Nixon Nitration Works v. United States

39 Cust. Ct. 424
United States Customs Court·Decided September 18, 1957·No. No. 61198; protest 271103-K (A) (New York)·Published

Opinion

Wilson, Judge:

The merchandise before the court was invoiced as “Five Hundred (500) Cases of ‘BB’ Camphor Powder.” The parties have agreed that the importation consists of natural camphor, which was classified by the collector as refined natural camphor under paragraph 51 of the Tariff Act of 1930, dutiable at 5 cents per pound. The importer claims the merchandise consists of unrefined natural camphor and is properly classifiable as such under paragraph 51 of the said act, bearing duty at the rate of 1 cent per pound only. The only issue for determination, therefore, is whether the product under consideration, consisting of natural camphor, was crude or refined when imported into the United States.

Four witnesses were called by the plaintiff, all of whom had had extensive experience in dealing with camphor. George Kentos, supervisor of production for the plaintiff, has been handling a product known to him as crude camphor for over 20 years and has been familiar with refined camphor for at least 30 years. He has had long, practical training in the selection of camphors for the manufacture of plastics. He stated that, in distinguishing between crude and refined camphors, he relied principally upon the difference in color, stating that “Crude camphor is browner, much browner than the refined camphor”; that refined camphor “looks snow white.” It was this witness who took samples of the imported merchandise for laboratory tests. He stated that he saw approximately 250 of the 500 cases of camphor under consideration opened and that he “found black, dirty specks in it, yellow and brown streaking in the powder, of the camphor, through the case in certain places.” Based upon his practical experience, this witness testified that the material before the court consists of crude natural camphor.

Alfred Block, one of the witnesses called by the plaintiff, received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from City College of New York in 1944. Since he left college, he has been engaged in industrial work and has had occasion to analyze numerous samples of camphor. He was employed by the plaintiff importer in 1951, when the natural camphor under consideration was received in the United States. He identified pages 50 and 51 from a laboratory record book of the plaintiff corporation, which were admitted in evidence as plaintiff’s collective exhibit 1, over the objection of one of the two sitting judges. The writing on the two pages was identified by the witness as that of one Thomas Batt, a chemist who was in the employ of the plaintiff when the involved merchandise was received. There would be considerable question about the admissibility of these records were it not for the fact that counsel for the Government, who had previously been a chemist in the employ of the United States, stipulated that he had analyzed a sample of the merchandise, represented by plaintiff’s exhibit 2, and that he had obtained the same result as that shown on page 51 of plaintiff’s collective exhibit 1 covering the color and fusion tests. Government counsel, however, stated that he had not performed the turbidity test. Mr. Block testified of his own knowledge [425]*425concerning this test, so it is not necessary to rely upon plaintiff’s collective exhibit 1. In view of the concessions made, we think that page 51 of plaintiff’s collective exhibit 1 is admissible. Page 50, in our opinion, is immaterial. In view of the concessions made by counsel for the Government, the evidence is to the effect that the color test ran from 20 to 25 and that 10 is a maximum for refined camphor. On the fusion test, the specification calls for no discoloration, but a sample of the involved merchandise was slightly yellow. While there is no concession on the part of Government as to turbidity, yet testimony in the record shows that the specification for refined camphor on turbidity is none, while the sample tested was highly turbid.

Charles Hermann, an officer of Prentiss Drug & Chemical Co. of New York, which deals in chemicals, including camphor, has had 55 years’ experience in his field. He stated that he was familiar with the terms “color value” and “turbidity,” as applied to camphor, and also knew the meaning of “mottled appearance,” as applied to that product. Based upon his experience and upon the testimony concerning these three items, the witness stated that, in his opinion, the importation consists definitely of crude camphor (R. 67).

Irvin 0. Kenen, who had had some training at Rutgers University, but who did not hold a degree, and who had had some 26 years in the practical field of chemistry, consisting of “quality control, testing, trouble-shooting on various plastic problems, and a small amount of research,” all of which had been with the plaintiff corporation, testified that he had analyzed from one to two hundred samples of refined and crude natural camphor, and that, based upon the color value, turbidity value, and the heat fusion test, the product in question failed to meet the specifications for refined camphor according to all three tests; that the color specification fixed a maximum value of 10, while the imported material ran from 20 to 25; that the specification on turbidity was none, while the involved merchandise tested high; and that while the heat fusion specification called for no discoloration, the material appears yellow and was, in his opinion, unrefined natural camphor.

There is but one paragraph of the tariff act involved in the decision of this case, i. e., paragraph 51 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which reads as follows, insofar as applicable:

* * * natural crude camphor, 1 cent per pound; natural refined camphor, 5 cents per pound; * * *.

There is but little law to be found bearing upon this specific issue before us. In an early case, decided under the Tariff Act of 1897, H. J. Baker & Bro. v. United States, 5 Treas. Dec. 856, T. D. 24101, the Board of General Appraisers had before it a sample (illustrative exhibit A), admitted to be crude camphor in powder form, imported from Formosa. A chemical analysis by the Government chemist gave the following result:

The sample Exhibit A (illustrative) contained no moisture; contained a nonvolatile residue represented by the decimal .375; volatile matter, by difference 99.625 per cent.

There was also before the board, as exhibit 1, a sample of the merchandise involved. The same chemist reported his analysis of exhibit 1 as follows:

The sample Exhibit 1 (the merchandise in question) contained no moisture; nonvolatile residue, .02 per cent; volatile matter, by difference, 99.98 per cent.

The board, in the H. J. Baker & Bro. case, supra, page 859, held that—

While Exhibit 1, representing the importation in question, is of a whiter and purer quality than Exhibit A, which is shown to be a sample of the crude camphor of commerce, there is no such difference in the two classes of merchandise, as disclosed by the evidence, as would justify us in classifying one of them as a crude [426]*426article and the other as refined. A difference of a little over one-third of 1 per cent in nonvolatile residue is too trifling to justify a different classification of the goods. In our judgment, the preponderance of the evidence shows that the merchandise under consideration is crude camphor, and not refined. * * *

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Nixon Nitration Works v. United States, 39 Cust. Ct. 424 (cusc 1957).

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