Oxford University Press, New York, Inc. v. United States

9 Cust. Ct. 63, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 756
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJuly 10, 1942
DocketC. D. 663
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 9 Cust. Ct. 63 (Oxford University Press, New York, Inc. 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
Oxford University Press, New York, Inc. v. United States, 9 Cust. Ct. 63, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 756 (cusc 1942).

Opinion

Kincheloe, Judge:

This is a suit against the United States brought by the plaintiff for the recovery of certain duty alleged to have been improperly assessed by the collector of customs at the port of New York on an importation of prmted books. According to the red-ink notation on the invoice, the examiner advisorily classified the merchandise in question as books of foreign authorship, in chief value of Bible paper, weighing between 10 and 20K pounds per ream, dutiable at 2 cents per pound plus 10 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 1404 of the Tariff Act of 1930, and the trade agreement with the United Kingdom, effective January 1, 1939 (T. D. 49753), which was followed by the collector. Plaintiff claims the said books to be dutiable at only per centum ad valorem as books of bona fide foreign authorship, bound in other than leather, under paragraph 1410 of said act of 1930, as modified by said trade agreement.

Paragraph 1404 of the Tariff Act of 1930, so far as relevant, reads as follows:

Par. 1404. Papers commonly or commercially known as tissue paper, stereotype paper, and copying paper, india and bible paper, * * * tissue paper for waxing, and all paper similar to any of the foregoing, not specially provided for, colored or uncolored, white or printed, weighing not over six pounds to the ream, and Whether in sheets or any other form, 6 cents per pound and 20 per centum ad valorem; weighing over six pounds and less than ten pounds to the ream, 6 cents per pound and 15 per centum ad valorem; india and bible paper weighing ten pounds or more and less than twenty and one-half pounds to the ream, 4 cents per pound and 15 per centum ad valorem; *• * * : Provided, That no article composed wholly or in chief value of one or more of the papers specified in this paragraph shall be subject to a less rate of duty than that imposed upon the component paper of chief value of which such article is made: * * * . [Italics ours except the word “Provided.”]

The protest has been submitted, for decision upon the following stipulated facts, which so far as relevant, read as follows.

It is stipulated and agreed between counsel, in the matter of the above protest, that the book submitted herewith and marked Exhibit 1 is a true and correct sample of the books invoiced as “75 Fowler. Mod. English Usage I. P. Cloth. T.”; and that said book may be received in evidence herein as Exhibit 1.
That said Exhibit 1, which was assessed for duty at 2$ per lb. plus 10% under Par. 1404, Tariff Act of 1930, by virtue of the Trade Agreement with the United Kingdom (T.D. 49753), consists of a printed, bound book, not bound wholly or in part in leather, of bona fide foreign authorship, and is not for children’s use.
That said Exhibit 1 is composed in chief value of its pages, which consist of printed bible paper weighing more than 10 lbs. and less than 20)4 lbs. to the ream.

[65]*65It is conceded by counsel for the Government in his brief that were it not for the proviso in said paragraph 1404 “That no article composed wholly or in chief value of one or more of the papers specified in this paragraph shall be subject to a less rate of duty than that imposed upon the component paper of chief value of which such article is made/’ the merchandise would be properly dutiable as books of bona fide foreign authorship at 7){ per centum ad valorem under said paragraph 1410 and said trade agreement as claimed.

Counsel for the plaintiff in their brief argue that Congress having expressly provided for certain india and Bible papers in paragraph 1404 of said act of 1930, according to weight, color, and condition, and for certain other india and Bible papers according to weight only, it raises the inference, under the rule of expressio unius est exclusio alterius, that it intended only such india and Bible papers as meet the express conditions of said paragraph to be dutiable thereunder, and that all other india and Bible papers should be excluded therefrom.

In this connection it is then stated that Congress has made three separate provisions for “india and bible paper.” That the first covers “india and bible paper, * * * not specially provided for, colored or uncolored, white or printed, weighing not over six pounds to the ream, and whether in sheets or any other form, 6 cents per pound and 20 per centum ad valorem.” That the second covers “india and bible paper, * * * not specially provided for, colored or uncolored, white or printed, * * * weighing over six pounds and less than ten pounds to the ream, 5 cents per pound and 15 per centum ad valorem.” And that the third covers “india and bible paper weighing ten pounds or more and less than twenty and one-half pounds to the ream, 4 cents per pound and 15 per centum ad valorem.”

Attention is then drawn to the fact that in the second provision above set forth Congress omitted the phrase “whether in sheets or any other form,” which follows the weight limitation in the first provision, from which it is argued therefore that all forms of india and Bible papers weighing over 6 pounds and less than 10 pounds to the ream were not intended to be dutiable under the second provision.

Counsel for the plaintiff in their brief then state that in the third provision Congress made a new provision expressly limited to india and Bible paper weighing 10 pounds or more and less than 20 K pounds to the ream, omitting any reference to color, printing, or forra, thus providing only for india and Bible papers of said specified weight, unprinted.

Frankly, we find it difficult to see any sound logic or reasoning in the above argument. In our opinion, the language of said paragraph 1404 is so plain and unambiguous as not to call for any refined rule of [66]*66statutory construction, nor do we think the rule of expressio unms est exclusio alterius is at all applicable herein. Note Yardley & Co., Ltd. v. United States, 22 C. C. P. A. 390, T. D. 47400.

A casual reading of paragraph 1404 shows that the first provision covers various kinds of paper, including india and Bible paper, not specially provided for, colored or uncolored, white or printed, of a weight of not over 6 pounds to the ream, and whether in sheets or any other form, at a particular rate. The following clause then simply provides a less rate of duty on the same kind of paper when weighing over 6 and less than 10 pounds to the ream. We can see no merit in the contention of plaintiff’s counsel that because the second provision does not repeat and enumerate all of the specifications of the papers mentioned in the first provision, they do not modify or qualify the second provision for india and Bible paper weighing over 6 and less than 10 pounds to the ream. Such repetition of said specifications in said second provision, we think, would have been entirely unnecessary and superfluous, as obviously the first and second provisions are intended to cover the identical merchandise, except that said second provision provides a less rate of duty on said specified papers of a weight over 6 and less than 10 pounds to the ream.

The third clause of said paragraph 1404, it will be noticed, simply provides for “india and bible paper weighing ten pounds or more and less than twenty and one-half pounds to the ream,” at a still lower rate than that provided- in the first and second provisions.

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Related

Oxford University Press, N. Y., Inc. v. United States
19 Cust. Ct. 181 (U.S. Customs Court, 1947)
Oxford University Press, New York, Inc. v. United States
19 Cust. Ct. 173 (U.S. Customs Court, 1947)

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Bluebook (online)
9 Cust. Ct. 63, 1942 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 756, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oxford-university-press-new-york-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1942.