Schoenfeld & Sons v. United States

29 Cust. Ct. 177, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1430
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedSeptember 15, 1952
DocketC. D. 1464
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 29 Cust. Ct. 177 (Schoenfeld & Sons 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
Schoenfeld & Sons v. United States, 29 Cust. Ct. 177, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1430 (cusc 1952).

Opinion

Eicwall, Judge:

These are protests, consolidated at the trial, against the collector’s assessment of duty on merchandise described as dehydrated kibbled onions and dehydrated garlic powder at 17% per centum ad valorem under paragraph 775 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T. D. 51802, and the President’s proclamation of May 4, 1948, T. D. 51909, as vegetables, prepared or preserved, or as vegetables, reduced to flour, respectively. It is claimed that both types of merchandise are properly dutiable at 12)4 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 781 of the said tariff act, as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T. D. 51802, and the President’s proclamation of June 25, 1948, T. D. 51954, as spices, not specially provided for.

[178]*178The pertinent provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified, are as follows:

Pab. 775 [as modified by T. D. 51802 and T. D. 51909]. Vegetables (including horseradish), if cut, sliced, or otherwise reduced in size, or if reduced to flour, or if parched or roasted, or packed in oil, or prepared or preserved in any other way (except if pickled or packed in salt or brine) and not specially provided for, I7}í% ad val.
Pab. 781 [as modified by T. D. 51802 and T. D. 51954]. Spices and spice seeds:
Mixed spices, and spices and spice seeds not specially provided for, including all herbs or herb leaves in glass or other small packages, for culinary use (except bay leaves and marjoram leaves), 12J4 % ad val.

At the trial there were received into evidence an envelope containing garlic powder, representative of one of the types of merchandise involved herein (plaintiff’s exhibit 1), and a can containing material representative of the other type of merchandise involved herein, kibbled onions (plaintiff’s exhibit 2). Plaintiff also introduced into evidence a can containing onion flakes (plaintiff’s exhibit 3).

Ernest Schoenfeld, half owner of Schoenfeld & Sons, the plaintiff herein, testified that he had been associated with the firm since 1906 and that his duties included buying, selling, and overseeing, as any manager would do. His firm buys and sells spices and canned goods, such as pimentos, which are related to the spice business. He identified plaintiff’s exhibit 1 as garlic powder and stated that he had sold this type of merchandise to butchers,.bakers, and food manufacturers for almost 40 years. He was asked to describe the use of the product according to his observations and stated:

Well, you can imagine a big tub with, meat in it. The meat packer comes along, throws in certain amounts of black pepper, ginger, garlic powder and whatever material he may be requested in the makeup of that baloney or meat preparation.

He had also seen garlic powder used in the preparation of sausage seasoning. He, himself, had used it in making chicken seasoning, chicken powder (so-called curry powder), and in garlic and salt, and those products were used “as any other spice, in addition to meat and whatever they may use it for.”

Mr. Schoenfeld testified that he had handled merchandise like plaintiff’s exhibit 2 for 15 to 20 years and had sold it to butchers, bakers, and other food manufacturers. He had seen bakers sprinkle it on onion rolls and had seen butchers use it in the same way as garlic powder. He stated that plaintiff’s exhibits 1 and 2 are pungent and appetizing substances, which give relish to food and gratify the taste.

The witness testified that merchandise such as plaintiff’s exhibit 3 (onion flakes) is used mainly by soup manufacturers where the onion must show; that he had tried to sell merchandise such as plaintiff’s exhibit 2 (kibbled onions) to soup manufacturers, but it had been returned.

[179]*179On cross-examination, Mr. Shoenfeld stated that kibbled onion is made from the natural onion by drying it and chopping it or grinding it into a coarse form, while onion flakes or sliced dehydrated onions are made by slicing onions and then drying them; that the slices are a little larger than the silver dollar; and that much more care is used in maldng the latter product. He stated further that fresh onions differed in taste from dried onions or onion powder and could not be used for the same purposes. He added that if sliced onions were used on onion rolls instead of kibbled onions, “it would look awfully funny,” and that kibbled onions are used in the meat industry, but onion flakes could not be as they would tickle the throat. The witness stated further that kibbled onion is used to give taste to canned meats, stuffed fish, and other food preparations; that some people prefer this product to onion powder as it is coarser.

Milton Freeman, a salesman in the employ of Schoenfeld & Sons, testified that he had been familiar with merchandise like plaintiff’s exhibits 1 and 2 since 1937 and that he knew of their use from his contacts with meat packers and food manufacturers. He stated:

Exhibit One, the garlic powder, is sometimes mixed with water to give it additional weight and make it more easily applicable to the meat product. Then it is put right into the chopper with the meat; trimmings, spices, salt and your meat product is that way prepared.

The witness said that garlic powder, kibbled onion, and onion powder are used in the same way. However, onion powder and garlic powder are used by manufacturers of Worcestershire sauce but kibbled onions are not. Meat packers use the kibbled or the powdered product depending upon whether they want a piece of onion showing or not. Ketchup manufacturers use powder in preference to kibbled onion. Mr. Freeman said that both plaintiff’s exhibit 1 and plaintiff’s exhibit 2 are appetizing and pungent substances, which give relish to food and gratify the taste.

On plaintiff’s motion, the testimony of Lloyd M. Trafford and that of Charles Schnurman in the case of Charles T. Wilson Co., Inc. v. United States, 38 C. C. P. A. 19, C. A. D. 433, were incorporated herein. On defendant’s motion, the testimony of Technical Sergeant Joseph Meinohl in the same case was also incorporated herein.

The products involved in the Wilson case were dehydrated onion powder and dehydrated sliced onions. The witness Trafford testified that powdered onions were prepared by dehydrating onions and grinding them, and sliced onions were prepared by slicing onions and running them through a dehydrator. He said that onion powder was used in food seasonings as a spice and that both onion powder and sliced dehydrated onion are pungent and appetizing substances, which give relish to food and gratify the taste.

[180]*180The witness Schnurman testified that he had seen sausage manufacturers use onion powder in making sausage and that in the trade it is referred to as a seasoning or flavor and is considered a spice.

The testimony of Technical Sergeant Meinohl was summarized by the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals in its opinion in the Wilson case as follows:

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Related

United States v. Schoenfeld & Sons, Inc.
44 C.C.P.A. 179 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1957)
Schoenfeld & Sons, Inc. v. United States
36 Cust. Ct. 188 (U.S. Customs Court, 1956)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 Cust. Ct. 177, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1430, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schoenfeld-sons-v-united-states-cusc-1952.