spangles, or rayon or other synthetic textile * * *.

Paragraph 1529(a), as modified by T.D. 54108, supra:

Articles (including fabrics), ornamented:

Not wholly or in chief value of vegetable fiber-45% ad val.

Paragraph 1406 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by T.D. 51802, supra:

Pictures, calendars, cards, * * * and other articles, * * * composed wholly or in chief value of paper lithographically printed in whole or in part from stone, gelatin, metal, or other material * * *

All articles provided for in the provisions of paragraph 1406, Tariff Act of 1930, for “all articles other than those hereinbefore specifically provided for in this paragraph”:

sjs ^ t’fi sfc
Exceeding twenty one-thousandths of one inch in thickness_54 per lb.

Paragraph 1410 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by T.D. 54108, supra:

Greeting cards, * * * and all other social and gift cards * * *:
With greeting, title, or other wording_21% ad val.
Without greeting, title, or other wording_14% ad val.

Paragraph 1413 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by T.D. 52373, supplemented by T.D. 52462, supra:

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Related

Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. United States
71 Cust. Ct. 168 (U.S. Customs Court, 1973)
Styson Art Products Co. v. United States
470 F.2d 1050 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1973)

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Bluebook (online)
55 Cust. Ct. 494, 1965 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1569, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/menchaca-v-united-states-cusc-1965.