United States v. Leigh

4 Ct. Cust. 304, 1913 WL 19730, 1913 CCPA LEXIS 101
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedMay 29, 1913
DocketNo. 1052
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 4 Ct. Cust. 304 (United States v. Leigh) 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
United States v. Leigh, 4 Ct. Cust. 304, 1913 WL 19730, 1913 CCPA LEXIS 101 (ccpa 1913).

Opinion

Martin, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The merchandise involved in this case consists of various cast-iron repair or replacement parts for textile machinery. The importations include 3-grooved rim pulleys, flats for carding engines, 40-tooth doffer gears, lattice-shaft brackets, levers for combing machines, and other similar machine parts.

These parts were first cast in molds and subsequently were chiseled, drilled, and machined; they thereby were made ready for immediate attachment to the machines for which severally they were designed. The pieces as imported were separate, were without attachments,- and did not together constitute entire machines in a knocked-down condition.

The appraiser returned the.importations as manufactures of metal under paragraph 199 of the tariff act of 1909. The collector accordingly assessed duty at the rate of 45 per cent ad valorem under the provisions of that paragraph.

The importers protested against the assessment, claiming the merchandise to be dutiable as iron castings advanced in condition within paragraph 147 of the act, and therefore liable both for the primary and cumulative duties prescribed therein.

The protest was submitted to the Board of General Appraisers and was sustained, from which decision the Government now appeals.

The following is a copy of the competing paragraphs in question:

147. Cast-iron andirons, plates, stove plates, sadirons, tailors’ irons, batters’ irons, and castings and vessels wholly of cast iron, eight-tenths of one cent per pound. All castings of iron or cast-iron plates which have been chiseled, drilled, machined, or otherwise advanced in condition by processes or operations subsequent to the casting [305]*305process but not made up into articles, shall pay two-tenths of one cent per pound more than the rate imposed upon the castings of iron and-cast-iron plates hereinbefore provided for.
199. Articles or wares not specially provided for in this section, composed wholly or in part of iron, steel, lead, copper, nickel, pewter, zinc, gold, silver, platinum, aluminum, or other metal, and whether partly or wholly manufactured, forty-five per centum ad valorem.

It thus appears that paragraph 147 imposes a primary duty upon iron castings not advanced in condition, and imposes also a cumulative duty upon such castings when advanced in condition, if “not made up into articles.” If iron castings are advanced in condition to the point of being “made up into articles,” they thereby are excluded from classification as castings under paragraph 147, and become dutiable as manufactures of metal under paragraph 199, above copied.

The Government contends that the description, “made up into articles,” includes individual castings like those at bar, which have been finished into completed usable units.

On the other hand the importers contend that the description, “made up into articles,” does not apply to detached parts like those at bar, but applies only to entireties which are usable within themselves, either as completed entities or as assembled articles.

It therefore is apparent that the decision of the present case depends upon the definition of the phrase, “made up into articles”; for if the parts in question are not made up into articles they yet remain dutiable as advanced castings under paragraph 147; whereas if they are made up into articles, they now are dutiable as manufactures of metal under paragraph 199.

The following is a copy of the definitions of the verb “to make up” given by the Standard 'Dictionary:

Make, v. * * *
To make up: 1. To collect into a sum, mass, or aggregate; gather together; as, to make up a parcel. 2. To compose as ingredients or parts; as, to make up a prescription. 3. To supply a deficiency in; as, to make up an amount. 4. To bring to a definite conclusion; settle; as, to make up one’s mind. 5. To make good; compensate for; as, to make up a loss. 6. To arrange for settlement; adjust; as, to make up accounts; to make up a quarrel. 7. To fabricate, as something deceitful or untrue; as, to make up a story. 8. Print. To arrange, as lines, into columns or pages. 9. To enumerate; count. - 10. To rouge, powder, or disguise the face, etc., as an actor. 11. To repair, as a hedge. 12. (obsolete) To fortify; prepare.

It thus appears that the verb “to make up” invariably expresses a process of aggregating or assembling different units into a composite entirety. Correspondingly it may be assumed that a made-up article is one which has been thus composed by uniting together various parts. This also is the meaning given by common acceptation to the term. For example, a made-up train is an assembled train composed of various cars. On the other hand a single pulley» [306]*306gear, or lever ordinarily would not be called a made-up article. This definition of the controlling term strongly tends to sustain the contention of the importers and leads to the conclusion that the term "made up into articles,” appearing in paragraph 147, does not apply to separate parts like those at bar not usable of themselves and not fitted or combined into an assembled article.

The claim of the Government is that a casting may be advanced in condition up to the point of becoming a completed usable unit and nevertheless remain dutiable as an advanced casting, but that so soon as that point is reached the casting immediately loses its identity as an advanced casting and is excluded from classification as such.

In answer, however, to this claim it may be said that such a rule would- tend to confusion in administration and would not accomplish any reasonable result, since under it such parts as these could be almost entirely completed abroad and thereupon imported as advanced castings. The only result would be that such parts would be imported not quite entirely completed in condition, and nevertheless be dutiable under paragraph 147. It does not seem probable that this construction was intended by Congress in the use of the disputed term.

The Government also claims that the cumulative duty imposed upon advanced castings by paragraph 147 is so small that it can not be intended to apply to parts like those at bar, which have been so greatly enhanced' in value as compared with crude castings. It is contended that inasmuch as the cumulative duty is only two-tenths of 1 cent per pound, and inasmuch as castings may be greatly reduced in weight by the applied processes, the result may follow that finished parts like these may actually pay less duty upon importation than would the crude castings from which they were made. It is therefore contended that such improved parts should be held to be excluded from paragraph 147.

In answer to this contention, however, it should be noted that the Government’s construction does not avoid the alleged anomaly, for according to that construction the cumulative provisions apply to such parts as these if only they are not entirely completed for use. Therefore, according even to the Government’s claim, such parts almost entirely completed for use may be imported under the classification of advanced castings, which leads substantially to the same result as that of which the Government complains.

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Bluebook (online)
4 Ct. Cust. 304, 1913 WL 19730, 1913 CCPA LEXIS 101, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-leigh-ccpa-1913.