Rosenberg v. United States

7 Ct. Cust. 213, 1916 WL 21546, 1916 CCPA LEXIS 77
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedMay 31, 1916
DocketNo. 1587
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 7 Ct. Cust. 213 (Rosenberg 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
Rosenberg v. United States, 7 Ct. Cust. 213, 1916 WL 21546, 1916 CCPA LEXIS 77 (ccpa 1916).

Opinions

Barber, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The merchandise in this case, it is agreed, is so-called coat linings and is in chief value of the hair of the Angora goat. As represented by the sample submitted, it appears to be thin cloths, of various colors, apparently imported in the web or piece. It is not cut to form or shape and we understand is to be used as material.

There is no issue of fact, the sole controversy being whether the merchandise shall be classified under paragraph 308 of Schedule K of the tariff act of 1913, as claimed by the Government and held by the Board of General Appraisers, or under paragraph 290 thereof, as claimed by the importers. These paragraphs are as follows:

290. Women’s and children’s dress goods, coat linings, Italian cloths, bunting, and ‘goods of similar descripiion and character, composed wholly or in chief value of wool, ■and not specially provided fur in this section, 35 per centum ad valorem.
308. Cloth and all manufactures of every description made by any process, wholly or in chief value of the hair of the Angora goat, alpaca, and other lilce animals, not specially provided for in this section. 40 per centum ad valorem.

As the determination of the question involves the construction ■of paragraph 304, that also is here quoted:

304. Whenever in this section the word “wool ” is used in connection with a manufactured article of which it is a component materia], it shall be held to include wool ■or hair of the sheep, camel, or other like animals, whether manufactured by tne woolen, worsted, felt, or any other process.

The importers’ contention is that the term “wool,” both in its common m waning and as used in said Schedule K, includes the hair of the Angora goat; that therefore “wool” as used in paragraph 290 includes such hair; that the term “coat linings” employed in said paragraph is an eo nomine description of the merchandise here, and takes precedence over the generic name “cloth” in paragraph 308, as well as over the descriptive designation “ all manufactures of every description made by any process, wholly or in chief value of the hair [215]*215of the Angora goat,” also contained therein; and finally, that there is nothing in the language or legislative bistory of Schedule K showing an intention to remove “coat finings” from their long-established classification under paragraph 290 and its predecessors.

For the Government it is argued that Congress, in framing the act of 1913, has shown a definite purpose to clearly distinguish Angora goat’s hair, alpaca hair, and their products from wool and its products; that the legislative history of Schedule K gives support to this claim; and hence, that to give full effect-to this congressional purpose the classification below must be upheld here.

We first somewhat consider the relevant legislative history.

The tariff acts, prior to that of August 30, 1842, imposed duty upon wool and its products and, so far as we have ascertained, contained no reference whatever to the hair of the camel, goat, or other like animals.

Section 1, paragraphs 1 to 7, of the act of August 30,1842, assessed duty upon wool, unmanufactured, and upon'various manufactures thereof. In paragraph 8 duty was also imposed upon “Thibet, Angora, and all other goat’s hair or mohair, unmanufactured,” and upon certain mentioned “and all other manufactures of goat’s hair or mohair.”

The act of July 30, 1848, in Schedule C, made dutiable “manufactures of wool or of which wool shall be the component material of chief value,” also “wool unmanufactured;” in Schedule D a different rate of duty was provided for “manufactures of goat’s hah or mohair, or of which goat’s hair or mohair shall be the component material,” and in Schedule E a still different rate was provided for “Angora, Thibet, and other goat’s hair or mohair, unmanufactured.”

In the act of March 2,1861, section 12, paragraph 1, duty was levied “on all wool unmanufactured, and all hair of the alpaca, goat, and other like animals unmanufactured.”

In the act of June 30, 1864, section 4, like descriptive terms were employed relating to the raw materials, wool and hair, and various duties were assessed upon the same and fabrics and manufactures thereof. In section 5, paragraph 2, of this act, a clear distinction was made between certain articles made of wool and those made of worsted, mohair, alpaca, or goat’s hair.

The act of March 2, 1867, section 1, provided “there shall bo levied, collected, and paid on all unmanufactured wool, hair of the alpaca, goat, and other like animals, imported from foreign countries, the duties hereinafter provided.” All wools, hair of the alpaca, goat, and other like animals, as aforesaid, shall be divided for the purposes of fixing duties to be charged thereon into three classes, to wit, class 1, clothing wool (under this class wools alone are mentioned); class 2, combing wools (under this division certain wools are specified and [216]*216also all hair of the alpaca, goat, and other-like animals); class 3, carpet wools and other similar wools (under this class certain wools and others of a character like those the subject of former importations are named).

Following this classification, the section provides for distinctive samples of the various kinds of wool or hair embraced therein to be prepared by the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury and deposited in the various customhouses for the purpose of using the same as standards of comparison in determining the classifications last mentioned, and then provides for the duties upon the three classes, the first being upon “wools of the first class,” the second being “upon wools of the second class and upon all hair of the alpaca, goat, and other like animals,” and the third being “upon wool of the third class,” followed by provisions for various duty rates upon products of these raw materials.

These provisions in Schedule K have from time to time been substantially reenacted in ad the tariff acts (except as hereinafter mentioned) to and including paragraph 360 of the act of 1909, the first part of which was as follows:

360. All wools, hair of the camel, goat, alpac'a, and other like animals shall be divided, for the purpose of fixing the duties to be charged thereon, into the three following classes: ⅝ ⅜ *.

Then follow provisions in the paragraph for classification thereunder corresponding to and very like those above mentioned of the act of 1867, and it is therein declared that class 2 shall include certain enumerated combing wools and the “hair of the camel, Angora goat, alpaca, and other like animals.”

The exception to the foregoing legislative treatment of wool and hair for duty purposes may bo found in the tariff act of 1894, which in paragraph 685 placed in the free list “ a(l wool of the sheep, hair of the camel, goat, alpaca, and other like animals,” while paragraph 279 of Schedule K thereof assessed a duty upon certain wool wastes and upon “wool of the sheep, hair of the camel, goat, alpaca, or other like animals in the form of roving, roping, or tops.” In succeeding paragraphs of Schedule K provisions were made for duties upon various yarns, cloths, and other manufactures of wool and hair of the camel, goat, alpaca, or other animals.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
7 Ct. Cust. 213, 1916 WL 21546, 1916 CCPA LEXIS 77, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rosenberg-v-united-states-ccpa-1916.