United States v. Lilly & Co.

14 Ct. Cust. 332, 1927 CCPA LEXIS 144
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedJanuary 21, 1927
DocketNo. 2739
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 14 Ct. Cust. 332 (United States v. Lilly & Co.) 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. Lilly & Co., 14 Ct. Cust. 332, 1927 CCPA LEXIS 144 (ccpa 1927).

Opinions

Graham, Presiding Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The articles imported in this case are denominated as ampoules by the importers. The collector classified them as vials holding less than one-fourth of a pint under paragraph 217 of the Tariff Act of 1922, which is as follows:

Par. 217. Plain green or colored, molded or pressed, and flint, lime, or lead-glass bottles, vials, jars, and covered or uncovered demijohns, and carboys, any of the foregoing, filled or unfilled, not specially provided for, and whether their contents be dutiable or free (except such as contain merchandise subject to an ad valorem rate of duty, or to a rate of duty based in whole or in part upon the value thereof, which shall be dutiable at the rate applicable to their contents), [334]*334shall pay duty as follows: If holding more than 1 pint, 1 cent per pound; if holding not more than 1 pint and not less than one-fourth of a pint, 134 cents per pound; if holding less than one-fourth of a pint, 50 cents per gross: Provided That the terms “bottles,” “vials,” “jars,” “demijohns;” and “carboys,” as used herein, shall be restricted to such articles when suitable for use and of the character ordinarily employed for the holding or transportation of merchandise, and not as appliances or implements in chemical or other operations, and shall not include bottles for table service and thermostatic bottles.

They are claimed to be dutiable, by importers, as blown-glass articles, not specially provided for, under the fourth subdivision of paragraph 218 of said act, which is as follows:

Pab. 218. * * * table and kitchen articles and utensils, and all articles of every description not specially provided for, composed wholly or in chief value of glass or paste, or combinations of glass and paste, blown or partly blown in the 'mold or otherwise, or colored, cut, engraved, etched, frosted, gilded, ground (except such grinding as is necessary for fitting stoppers or for purposes other than ornamentation); painted, printed in any manner, sand-blasted, silvered, stained, or decorated or ornamented in any manner, whether filled or unfilled or whether their contents be dutiable or free, 55 per centum ad valorem; * * *

On appeal from the collector’s classification to the Board of General Appraisers, the various protests were sustained and the entries were directed to be reliquidated under said paragraph 218. From that judgment, the Government has appealed.

The issue, as stated by counsel, and as it appears from the record, is narrow, but is vigorously contested. It is substantially, this: Are the glass articles imported to be classified as “plain green or colored, molded or pressed, and flint, or lead-glass bottles, vials, jars, and covered or unfilled demijohns, and carboys * * * holding less than one-fourth of a pint,” as specified in said paragraph 217, or as “articles of every description not specially provided for, composed wholly or in chief value of glass or paste, * * * blown or partly blown in the mold or otherwise,” under said paragraph 218. It is conceded by both parties, that if the goods are classifiable under said paragraph 217, it is under the designation, “vials” therein appearing.

The collector, having classified the goods under said paragraph 217, when the matter came to the attention of the court below, the presumption was that he had found all the necessary facts to exist which brought the goods within that classification, and that his classification was correct. In order to overcome the correctness of the classification, it devolved upon the protestants to demonstrate not only the incorrectness of the classification, but that the goods were properly otherwise classifiable. The protestants, in order to carry the burden assumed, make three contentions, namely: (1) The goods imported are not commonly known as vials; (2) they are commercially known and designated not as vials, but as ampoules; (3) even if it be conceded that they are vials, they are not such articles as are suitable for [335]*335use and of the character ordinarily employed for the holding and transportation of merchandise.

To maintain the issues, a large amount of oral testimony and documentary evidence, as well as a large number of collective and illustrative exhibits, were introduced in the court below. It will be necessary to examine the testimony and evidence as to their bearing upon the issues presented.

