Paper Mill Equipment, Ltd. v. United States

7 Cust. Ct. 25, 1941 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1334
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedAugust 18, 1941
DocketC. D. 526
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 7 Cust. Ct. 25 (Paper Mill Equipment, Ltd. 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
Paper Mill Equipment, Ltd. v. United States, 7 Cust. Ct. 25, 1941 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1334 (cusc 1941).

Opinion

Dallinger, Judge:

This is a suit against tbe United States, arising at the port of New York, brought to recover certain customs duties alleged to have been improperly exacted on a particular importation [26]*26of wire screen or cloth, described in the invoice as “phosphorbronce cloth.” Duty was levied thereon at the rate of 27$ per centum ad valorem under paragraph 372 of the Tariff Act of 1930 as parts of machines not specially provided for. It is claimed that said articles are properly dutiable at the rate of 20 per centum ad valorem under the provision in said paragraph 372, incorporated therein by virtue of the trade agreement between the United States and Sweden, dated July 8, 1935, and promulgated in T. D. 47785, 68 Treas. Dec. 19, which provision specifically covers “Machines for making paper pulp or paper, not specially provided for, and parts thereof, not specially provided for, wholly or in chief value of metal or porcelain.”

At the second hearing, held a,t New York on April 10, 1940, counsel for the Government, apparently disregarding the collector’s classification of the merchandise under said paragraph 372, insisted that' the same was properly dutiable at thé rate of 50 per centum ad valorem under the provision in paragraph 318 of said act for “Fourdrinier wires and cylinder wires, suitable for use in paper-making machines (whether or not parts of or fitted or attached to such machines).”

A sample of the imported merchandise, consisting of 28-mesh wire cloth, was admitted in evidence as illustrative exhibit 1.

The plaintiff offered in evidence the testimony of G. L. M. Hell-strom, president and manager of the plaintiff corporation, who testified in part as follows:

By Mr. Davidson.
Q. Can you tell us in what condition the merchandise is imported? — A. It is imported in the form of wire cloth, all ready to be fixed in this pulp manufacturing machine.
* ' * * * * * *
Judge Dallinger. Does this Illustrative Exhibit 1 have any other use that you know of except in pulp and paper making machines?
The Witness. The only use is for manufacturing paper pulp, on a paper-pulp machine. That is the only use.
* * * * * * *
By Mr. Davidson.
Q. In other words, the machine cannot be used without the use of Illustrative Exhibit 1? — A. No.
Judge Dallinger. As I understand it, this merchandise is only used in a pulp making machine?
The Witness. That’s right.
Judge Dallinger. It cannot be used on anything else that you know of?
The Witness. No.

On cross-examination the witness testified in part as follows:

By Mr. FitzGibbon.
X Q. Mr. Hellstrom, in answer to the court’s question you stated that this wire cloth can only be used on pulp making machines? — A. That’s right.
X Q. But in answer to your counsel’s question, you stated that the Kamyr machine can make pulp or paper depending on the size of the wire cloth? — A. I am sorry. It cannot be used for making paper.
ifi ***** *
[27]*27X Q. The merchandise you import is 28 mesh? — A. Usually is 28; maybe sometimes 25 or 26. Twenty-eight is standard.
X Q. Did you also on direct examination state that you are familiar with the jpaper making industry throughout New England in this country; that you visited mills where they make paper? — A. Yes, I visited mills.
X Q. Have you seen them make what is known as roofing paper? — A. I have not seen it, but I know of it.
X Q. Do you know about the wire they use in the machine in manufacturing roofing paper? — A. They use single cable. I think it is 40 or 50 mesh.

Tbe Government offered in evidence tbe testimony of two witnesses. Tbe first, Harry G. Specbt, vice president and general manager of tbe Eastwood Neally Co. of Belleville, N. J., manufacturer of paper mill wire cloth, testified tbatbewas familiar withFourdrinier and similar machines, and that bis company manufactured wire for such machines; that be was familiar with tbe Kamyr machine, a photograph of which was admitted in evidence as illustrative exhibit A, having seen several of such machines in operation; that all of such machines which he had seen were used for making pulp; that his company at the present time did not manufacture merchandise similar to illustrative exhibit 1; that he had never seen the same installed in any machine;-that a 28-cable mesh wire can be used on a cylinder machine, but that he had never seen it so used; that a 36-mesh is the smallest wire screen that he had ever sold; and that he believed that paper could be made on wire screen cloth similar to illustrative exhibit 1.

The witness then proceéded to testify in part as follows:

By Mr. Weil.
. Q. Why do you believe that paper can be made with this wire cloth? — A. Because I have seen a hand sheet of paper made on it.
Q. Were you- present at the time it was made? — A. Not on this particular mesh, but on 24 mesh construction, which is more open than a 28 mesh, and if you can make it on 24, you certainly can make it on 28.
Q. What kind of paper do you believe can be made? — A. Heavy Kraft paper, bag paper, balance paper, heavy book stock; any kind of paper which does not require printing.
Judge Dallinger. Do you know of your own knowledge whether any of those kinds of paper were made at or about 1930, at the time the Tariff Act was passed?
The Witness. No.
Judge Dallinger. It is something that has developed since?
The Witness. Yes.
By Mr. Weil.
. Q. I don’t want to try to change your answer, but you say you don’t know, or it was not made? — A. To my knowledge I didn’t know of any paper being made on a 28 mesh in 1930.
* ' * * * * * *

In the course of this witness’ testimony photographs of a Four-diinier machine were admitted in evidence as illustrative exhibits B and C, respectively.

The witness then described an experiment made by the United States Testing Laboratories in the presence of the witness and Mr. [28]*28McNaughton, where certain sheets of paper were made on a hand sheet paper machine. A sample of the wire used in such experiment was admitted in evidence as collective exhibit D. Also, an enlarged photograph of the wire screen used was admitted in evidence as illustrative exhibit F.

On cross-examination the witness testified in part as follows:

By Mr. Davidson.
* * * * * * *
X Q. And you supply various mills with, wire cloth? — A. That is right.
X Q. In supplying these particular mills, how do you deliver the merchandise?— A. Fourdrinier wire.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
7 Cust. Ct. 25, 1941 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1334, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paper-mill-equipment-ltd-v-united-states-cusc-1941.