Tower v. United States

28 Cust. Ct. 273, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 38
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMay 27, 1952
DocketC. D. 1422
StatusPublished

This text of 28 Cust. Ct. 273 (Tower 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
Tower v. United States, 28 Cust. Ct. 273, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 38 (cusc 1952).

Opinion

Eewall, Judge:

The merchandise involved in this case consists of 35 hales of rags imported into the United States from Canada. Of this number, 22 bales were granted free entry as roofing rags, paper stock, under the provisions of paragraph 1750 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U. S. C. § 1201, par. 1750), and are not here in controversy. Of the remaining 13 bales, 12 were assessed with duty at the rate of 7% per centum ad valorem as “Waste, not specially provided for” under paragraph 1555 of the said tariff act, as modified by the trade agreement with the United Kingdom (T. D. 49753). The remaining bale was assessed at the rate of 9 cents per pound as “Wool and hair wastes: * * * Wool rags” under paragraph 1105 (a) of said tariff act (19 Ü. S. C. § 1001, par. 1105 (a)), as modified by the same trade agreement.

The customs officials, as shown by the official papers, numbered the bales for identification purposes at the time of importation.

Plaintiff claims that the 13 bales are properly free of duty as “paper stock” under said paragraph 1750.

[274]*274As shown by the report of the appraiser in evidence, which apparently was adopted by the collector, the reason for the assessment of the 12 bales containing rayon rags and a mixture of rayon and cotton rags apparently is as follows:

* * * It is our understanding that Rayon Clips or fibers are not wanted by Roofing manufacturers because these fibers do not readily absorb the pitch or asphalt with which the paper or felt is to be impregnated.

The collector, in classifying 6 bales of rayon and cotton rags and 1 bale of wool, rayon and cotton, out of the 13 bales, invoked the mixed-material clause of section 508 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U. S. C. § 1508). That section is in the following language:

SEC. 508. COMMINGLING OF GOODS.

Whenever dutiable merchandise and merchandise which is free of duty or merchandise subject to different rates of duty are so packed together or mingled that the quantity or value of each class of such merchandise can not be readily ascertained by the customs officers, the whole of such merchandise shall be subject to the highest rate of duty applicable to any part thereof, unless the importer or consignee shall segregate such merchandise at his own risk and expense under customs supervision within ten days after entry thereof, in order that the quantity and value of each part or class thereof may be ascertained.

Plaintiff produced the testimony of one witness, the vice president of the importing corporation, who had been engaged since 1934 in buying, selling, and examining material such as waste paper, rags, etc., including rags that are used in making roofing paper, and has been in a similar line of business since 1918, handling paper-making rags, paper stock rags, waste paper, etc. In the course of his duties, he sells paper stock rags to roofing mills and writing paper mills in various localities. This witness has had occasion to visit these mills during the course of which visits he became familiar with the use of the paper stock rags sold to the mills by him in the Midwest and the East and as far south as Maryland. He purchased the shipment here involved and also sold it to the Armstrong Cork Co., Inc. He stated that he did not see the merchandise before the sale, but inspected two bales out of the shipment at the plant of the Armstrong Cork Co., Inc., about 6 months after importation, and “it seemed to” him that the two bales examined consisted of “a combination of partly rayon cuttings, partly rayon waste, and mixed with other materials.” He did not identify the bales examined by him except to state that they were part of the instant shipment. He did not see the bale numbered by the customs officials as 18, containing some wool rags. He described “rayon cuttings” as lock stitch, and rayon waste as “the threads that might have been dirty from the sweepings from the floor.” It is not clear from the testimony of this witness whether the bales seen by him were a part of the lot admitted to free entry by the collector or whether they were bales from those denied free entry. His state[275]*275ment was tbat be informed tbe Armstrong Cork Co., Inc., mill tbat be wanted to “look at some of tbe bales tbat came out of car 77437 PRR” wbicb tbe official papers sbow to be tbe car containing tbis importation. He later testified tbat tbe bales be saw were tagged witb tbat car number.

Tbe witness testified to bis familiarity witb tbe type of merchandise tbat be saw in tbe two bales examined and stated tbat it is chiefly used in making roofing paper. His testimony on this point was limited to tbe merchandise represented by tbe two bales be inspected.

On cross-examination, be testified tbat as to old rayon hosiery and wool rags, tbe chief use of those commodities is not for roofing paper. In explanation of an earlier statement tbat tbe mills sometimes reject rags sent to them, tbe witness said:

On roofing rags, as I said before, in order to understand the picture, roofing rags is a residue of everything else, old rags or new cotton cuttings, the residue which can mean that for instance, new cotton cuttings may have gotten full of oil — it gets to the mill and they can’t use them, so they reject them, or we may find a lot of dirt or strings, or what have you. Roofing rags, because it'is the residue of our business, they are apt to throw anything in there, and the dealer will throw them in and take a chance they will go through. He has to dump it anyway, so he will try to see if they can get some money out of it. If he doesn’t get away with it, they will bring it to the dump and charge it back.

Tbe roofing paper manufacturer sorts tbe bales to see wbat be can use for tbe manufacture of bis paper. Material of tbe grade known as roofing rags is not used for tbe manufacture of other kinds of paper.

There was offered and received in evidence as defendant’s exhibit 1 tbe order from tbe Armstrong Cork Co., Inc., covering tbis shipment. Tbis order contains, on tbe reverse side thereof, a printed set of specifications entitled “Felt Manufaoturebs Association, Classification of Rag StocK,” wbicb tbe witness admitted bad been in effect since prior to 1930, without change. Plaintiff’s witness stated tbat while some of tbe purchasers of tbis type of materials print these specifications on their order blanks, tbe vast majority do not.

We set forth tbe portions of these specifications, in so far as they classify roofing rags, as follows:

No. 1 — Roofing Rags. Soft rags all containing a percentage of wool. Satinet garments, including men’s coats, pants, vests, mixed linsies, women’s coats, sacks and cloth skirts, all containing a portion of wool fibre, excluding over-alls, khaki, canvas, duck, quilts, seams and strippings or similar materials.
No. 1. S. — Seams and Clothing Strippings From Garments.
No. 2 — Roofing Rags. Cotton rags. Large and small cotton rags, including linings, rag carpets, print rags and stockings, excluding silk rags, rayon, wood and fibre rags.
*******
[276]*276No. 5 — Roofing Rags. A — Tailor rags, free from all rubbish and paper.

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Bluebook (online)
28 Cust. Ct. 273, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 38, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tower-v-united-states-cusc-1952.