Vitelli v. United States

2 Cust. Ct. 326, 1939 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 82
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedApril 27, 1939
DocketC. D. 154
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2 Cust. Ct. 326 (Vitelli 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
Vitelli v. United States, 2 Cust. Ct. 326, 1939 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 82 (cusc 1939).

Opinion

Evans, Judge:

This is a suit against the United States brought by an importer to secure a refund of moneys claimed to have been collected in excess of the amount due upon an importation of what is described on the invoice and in the briefs of counsel as tomato paste. It was entered at the port of New York and assessed for duty purposes by the collector of customs at that port at 50 per centum ad valorem under the provision in paragraph 772 of the Tariff Act of 1930 for “tomatoes * * * prepared or preserved in any manner.” Plaintiffs claim that the commodity is dutiable either under the provisions in paragraph 775 of the same law for “vegetables (including horseradish), if cut, sliced, or otherwise reduced in size, or if reduced to flour, or if parched or roasted, or if pickled or packed in salt, brine, oil, or prepared or preserved in any other way and not specially provided for,” or as an unenumerated manufactured article under paragraph 1558 of that law.

The respective paragraphs, insofar as pertinent, are in the following language:

Pak. 772. Tomatoes in their natural state, 3 cents per pound; prepared or preserved in any manner, 50 per centum ad valorem.
PaR. 775. Vegetables (including horseradish), if cut, sliced, or otherwise reduced in size, or if reduced to flour, or if parched or roasted, or if pickled, or packed in salt, brine, oil, or prepared or preserved in any other way and not specially provided for; * ⅜ * 35 per centum ad valorem * * *.
Pak. 1558. That there shall be levied, collected, and paid on the importation of * * * all articles manufactured, in whole or in part, not specially provided for, a duty of 20 per centum ad valorem.

Before we can resort to paragraph 1558, supra, we must search the act in order to determine whether this tomato paste is specially provided for in the law.

The process of manufacturing this tomato paste is described by the witnesses as follows. Ripe tomatoes as they come from the vine are washed and crushed in a machine with a cylindrical sieve of very fine wire mesh. By means of this crushing process the juice of the tomatoes and a portion of the pulp are recovered and the fiber and skins discarded. This juice is then run through a second process of [328]*328the same nature in which the sieve is even finer. The juice is then piped from the machine to a vacuum kettle and is of the consistency and general appearance of ordinary tomato juice. It is then cooked for some four hours, the vapor being condensed and drawn off. As a result of these processes a thick paste-like mixture is obtained with about one-fifth of its normal water content. It is then packed in cans and sterilized for twenty minutes and in that condition is imported into this country. From this description it appears that the instant commodity is similar to if not identical with the tomato paste involved in the cases of Columbo Co. v. United States, 21 C. C. P. A. 302, T. D. 46819, and Del Gaizo Distributing Corp. v. United States, 24 C. C. P. A. 64, T. D. 48376.

In the Oolumbo Go. case the issue was between the provisions of paragraphs 772 and 776, sufra. The tomato paste there involved was Apparently a similar type to that before us in the instant case, judging from the description of the process of manufacture as set forth in the decision of the court. In deciding the issue the appellate court considered first whether tomato paste fell within the provision for pastes composed of vegetables. The court considered the legislative history of the provision and concluded from such consideration that the term “pastes” as used in said paragraph was intended to include only such pastes as were finished, or substantially finished food preparations. For the reason that the record was silent in regard to the use of the tomato paste there under consideration and it had not been shown to be a finished food preparation, they overruled the claim under said paragraph 775. The court, after discussing the tariff history of the paragraphs stated:

* * * From the foregoing, it would appear, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that ordinary tomato paste is not a finished food preparation, fancy or otherwise, but a mere material to be used as an ingredient of such preparations.
We are of opinion that, in order to ascertain the meaning and scope of the term "pastes” contained in paragraph 775, the rule of noídtw a sociis should be applied, and that giving consideration to that rule of interpretation, and to the legislative history of the provisions in question, it was intended by the Congress to include within that term finished, or substantially finished, food preparations, not mere materials which are used, together with other materials, in the manufacture of such preparations.

In the Del Gaizo Distributing Oorp. case, supra, the importer, apparently in an attempt to meet the objection made in the Oolumbo case, supra, produced considerable evidence as to the use of the tomato paste, and incorporated the record in the Oolumbo case. Upon a finding that the plaintiff had failed to prove that the tomato paste there involved was a finished product and not a mere material to be used as an ingredient in food preparations, and, indeed, had proven that the contrary was the fact, the appellate court upheld the Government contention that under the doctrine of stare decisis the decision in the Oolumbo case, supra, was controlling as to the question of [329]*329"''pastes.” It also Reid that the commodity there before the court ■was not a sauce as claimed, under the provisions of paragraph 775, ■sufra, but was properly dutiable as “tomatoes prepared or preserved,” under paragraph 772, sufra, affirming the finding of this court.

In the instant case the attorney for the plaintiffs states in his brief that bis claim is based upon an entirely different theory and one that was not presented in either of the cases above cited. It is his contention that the tomato paste here involved has lost its identity as tomatoes and has become a new and distinct article manufactured from tomatoes and as such is not covered by said paragraph 772. He further contends that even if we hold that the common meaning of the language used in said paragraph 772 is broad enough to include this merchandise it is excluded therefrom by commercial designation. He states his reasons for his position to be that said paragraph 772 provides for “tomatoes in the natural state” at 3 cents per pound and that the descriptive provision in the latter part of the paragraph, "“prepared or preserved in any manner” relates back to and modifies the expression “tomatoes in their natural state.” In other words, that the only tomatoes provided for in the paragraph are those that are either in their natural state or are “in the natural state, prepared or preserved in any manner.” A mere statement of this contention would seem to prove its fallacy. However, as it is seriously advanced hy the plaintiffs, we will consider their arguments in support thereof. ■One of the arguments advanced in the brief is that the Treasury Department has held in T. D.

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Bluebook (online)
2 Cust. Ct. 326, 1939 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 82, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vitelli-v-united-states-cusc-1939.