Renken v. United States

22 C.C.P.A. 225, 1934 CCPA LEXIS 164
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedMay 31, 1934
DocketNo. 3671
StatusPublished

This text of 22 C.C.P.A. 225 (Renken v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Renken v. United States, 22 C.C.P.A. 225, 1934 CCPA LEXIS 164 (ccpa 1934).

Opinion

Hatfield, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a judgment of the United States Customs Court holding certain ■“ cheddar sandwiches”, composed of biscuits, commonly called “crackers and cheese”, dutiable at 30 per centum ad valorem “as biscuits” or .“-similar baked articles” under paragraph 733 of the -Tariff Act’ of 1930, as assessed for duty by the collector at the port of New York.

Appellant contends that the merchandise is properly dutiable as a nonenumerated manufactured article at 20 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 1558 of that act.

The paragraphs in question read as follows:

Par. 733. Biscuits, wafers, cake, cakes, and similar baked articles, and puddings, all the foregoing by whatever name known, whether or not containing chocolate, nuts, fruits, or confectionery of any kind, 30 per centum ad valorem.
Par. 1558. That there shall be levied, collected, and paid on the importation of-all raw or unmanufactured articles not enumerated or provided for, a duty of 10 per centum ad valorem, and on all articles manufactured, in whole or in part, not specially provided for, a duty of 20 per centum ad valorem.

On the trial in the court below, appellant called but one witness, Edwin Grant Gobell.

No evidence Was introduced by the Government.

The witness, Gobell, testified that he was a director and vice president of the Renken &. Yates Smith Corp., appellant. He identified a sample of the involved merchandise, which was introduced in evidence as Exhibit 1.

[227]*227Exbibit 1 consists of “cheddar sandwiches”, in a metal box. Each sandwich is composed of two crackers with a comparatively thick layer of cheese between them.

The testimony regarding the process of manufacture of the involved articles is as follows:

Q. What is the first process in manufacturing an article similar to these?— A. According to the biscuit made, an ordinary dough is made, the dough is put through a machine according to the shape, goes through a trap that is made.
Q. After it is stamped out what is done? — A. Stamped out through a machine according to the shape of the machine it goes through on a travelling oven and is baked.
Q. Then what is the next step? — A. That becomes one of several kinds of crackers. In this case two of these biscuits of ordinary dough, cooked dough are sent to another table where cheese is filled in between. It is a soft cheese and a certain amount of pressure is brought to bear to bring the two pieces of dough together as' a sandwich.
Q. As I understand the two biscuits have soft cheese put between, and then pressure brought to bear on the top biscuit to squeeze them together? — A. Yes.
Q. Then they stick together after that? — A. Yes.
* if: % % * ijc *
The Witness. What we actually tried to do, was to have a ready-made cheese sandwich for the American market, but we could not get two pieces of bread, and export them three thousand miles and still have them edible over here. We could not get two pieces of bread, so we took the next best thing. We took two pieces of common dough. When I say “common dough” it is the ordinary dough, which dough is made, we use a soft flour, instead of a hard flour, so that it is really two pieces of bread dough baked together with cheese.

The witness also testified that the involved articles contained no “chocolate, nuts, fruits, or confectionery of any kind,” and that they were bought and sold as “cheddar sandwiches.”

On this record the court below held that the involved sandwiches were biscuits, by whatever name known, within the purview of paragraph 733, supra, and, accordingly, overruled the protest.

It is contended by counsel for appellant that the imported articles consist of something more than biscuits, or similar baked articles, by whatever name known; that they are sandwiches, made in part only of a baked article — crackers; that they are not included within the provisions of paragraph 733, supra-, and that they are dutiable as nonenumerated manufactured' articles under paragraph 1558,, supra. In support of their contentions, counsel for appellant have called our attention to several cases, including the following: United States v. Hermanos & Co., Sucrs., 9 Ct. Cust. Appls. 66, T.D. 37941; A. Culp et al. v. United States, Abstract 17532, 60 Treas. Dec. 1312.

It is contended by counsel for the Government that appellant failed to overcome the presumption of correctness attending the collector’s classification, and that the involved merchandise is dutiable' as biscuits, or similar baked articles, by whatever name known, under paragraph 733, supra.' In support of their contentions, [228]*228counsel for the Government have cited the following cases: F. W. Meyers & Co. v. United States, T.D. 40746, 47 Treas. Dec. 306; H. Colthoff v. United States, 17 C.C.P.A. (Customs) 388, T.D. 43832. Counsel for the Government further contend that, if the involved merchandise is not dutiable directly under paragraph 733, it is dutiable thereunder by similitude, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1559 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which, so far as pertinent, read:

Par. 1559. That each and every imported article, not enumerated in this Act, which is similar, either in material, quality, texture, or the use to which it may be applied to any article enumerated in this Act as chargeable with duty shall be subject to the same rate of duty which is levied on the enumerated article which it most resembles in any of the particulars before mentioned * * *.

It is evident from an examination of Exhibit 1, and the testimony in the case, that, although the crackers, of which the involved articles are in part composed, are baked, the articles as a whole, including the cheese, are not baked. Furthermore, the cheese is a substantial portion of the “cheddar sandwiches.” Considering the articles as a whole, therefore, it would seem to be clear, that they are. sandwiches, composed of baked articles and cheese, and that they are not dutiable directly under paragraph 733, supra, either as biscuits, or as similar baked articles. United States v. Hermanos & Co., Sucrs., supra; A. Culp et al. v. United States, supra.

In the case of H. Colthoff v. United States, supra, cited by counsel for the Government in support of their contentions, this court had under consideration the dutiable status of certain so-called “Holland rusks,” composed of flour, butter, yeast, eggs, milk, and salt, baked in iron molds for a period of about 40 minutes. After they were removed from the molds,-they were each cut into-two parts, and the cut sides toasted or roasted. The “Holland rusks” had been assessed by the collector as baked articles, similar to biscuits, etc., under paragraph 733 of the Tariff Act of 1922. .

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22 C.C.P.A. 225, 1934 CCPA LEXIS 164, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/renken-v-united-states-ccpa-1934.