United States v. Nichols Copper Co.

29 C.C.P.A. 186, 1941 CCPA LEXIS 165
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedDecember 29, 1941
DocketNo. 4367
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 29 C.C.P.A. 186 (United States v. Nichols Copper 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. Nichols Copper Co., 29 C.C.P.A. 186, 1941 CCPA LEXIS 165 (ccpa 1941).

Opinion

Lenroot, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This appeal is from a judgment of the United States Customs Court (Second Division) involving the classification of certain merchandise imported at the port of New York in 1936. It was invoiced as “bulk silver ores” and was classified by the collector under paragraph 393 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and assessed with duty at the rate of l}i cents per pound upon the zinc contained therein. It is conceded by appellee that the merchandise has a zinc content of 10 per centum.

Appellee (importer) protested such classification, claiming the merchandise to be free of duty under paragraph 1664 of said act as “metallic mineral substances in a crude state.” Another claim was made in the protest, which claim was not urged before the trial court or before us, and we assume that claim was abandoned by appellee.

With the permission of the court James L. Gerry, Esq., was permitted to file a brief as amicus curiae.

The paragraphs of said tariff act here involved read as follows:

Par. 393. Zinc-bearing ores of-all kinds, except pyrites containing not more than 3 per centum zinc, 1)4 cents per pound on the zinc contained therein: * *
[188]*188Par. 1664. Metallic mineral substances in a crude state, such as drosses, shimmings, residues, brass foundry ash, and flue dust, not specially provided for.

On. the trial before the Customs Court the only question of fact litigated was whether the involved merchandise was an “ore” within the common meaning of that term.

Analyses of samples of the merchandise were introduced in evidence by appellee which showed the material to be composed of approximately 60 per centum silica, 33 ounces of silver and .16 of an ounce of gold per ton, together with other substances not important here. While said analyses do not show the percentage of zinc in the merchandise, appellee, as hereinbefore stated, conceded that the determination by the collector that the merchandise had a zinc content of 10 per centum was correct.

Upon the first hearing before the Customs Court appellee introduced the testimony of two witnesses, employees of appellee. The Government introduced no evidence. Such testimony shows that the involved merchandise was used in a copper smelter operated by appellee. • Appellee’s witness Carlton S. Harlofi: testified in part as follows:

Q. For what purpose is the instant merchandise used? — A. It is used as a flux to balance the charge against the iron content; the excess iron contained in the other charged materials.
Q. How does the material emerge from the furnace after it has been heated to the proper temperature?- — A. In a fluid state.
Q. Is that the object of introducing this fluxing material? — A. The flux aids in balancing the charge, to make it easily smelted at a lower temperature.
Q. Did you recover any zinc from this particular merchandise? — A. No.

Appellee’s witness Philip B. Scott testified that appellee paid $18.25 per ton for the merchandise and that, after it had been used as a flux, silver and gold to the extent of $21 per ton were recovered therefrom. The witness further testified as follows:

Judge Dai/linger. As I understand you to say, you paid $18.00 per ton for this and recovered $21.00 silver and gold.
By Mr. Israel.
Q. Does that take into consideration your plant cost of smelting each ton? — A. No. ' ' ’
Q. How much is this? — A. Our plant cost is $7.31.
Q. Per ton? — A. Yes.
Q. Which makes a net loss of how much on each ton? — A. A net loss of $4.56.
Q. In other words, if you were merely smelting this ore that you have, without any other ores — rather, if you were smelting this particular flux, you would sustain a loss on the transaction, is that correct? — A. We don’t smelt this material. You can’t smelt this material all by itself.
Q. But your plant cost per ton on this material shows a loss of $4.56? — A. Yes.

The case was submitted to the Customs Court on. the evidence introduced as aforesaid. The court rendered a decision overruling appellee’s protest upon the ground that the evidence showed that the involved merchandise was a zinc-bearing ore.

[189]*189Upon motion of appellee a rebearing “for all purposes” was granted.

Upon the rebearing appellee introduced tbe testimony of three additional witnesses, all of which was directed to the question of whether the involved merchandise was an ore, appellee contending that it was not because the metallic content thereof could not be profitably extracted.

Again the Government introduced no evidence, and the cause was again submitted to the court.

Upon this resubmission the court sustained the protest of appellee, holding that the involved merchandise was not a zinc-bearing ore within the meaning of paragraph 393, but that it was a metallic mineral substance in a crude state and free of duty under paragraph 1664. Judgment was entered accordingly and the Government has taken this appeal therefrom.

After the entry of said judgment the Government made application for a rehearing, which was denied. In its application for rehearing the Government urged that the involved merchandise was not ejusdem generis with the substances specifically named in said paragraph 1664.

While the parties have argued at length the question of whether the involved merchandise was an ore within the common meaning of that word, we do not find it necessary to consider that question because, assuming that it was not such, but was a metallic mineral substance in a crude state as claimed by appellee, it was not within the class of substances classifiable under paragraph 1664.

Paragraph 1664 clearly does not include all metallic mineral substances in a crude state, but only those “such as drosses, shimmings, residues, brass foundry ash, and flue dust” containing metal.

The case of Alpha Lux Co., Inc. v. United States, 27 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 162, C. A. D. 79, relied upon by appellee, involved the question of the applicability of said paragraph 1664 to the merchandise there involved, which consisted of bauxite residue resulting from the extraction of aluminum from crude bauxite ore. We held that it was established that the imported merchandise there involved was not a metallic mineral substance, nor derived from a metallic mineral substance. If it had contained metal as such, it would clearly have been classifiable under said paragraph 1664 as a residue.

In our opinion in said cited case we stated:

Paragraph. 1664 of the present act provides for the admission, duty free, of crude metallic mineral substances. These substances are illustratively enumerated. The involved merchandise is not a metallic mineral substance nor is it derived from a metallic mineral substance.
* * * * * * *
There are several mineral substances (ores) in which metal, as such, is found.

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Bluebook (online)
29 C.C.P.A. 186, 1941 CCPA LEXIS 165, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-nichols-copper-co-ccpa-1941.