Trans-World Shipping Service, Inc. v. United States

58 Cust. Ct. 120, 1967 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2537
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedFebruary 23, 1967
DocketC.D. 2900
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 58 Cust. Ct. 120 (Trans-World Shipping Service, Inc. 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
Trans-World Shipping Service, Inc. v. United States, 58 Cust. Ct. 120, 1967 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2537 (cusc 1967).

Opinion

Richard,son, Judge:

The merchandise of the instant protests, five in all, which have been consolidated for trial purposes, consists of parts for a complete coal loading machine or machines, spare and replacement parts for the same, and spare parts for a railroad car dumper which were entered at Cleveland, Ohio, from West Germany. The various parts of the coal loading machine or machines other than belting are covered by five entries under protest 63/9249 (entries numbered 271, 277, 288, 293, 329 of the Chesapeake Realty Development Corp. The spare and replacement parts for the coal loading facility other than belting are covered by nine entries under protest 63/9251 (entries numbered 207, 241, 242, 248, 348, 354, 527, 590, 769 of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co.) and one entry under protest 63/9247 (entry numbered 328 of the Trans-World Shipping Service, Inc.). The spare parts for the railroad car dumper are covered by one entry under protest 63/9247 (entry numbered 523 of the Trans-World Shipping Service, Inc.). Belting for the coal loading facility is covered by three entries under protest 63/9248 (entries numbered 271, 277,288 of the Chesapeake Realty Development Corp.) ; and the spare belting for the same facility is covered by two entries under protest 63/9250 (entries numbered 248, 590 of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co.).

With the exception of merchandise covered under entries numbered 271,277 and 288 which is the subject of protest by plaintiff Chesapeake Realty Development Corp. under protests 63/9248 and 63/9249, the merchandise was appraised as entered. As to the merchandise covered by entries 271, 277 and 288, this merchandise was advanced in value upon appraisement as the result of the appraisement of the belting separately from the appraisement of the coal loading machine or machines. However, no appeal for reappraisement was taken either by the collector or by the plaintiff Chesapeake Realty Development Corp. with respect to entries numbered 271, 277 and 288. Thereafter, [122]*122the collector classified all merchandise other than the belting under the provision for electrical articles and parts under 19 U.S.C.A., section 1001, paragraph 353 (paragraph 353, Tariff Act of 1930) as modified by T.D. 52739; and classified the belting under the eo nomine provision therefor contained in 19 U.S.O.A., section 1001, paragraph 913(a) (paragraph 913(a), Tariff Act of 1930) as modified by T.D. 51802. The plaintiffs contend that all of the involved merchandise should be classified under the provision for machines and parts under 19 U.S.C.A., section 1001, paragraph 372 (paragraph 372, Tariff Act of 1930) as modified by T.D. 54108.

The issue before the court relates to the proper dutiable classification of all parts of the coal loading machine, consisting of subassem-blies of feeders, conveyors, and boatloader, which when fully assembled and connected to other equipment, formed a complex facility in the rail yards and dock of the plaintiffs, The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co. and the Chesapeake Realty Development Corp. at Pres-que Isle, Ohio, by means of which railroad cars loaded with coal are mechanically emptied of their contents and the coal transported to the dock where it is loaded into the holds of vessels tied up at the dock. The competing tariff provisions read as follows:

[Par. 353, as modified] Articles having as an essential feature an electrical element or device, such as electric motors, fans, locomotives, portable tools, furnaces, heaters, ovens, ranges, washing machines, refrigerators and signs, finished or unfinished, wholly or in chief value of metal, and not specially provided for:

Other (except. . .)_13%% ad val.

[Par. 372, as modified] Machines, finished or unfinished, not specially provided for:

Other (except . . .)_12% ad val. or 11%% ad val. [depending upon the date of entry]
Parts .... The rate for the article of which they are parts.

[Par. 913, as modified] (a) Belts and belting, for machinery:

Wholly or in chief value of cotton or other vegetable fiber and india rubber, and valued at 40 cents or more per pound-20% ad val.

The plaintiffs maintain that the electrical equipment forming part of the coal loading facility is not essential to the operation of the machine, and further, that the belting was designed and fabricated [123]*123solely for use on the involved machine and is an integral part of the machine.

With a view toward establishing non-essentiality of the coal machine’s electrical equipment and dedication of the belting to the machine, the plaintiffs introduced at the trial the testimony of one Emil Szaks, materials handling engineer in the employ of the plaintiff railroad company, who was intimately associated with the design of the coal loading machine and the approval of its specifications, and who supervised the construction of the machine following the importation of the various parts thereof. Mr. Szaks, who was the only witness, testified at length on direct and cross-examination with respect to the design and purpose of the coal loading machine and as to the functions of its various parts and the electrical apparatus and equipment which operate and control the machine, employing various photographs of parts of the equipment to illustrate and explain his testimony (plaintiffs’ exhibits 1 through 7; defendant’s exhibits A and B). Also in evidence are excerpts from the contract and specifications on the basis of which the machine was manufactured and constructed.

Following the trial and with the presentation of briefs it developed that the parties were in agreement concerning and made concessions in their briefs with respect to classification of all items of merchandise other than the belting (defendant’s brief, pages 2 and 4; plaintiffs’ reply brief, pages 1 and 2).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
58 Cust. Ct. 120, 1967 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2537, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trans-world-shipping-service-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1967.