Upton, Bradeen & James, Inc. v. United States

56 Cust. Ct. 92, 1966 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2048
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedFebruary 7, 1966
DocketC.D. 2616
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 56 Cust. Ct. 92 (Upton, Bradeen & James, 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
Upton, Bradeen & James, Inc. v. United States, 56 Cust. Ct. 92, 1966 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2048 (cusc 1966).

Opinion

Nichols, Judge:

The merchandise involved in these cases, consolidated at the trial, consists of knives or blades for machines known as punches, shears, or bar cutters, intended for use in fabricating structural or other rolled iron or steel shapes, imported from West [94]*94Germany at various dates in the years 1957 through 1961. They were assessed with duty at 30 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 352 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T.D. 51802, as cutting tools of any hind containing the prescribed percentage of alloys. It is claimed that they are properly dutiable at 17 per centum or 18 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 372 of said tariff act, as modified by the Sixth Protocol of Supplementary Concessions to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T.D. 54108, as parts of punches, shears, or bar cutters, intended for use in fabricating structural or other rolled iron or steel shapes.

The pertinent provisions of the tariff act are as follows:

Pak. 352. Twist and other drills, reamers, milling cutters, taps, dies, die heads, and metal-cutting tools of all descriptions, and cutting edges or parts for use in such tools, composed of steel or substitutes for steel, all the foregoing, if suitable for use in cutting metal, not specially provided for, 50 per centum ad valorem; cutting tools of any kind containing more than one-tenth of 1 per centum of vanadium, or more than two-tenths of 1 per centum of tungsten, molybdenum, or chromium, 60 per centum ad valorem. The foregoing rates shall apply whether or not the articles are imported separately or as parts of or attached to machines, but shall not apply to holding or operating devices.

Paragraph 352, as modified by T.D. 51802:

[95]*95Paragraph 372, as modified by T.D. 54108:

It was stipulated at the trial that the articles were composed wholly or in chief value of metal, and contained over 0.2 percent of chromium, molybdenum, or tungsten, or over 0.1 percent of vanadium.

Harold B. Porter, manager of Upton, Bradeen & James, Inc., of Detroit, the plaintiff herein, testified that he was also manager of Upton, Bradeen & James, Ltd., of Windsor, Ontario (owner of the Detroit company). He has been with the Canadian firm since 1946 and, in the course 'of his employment, has demonstrated the Pedding-haus machines sold by his company in the United States and has sold and serviced them in Canada. He identified two triangular blades as two of the blades involved in this case, and these were received in evidence as plaintiff’s exhibits 1 and 2. He stated that, except for size and shape, these exhibits are fairly representative of all the items involved here, except the articles described as “Frame 11-N" for machine 210/13” in entry Ho. 36310 in protest 62/9569. He explained:

* * * They vary in shape from that. There are other rectangular shapes and they are fitted into frames and into recesses in the machine, [96]*96and are used for shearing, notching, cutting of rolled structural shapes, rolled bar stock, rolled flat plate. That is the general coverage of the use of the machine, and the blades themselves are an integral part of it. The machine is of no value without the blades. It can’t do anything without the blades. Neither can the blades 'be used for anything outside the machine. They are designed for it.

The witness had never known of any of the machines being used without such blades and said that the machines, themselves, are designed to fit this type of thing and that the blades are designed to fit into the machines, will not fit anything else, and have no other use.

Mr. Porter testified that model 210, a combined punching and shearing machine, is one of the machines involved in this cáse, and that a brochure ;(plaintiff’s illustrative exhibit 3) illustrates !various sizes of model 210 as well as various knives, blades, and other, attachments for the machines. Other brochures were also received in evidence: Illustrative exhibit 4, illustrating model 205 and :various attachments; illiistrative exhibit 5, illustrating a machine called -the Peddy-Shear and its attachments; and illustrative exhibit 6, illustrating and describing the blades involved in this case, among others. Exhibits 1 and 2 are depicted on page 5 of exhibit 6 as knives 1-N and 2-N, respectively

According to the witness, these machines and blades are used in factories to cut and fabricate rolled steels and by almost anyone who has a need to cut, shear, and punch angle iron, T-iron, channel I-beams, and material of .‘that kind. The!blades are mounted .in a frame, and the frame of the 'machine and the5 shape of the blades approximate the conformation of the material to be cut. The operations of. the punch, the shear, and the bar cutters are identical.

Frame 11-N is a piece of rectangular steel that has been shaped to fit in the machine to hold the knives. It is an integral part of the machine, but does no cutting. (This item is described on the invoice as “For Universal Steel Worker Model 210/13, latest design, stationary knife plate 11 N.” An item, 11-N, denominated a stationary blade holder, is illustrated on page 5 of exhibit 6.)

On cross-examination, the witness testified that about 15 knives of various shapes are involved here and that they perform roughly the same function. They are all cutting tools made of hardened metal containing the stipulated amounts of alloys.

Gerald Hilston testified that he is the New York representative for Upton, Bradeen & James, Inc., and that his duties are to promote the sale of Peddinghaus punching and shearing machines in the greater New York Metropolitan area and a part of New Jersey. Based on his experience in observing these machines in use, he said that his testimony as to their use would be substantially the same as Mr. Porter’s. [97]*97Pie had never seen these machines or blades used in alxy other way and had never seen the blades or cutting parts used except with the machines. They can only be used with this particular machine, and the machine would not function without them. He was familiar Avith all of the 15 knives involved here and said they were cutting tools used in conjunction with this particular machine.

Except for the item known as frame or stationary knife plate 11-N, it is evident that the imported items are cutting tools composed of the material prescribed in paragraph 352 and that they are used in and are parts of machines which shear, notch, or cut rolled structural shapes, rolled bar stock, and rolled flat plate. The machines are known as shears or shearing and punching machines. Thus, the imports are described in both paragraph 352, as cutting tools of any kind containing the prescribed alloys, and in paragraph 372, as parts of punches, shears, and bar cutters for use in fabricating structural or other rolled iron or steel shapes. We must determine under which paragraph the imported merchandise is properly classifiable, which depends on the intent of Congress. It is pertinent to examine the legislative history of the provisions and the cases construing them. . The Tariff Act of 1922 contained the following provisions:

Pak. 398. Twist drills, reamers, milling cutters, taps, dies, and metal-cutting tools of all descriptions, not specially provided for, containing more than six-tenths of 1 per centum of tungsten or molybdenum, 60 per centum ad valorem.
Pae. 399.

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

Related

T. D. Downing Co. v. United States
60 Cust. Ct. 345 (U.S. Customs Court, 1968)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
56 Cust. Ct. 92, 1966 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2048, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/upton-bradeen-james-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1966.