It appears from the record that the articles imported in this case are glass containers, specially contrived for the transportation of pharmaceutical and biological preparations which are to be used in a medicinal way. These containers are shown to be made of flint glass, and it fairly appears from the record that the glass of which they are prepared is purposely made free from alkali in order that the contents of the containers may not be impaired by chemical reactions. These containers are not pressed or molded, but are made from glass tubing and are of two general types — flat bottomed and round bottomed. In making them the tubing is cut into appropriate lengths and, in the case of the flat-bottomed type, one end is subjected to heat, fused, and then pressed upon an iron plate, thus forming a Bottom; the other end is heated, fused, and drawn out into a long, tapering point, and this point is sealed. In the round-bottomed type the bottom is shaped by blowing. The official samples in the importations in question, together with the official samples in T. D. 39848, the record of which was introduced herein and the samples involved in which were admittedly the same as the importations in the case at bar, show the containers to be of various sizes, ranging in capacity from 1 to approximately 50 cubic centimeters.

The record shows that the demands of the medical profession for sterile and uncontaminated containers for certain medicines have led to the adoption by manufacturing chemists of containers such as those imported here and similar types. These are importéd sealed; the pointed ends are then broken off, the contents inserted, and these ends again sealed by the use of heat. In this condition the contents are conveyed to the distributors and thence to the medical profession. When desired for use, the small end of the container is removed by breaking or cutting and the contents are removed by a hypodermic syringe or in such other way as is desired. The purport of all the testimony is to the effect that this is the ordinary method used in transporting a great variety of substances useful for the alleviation of human ailments.

Alexander Fisher, manager of the glassware manufacturing department of the appellee Parke, Davis & Co. and a witness for protestants, testified that the imported articles were ampoules. Louis Klein, a witness for protestants and medical consultant for the protestant Parke, Davis & Co., testified that “an ampoule is a special appliance [336]*336designed for placing in the hands of the physician a single dose of injectable medicine in such a form, as to assure him of its sterility.” Walter G. Norvell, superintendent of stock finishing and distribution for the protestant Parke, Davis & Co.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Riekes Crisa Corp. v. United States
84 Cust. Ct. 132 (U.S. Customs Court, 1980)
Rosenberg v. United States
59 Cust. Ct. 425 (U.S. Customs Court, 1967)
Technical Tape Corp. v. United States
58 Cust. Ct. 37 (U.S. Customs Court, 1967)
Air Express International Corp. v. United States
54 Cust. Ct. 450 (U.S. Customs Court, 1965)
Hostachem Corp. v. United States
51 Cust. Ct. 272 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
Border Brokerage Co. v. United States
50 Cust. Ct. 233 (U.S. Customs Court, 1963)
Kaysing v. United States
49 C.C.P.A. 69 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1962)
Kaysing v. United States
46 Cust. Ct. 504 (U.S. Customs Court, 1961)
Curley-Bates Co. v. United States
39 Cust. Ct. 119 (U.S. Customs Court, 1957)
United States v. Damrak Trading Co.
43 C.C.P.A. 77 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1956)
B. K. Elliott Co. v. United States
34 Cust. Ct. 121 (U.S. Customs Court, 1955)
On Leong Ass'n v. United States
32 Cust. Ct. 472 (U.S. Customs Court, 1954)
L. Tobert Co. v. United States
28 Cust. Ct. 456 (U.S. Customs Court, 1952)
Loewenthal Trimming Corp. v. United States
39 C.C.P.A. 149 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1952)
S. S. Kresge Co. v. United States
28 Cust. Ct. 373 (U.S. Customs Court, 1952)
X-Acto Crescent Products Co. v. United States
27 Cust. Ct. 190 (U.S. Customs Court, 1951)
A. W. Fenton Co. v. United States
26 Cust. Ct. 434 (U.S. Customs Court, 1951)
Sandoz Chemical Works, Inc. v. United States
25 Cust. Ct. 115 (U.S. Customs Court, 1950)
Fan Co. v. United States
25 Cust. Ct. 42 (U.S. Customs Court, 1950)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
14 Ct. Cust. 332, 1927 CCPA LEXIS 144, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-lilly-co-ccpa-1927.