United Trading Corp. v. United States

36 Cust. Ct. 226
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMay 10, 1956
DocketC. D. 1779
StatusPublished

This text of 36 Cust. Ct. 226 (United Trading Corp. 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
United Trading Corp. v. United States, 36 Cust. Ct. 226 (cusc 1956).

Opinion

Ekwall, Judge:

These cases, which have been consolidated, involve importations of canned vegetables imported from Mexico, which are claimed by the plaintiff to be properly dutiable under the provision in paragraph 775 of the Tariff Act of 1930, in effect at the time of entry, for “pimientos, packed in brine or in oil, or prepared or preserved in any manner, 6 cents per pound.” The collector of customs at the port of entry assessed duty thereon at 35 per centum ad valorem under the provision in the same paragraph for “Vegetables * * * pickled, or packed in salt, brine, oil, or prepared or preserved in any other way and not specially provided for,” under a ruling of the Commissioner of Customs published as T. D. 51050. The pleadings also contain a claim that the weight of the brine or other packing material should not be included in the dutiable weight. This claim was not referred to in plaintiff’s brief and presumably is waived.

In support of its claim that the merchandise is pimientos, plaintiff introduced into evidence the chemists’ reports of their analyses of the merchandise, which reports are in the following language:

The sample consists of cooked capsicum, a pepper of the pungent type.

The reports also state the net and drained weights of the contents of the tins, together with the percentage of salt in the aqueous drained [227]*227liquid. Plaintiff also produced the testimony of one Evelyn Lee Chang, the widow of the president and owner of the United Trading Corporation, and of Arthur J. Fritz, a customs broker.

Mrs. Chang stated that she had accompanied her husband on his trips to Mexico and was acquainted with his business; that the plaintiff corporation secured all of the merchandise described as pimientos from the Industrial Ensenada, a plant that packs them in Mexico; that she is familiar with the manner in which the merchandise was described on the tins. She had been in Ensenada and had seen the merchandise grown and also saw it packed in the factory; she also saw it after its arrival in this country. At first, the merchandise was described on the labels as pimientos but, later on, plaintiff was required to relabel and reclassify it as “Pimiento-Chili, Cross or Hybrid.”

This witness further testified that she used the commodity in her home as garnishes or decorations for salads and also chopped it up bo mix with sandwich spreads, but never used it in any hot dishes of any kind. Prior to the time that her husband commenced importing this merchandise from Mexico, she had used similar merchandise, which she bought in the stores, in the same way as she subsequently used the imported. The goods thus purchased and used were packed under different labels but were described as pimientos.

On cross-examination, the witness stated that her husband imported but one brand, The Flying V; that the plaintiff had an exclusive contract with the packer and was the sole purchaser of this brand. She was under the impression that plaintiff bought all of the pimiento crop from this shipper and packer; so far as she knew, the merchandise was packed in brine. So far as she could describe the process, she testified that the fresh vegetable was “cooked to a certain temperature, and then cooled, and then cooked again in brine and put in cans and covered, and then cooked again, and then labelled.”

The second witness for the plaintiff was a customhouse broker who made entry of the merchandise here involved and had been making entry for identical merchandise since 1923, when plaintiff started importing it. He testified that the subject of correct labeling of the tins was taken up with the Commissioner of Customs after discussion with Mr. Chang and also with the Department of Agriculture and, as a result, a ruling was handed down by the Commissioner, which ruling he discussed also with Mr. Chang. As he recalled, the first shipment was classified as pimientos, the second and subsequent shipments as pimientos, cross or hybrid. As to the importations made subsequent to 30 days after the ruling, the merchandise was classified as prepared vegetables.

Defendant introduced the testimony of a United States Government chemist who, during the period covering these importations, [228]*228was a chemist with the Food & Drug Administration. His duties consisted of examining and analyzing all food and drug merchandise that was imported at the port of San Francisco. He identified the tins which had been introduced into evidence as illustrative of the merchandise in suit and also identified the label which had been removed from one of the tins in suit, which label was received in evidence as exhibit C. The witness testified concerning a series of tests he had made of the merchandise here in suit as to the weight and the character of the contents of the tins. His description of the product was as follows:

* * * it contained considerable salt present in drained liquor — only a very small amount of drained liquid was present. The product was of good quality, consisting of whole fruit, that is no pieces were noted. Product does not appear to be true pimientos in that they are distinctly hot in flavor. Product consists of red peppers in good condition, * * *.

In arriving at the nature of the imported product, he collected two samples of what he considered to be true pimientos in tins, which he obtained in the local market. In comparing these with the imported product, he found them to be very mild in taste, as compared with the hot taste of the imported. In describing the imported product, he stated that it was rather dark red in color and was so hot that unless one was used to eating such products it could not be left in the mouth for any length of time. In answer to interrogations by the court, this witness stated that pimientos, as known in this country, are sweet and very mild in taste, whereas the product under consideration is very hot in taste and is not a true pimiento.

Mr. Andrew J. Brown also testified on behalf of the defendant. His testimony may be summarized as follows: At the time of these importations, he was chief of the San Francisco office of the United States Food & Drug Administration, which position he retained until 1949, when he asked to be relieved of some of his duties. He remained as assistant until June 1951, at which time he retired. He served the Food & Drug Administration from 1919 until the date of his retirement, starting as inspector and advancing to chief inspector and then chief of station. He recalled the fact of these importations and that he had some conversation with the customs broker in regard to them. He stated the substance of such conversations to be that these importations of so-called pimientos could be sold to the armed services under the original labels, providing the armed services were notified as to the true character of the merchandise; otherwise, goods not sold to the armed services would have to be relabeled as a pimiento-chili hybrid or cross. So far as his knowledge went, all future shipments were required to bear the label showing it to be a hybrid, specifically specifying it to be a pimiento-chili hybrid.

[229]*229Plaintiff contends that, even assuming this merchandise is a hybrid pimiento-chili, it is entitled to classification as pimientos under the well-known rule that an eo nomine designation of an article, without limitations or a shown contrary legislative intent, and without proof of commercial designation, will include all forms of said article.

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Related

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Bluebook (online)
36 Cust. Ct. 226, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-trading-corp-v-united-states-cusc-1956.