Studner v. United States

50 Cust. Ct. 149, 1963 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1351
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJune 20, 1963
DocketC.D. 2404
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 50 Cust. Ct. 149 (Studner 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
Studner v. United States, 50 Cust. Ct. 149, 1963 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1351 (cusc 1963).

Opinion

Laweeitoe, Judge:

Upon importation from Denmark, certain articles, covered by consumption entry 760456, were classified by tbe collector of customs as print rollers, with raised patterns of brass or brass and felt, used for printing designs, in paragraph 395 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1001, par. 395), as modified by the Sixth Protocol of Supplementary Concessions to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 91 Treas. Dec. 150, T.D. 54108, and duty was imposed thereon at the rate of $5 each, plus 57 per centum ad valorem.

The claim relied upon by plaintiff is contained in an amendment of his protest, wherein it is alleged that said merchandise should properly have been classified as waste, not specially provided for, in paragraph 1555 of said act (19 U.S.C. § 1001, par. 1555), as modified by the Torquay Protocol to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 86 Treas. Dec. 121, T.D. 52739, which provides for a duty assessment of 4 per centum ad valorem.

[150]*150Tlie provisions of the tariff act in competition herein are here set forth.

Paragraph 395 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the sixth protocol, supra:

Print rollers, of whatever material composed, with raised patterns of brass or brass and felt, finished or unfinished, used for printing, stamping, or cutting designs_$5 each and 57% ad val.

Paragraph 1555 of said act, as modified by the Torquay protocol, supra:

Waste, not specially provided for_4% ad val.

In addition to the testimony of four witnesses for the plaintiff and three for the defendant, specific reference to which will be made, infra, the following exhibits were received in evidence:

Plaintiff’s exhibit 1 and defendant’s exhibit A are print rollers representative of the merchandise in issue.

Plaintiff’s illustrative exhibit 2 is a print roller similar to exhibit 1, except that both bearings have been removed whereas only one bearing has been removed from exhibit 1. Said exhibit 2 was the subject of decision in Pelton Enterprises, Inc., and Hoyt, Shepston & Sciaroni v. United States, 44 Cust. Ct. 381, Abstract 63935.

Plaintiff’s exhibit 3 consists of a commercial invoice attached to consumption entry 760456 covering the instant importation.

Plaintiff’s exhibit 4 is an advertisement illustrative of one of the methods by which the articles in issue are marketed.

Consumption entry 760456, which includes the merchandise presently in issue, covers 4 cases containing a total of 512 print rollers. A commercial invoice accompanying said entry, in evidence as plaintiff’s exhibit 3, discloses that the print rollers contained in one of said cases were manipulated while in customs’ custody, the manipulation consisting of the removal of part of the design. From notations on said invoice, it appears that the manipulated print rollers, with part of the design removed, were no longer considered suitable for use as print rollers, and classification of this portion of the importation, covered by consumption entry 760456, was made within the purview of articles, not specially provided for, composed in chief value of brass, in paragraph 397 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1001, par. 397), as modified by the sixth protocol, supra, for which duty at the rate of 20 per centum ad valorem is provided.

The first witness to testify in this case was David M. Studner, importer of the instant merchandise and plaintiff herein. He testified to his familiarity with the merchandise covered by consumption entry 760456, which he described as 4 cases of brass lamp bases, a total of 512 bases, and that exhibit 1 is representative of the importation.

The imported merchandise, according to Studner, was purchased [151]*151from a firm called Fiona Wallpaper, in Faaborg, Denmark, a company engaged in the business of printing and manufacturing wallpapers. The witness explained that, on a visit to the Fiona factory abroad, he personally selected the rollers by having them exhibited individually before him. The instant rollers had been kept in a storage place abroad. His basis of selection was whether the print rollers were of a design suitable for lamps. As to the physical condition of the rollers at the time of his examination and prior to purchase, the witness stated that they were covered with the dust of many years and, in some instances, were damaged, some of the edges had rotted away, and most of them were cracked, but as long as the designs were suitable for lamp base purposes, Studner accepted them.

This witness explained that, after purchase of the rollers and prior to their importation into this country by specific instructions of the importer, one bearing was removed from each of the rollers and a square piece of wood affixed in its place to serve the twofold purpose of protection and as a base. Subsequently, the statement was made by Studner that the main purpose for removing the bearing and attaching the piece of wood was to obtain the benefit of a lower rate of duty upon importation.

Prior to shipment to this country, a piece of wallpaper was wrapped around the individual rollers, and the rollers were packed in cases of from 105 to 146 rollers in each of 4 cases.

After examining exhibit 1, Studner testified that there were parts of the design thereon which were missing and that was the condition in which the merchandise was imported.

All of the print rollers covered by the instant importation were sold to one firm, the Mario Manufacturing Co., a manufacturer of lamps. Subsequent to the instant importation, Studner had purchased many thousands of rollers and has continued to sell them to Mario Manufacturing Co. and, in addition, has sold them under his own name as a mail-order proposition through a magazine advertisement (exhibit 4). None of the rollers comprising the instant importation or the subsequent importations referred to was used for the printing of wallpaper.

John Pedisich, vice president of the Ronkonkomo Wallpaper Corp., was called to testify as plaintiff’s second witness. Pedisich stated that he has been in the wallpaper manufacturing business since 1931. The Ronkonkomo Wallpaper Corp., a small plant, is a member of the Wallpaper Institute, and Pedisich is a director of said institute and previously had served as its treasurer and president. The Wallpaper Institute is a manufacturers’ association and carries on the regular functions of a trade association in setting standards and disseminating information among its members. As an arm of the institute, the [152]*152Wallpaper Council was created to promote and publicize the wallpaper industry throughout the country.

Pedisich has delivered lectures at the College of the City of New York and in the States of Connecticut, Arkansas, Virginia, and New Jersey on the subject of wallpaper manufacture. He has traveled throughout the United States and is familiar with the manufacture of wallpaper in all parts of the country.

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Related

Cheltenham Supply Corp. v. United States
63 Cust. Ct. 271 (U.S. Customs Court, 1969)
Studner v. United States
62 Cust. Ct. 63 (U.S. Customs Court, 1969)
Altman v. United States
54 Cust. Ct. 328 (U.S. Customs Court, 1965)
R. H. Macy Co. v. United States
53 Cust. Ct. 238 (U.S. Customs Court, 1964)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
50 Cust. Ct. 149, 1963 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1351, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/studner-v-united-states-cusc-1963.