Rohner, Gehrig & Co. v. United States

64 Cust. Ct. 532, 1970 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3120
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJune 5, 1970
DocketC.D. 4030
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 64 Cust. Ct. 532 (Rohner, Gehrig & Co. 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
Rohner, Gehrig & Co. v. United States, 64 Cust. Ct. 532, 1970 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3120 (cusc 1970).

Opinion

Rao, Chief Judge:

The merchandise involved in these cases, consolidated at the trial, consists of five qualities of cotton suede cloth manufactured in Holland by J. W. Meijerink & Sons and exported to the United States in the years 1960 through 1963. It was classified as cotton cloth, printed, dyed or colored, and assessed with duty at various rates under the countable yarn provisions of paragraph 904(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the Protocol of Terms of Accession by Japan to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 90 Treas. Dec. 234, T.D. 53865, supplemented by President’s notification of August 22, 1955, 90 Treas. Dec. 280, T.D. 53817. It is claimed to be dutiable at 11 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 907 of said tariff act, as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 82 Treas. Dec. 305, T.D. 51802, and by Presidential Proclamation No. 3191, 92 Treas. Dec. 175, T.D. 54399, and as amended by Public Law 86-795, section 2, 74 Stat. 1051, as waterproof cloth, wholly or in chief value of cotton or other vegetable fibers.

The pertinent provisions of the tariff act are as follows:

Paragraph 904(c), as modified:

Cotton cloth, printed, dyed, or colored, of average yarn number—
Not over 60 and valued not over 90 cents per pound, or over 60 but not over 80 and valued not over $1.40 per pound_12% ad val. and in addition, for each number, 0.25% ad val.

Paragraph 907, as modified:

Waterproof cloth, wholly or in chief value of cotton or other vegetable fiber * * *_ 11% ad val.

Public Law 86-795:

Sec. 2. In order to insure a correct interpretation of the provision “waterproof cloth” in paragraph 907, Tariff Act of 1930, it is hereby declared that it was and is the true intent and meaning of paragraph 907 to limit the term “waterproof”, when applied to cloth, “wholly or in chief value of cotton or other vegetable fiber, whether or not in part of India rubber”, to cloths of a kind generally used in the manufacture of articles which are designed to afford protection against water to the extent expected in raincoats, protective sheeting, dress shields, umbrellas, and similar articles. Even when cloth possesses water repelling characteristics, it is not classifiable as waterproof cloth within the meaning of paragraph 907, Tariff Act of 1930, unless it is of a kind generally used in the manufacture of articles of the class specified in the preceding sentence.

[535]*535Tlie issue in this case is whether the imported merchandise is waterproof cloth within the meaning of paragraph 907, as amended.

The term “waterproof cloth” has appeared in tariff statutes since 1883 and has been the subject of frequent litigation. In United States v. E. Dillingham, Inc., 19 CCPA 210, T.D. 45297 (1931), it was held that Congress did not intend the provisions for waterproof cloth to cover only such cloth as was impervious to water but to include cloth substantially impervious to water and intended to repel or turn water. In United States v. D. H. Grant & Co., Inc., 47 CCPA 20, 26, C.A.D. 723 (1959), the court held that “if cloth passes the ‘cup’ test or equivalent tests, it has the property of being ‘substantially impervious’ to water for tariff purposes.” The “cup” test which has been adopted by the Government for at least 28 years was described by the court as follows (p. 23):

A 15 inch square of cloth is placed over a liter beaker, a pocket or cup is formed in the cloth, avoiding folds if possible, and the periphery of the cloth is fastened by such as rubberbands to the outside of the beaker. Then 0.4 liter of water at room temperature is poured gently into the “cup.” If after 24 hours no water appears in the beaker, the fabric is considered to be waterproof. This is the test procedure followed by the Bureau of Customs Laboratories as shown by Exhibit A.

By Public Law 86-795 of September 15,1960, the .term “waterproof cloth” was also limited to apply only to “cloths of a kind generally used in the manufacture of articles which are designed to afford protection against water to the extent expected in raincoats, protective sheeting, dress shields, umbrellas and similar articles.”

Thus, under the statutes applicable in the instant case, plaintiffs must establish that the merchandise has passed the “cup” test or equivalent test and is substantially impervious to water and that it is of a kind generally used in the manufacture of articles designed to afford protection against water to the extent expected in raincoats and similar articles. Amity Fabrics, Inc. v. United States, 51 Cust. Ct. 97, C.D. 2416 (1963).

On the first point, Mr. H. Camstra, who was technical manager of the Meijerink factory during the years 1960 through 1963, and was responsible for manufacturing all its water repellent suede cloths, testified that such merchandise was always manufactured in the same way, against fixed specifications, and was treated with a product called Mrottalm for water repellency. After manufacture, one or two samples were taken out of every lot of 1100 yards and tested as follows:

The first test by us was the so-called rain test. For the rain test, we stretched a piece of cloth under a shower in which was an amount of water. The water dropped on the cloth for approxi[536]*536mately ten minutes. It must have been about ten minutes. If the water went through, the lot was rejected, was not up to standard, and we had to rehandle it. The second test was the so-called cup test. That is how it is translated in English, the cup test. Here we had to stretch a piece of cloth over a cup. In that cloth, with the pile side up, came a hundred c.c.’s water. In that case, the water stood somewhat higher than one inch over the cloth. The cloth had to stand out 24 hours in this case. If the water goes through here, the lot was rejected and must also be rehandled.

When any sample did not pass the tests, the lot was retreated. According to the witness all of the suede cloth manufactured by his company and sold to the United States in 1960-63 was treated for water repellency and subjected to both tests before shipment. To the best of his knowledge no suede cloth that did not pass the tests was exported to the United States. The tests were performed in the laboratory and the witness received the test figures from every lot. In his opinion lit was not possible that the sample might not be representative of all the merchandise which had been tested.

While the witnesses who had purchased and sold the Meijerink cloth involved herein did not subject it to the cup test or its equivalent, they testified that they had not received complaints from their customers with respect to its water repellency except that one witness had received a complaint from Lanson Rainwear that two or three pieces did not stand their test for water repellency and another said that his firm occasionally might get back a jacket which had been guaranteed for life of the article.

In Amity Mills, Inc. v. United States, 64 Cust. Ct. 42, C.D. 3957 (1970), the record lacked evidence of the capacity of the fabric to resist water penetration as revealed by any accredited test made before or after importation.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
64 Cust. Ct. 532, 1970 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3120, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rohner-gehrig-co-v-united-states-cusc-1970.