Weiss v. United States

18 C.C.P.A. 293, 1930 CCPA LEXIS 100
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedDecember 19, 1930
DocketNo. 3324
StatusPublished

This text of 18 C.C.P.A. 293 (Weiss v. United States) 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
Weiss v. United States, 18 C.C.P.A. 293, 1930 CCPA LEXIS 100 (ccpa 1930).

Opinion

Bland, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The merchandise involved in the decision of this case consists of wall brackets and chandeliers of glass and metal, used in connection with electric lighting.

The collector assessed the same with duty at 60 per centum ad valorem under the provision for illuminating articles in paragraph 218, of the Tariff Act of 1922, which provision is as follows:

Par. 218. * * * illuminating articles of every description, including chimneys, globes, shades, and prisms, for use in connection with artificial illumination, all of the foregoing, finished or unfinished, composed wholly or in chief value of glass or paste, or a combination of glass and paste, 60 per centum ad valorem; * * *

The importers protested the classification and assessment, and claimed the merchandise to be dutiable under another portion of said paragraph 218, at only 55 per centum ad valorem, which provision reads as follows:

Par. 218. * * * 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, [294]*294■etched, frosted, gilded, ground (except such grinding as is necessary for fitting «toppers 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; * * *

Other claims were made which were not pressed in this court and which, under the circumstances of this case, need not be considered.

The items in question on this appeal are covered by warehouse bond 14721, and are described by the invoice numbers 0/642, 0/641, 5419 and 5234.

Item 0/642 is a double wall bracket with two so-called electric-light ■candles to which glass pendants and other glass decorations are .attached, and the same is represented by Exhibit 1.

Item 0/641 is a double wall bracket of the same general character .as item 0/642, but it is without pendants and is plain and is represented by a drawing, Exhibit 2.

Item 5419 is a chandelier, represented by illustrative Exhibit B. 'The chandelier contains three so-called electric-light candles, to which :are attached glass ornaments, imitating fruit.

Item 5234 consists of four more elaborate chandeliers, represented by pictures or cuts, being illustrative Exhibit D.

The articles were imported in a knocked-down condition and included metal parts and screw parts to bold the article on the wall, .and metal parts inside to take the electric wiring. The electric ■wiring, to wire the articles, was not imported, but is supplied in this ■country, as are also the bulbs and sockets. The metal parts, as imported, are more or less attached to the brackets, but the pendants are loose and have to be attached to the lamp in this country.

The importers take the position that the merchandise, being completed lighting fixtures, brackets, and chandeliers, used to generate, support, and carry the electric light, are not illuminating articles within the contemplation of the provision, which includes “chimneys, globes, shades, and prisms,” and rely in support of their position upon the decision of this court in Solomon & Son v. United States, 13 Ct. Cust. Appls. 353; T. D. 41256, and United States v. Koons, Wilson & Co., 15 Ct. Cust. Appls. 352, T. D. 42512.

The answer of the appraiser to the protest is as follows:

The merchandise in question consists of chimneys, globes, shades, prisms, or other articles, finished or unfinished, composed wholly or in chief value of glass or paste or a combination of glass and paste, used in connection with artificial illumination. * * *

The Government argues that the instant merchandise falls squarely within the language used in the Solomon case, supra, and the Koons case, supra, and that it is, therefore, illuminating glassware, quotes extensively from United States v. Wyle & Bros., 14 Ct. Cust. Appls. [295]*295297, T. D. 41910, and attempts to distinguish the case at bar from the Koons case, supra.

The United States Customs Court overruled the protest and held that the instant case was distinguishable from the Koons case, supra, and that, under the proof in this case, the merchandise fell within this court’s holding in the Solomon case, supra.

Each of the brackets and chandeliers, with the exception of minor metal parts, is composed of glass. The metal parts are almost entirely covered with glass, most of which is cut glass, the pendants in some instances being cut and faceted, while in other instances the glass fruit and leaves are apparently molded. The so-called electric candles, which form part of each of the chandeliers and wall brackets, are without bulbs and are composed of thin glass, are described as “& cylinder of opalescent or milky substance,” and are intended to imitate a candle and fit into the brackets and chandeliers and hold the bulbs. The arms of the brackets and the main framework of the chandeliers are composed of clear glass rods or colored glass rods, beautifully and gracefully curved in various shapes and forms.

The merchandise represented by illustrative Exhibit D consists of chandeliers quite elaborate in character, each containing about six imitation candles. All of the brackets and chandeliers have the electric candles so arranged as to be near the glass framework and pendants of the chandelier and so placed as to cause the whole glass fixture to scintillate and reflect the light from the candles in such a way as to make a pleasing effect for the whole fixture and the room.

In the Solomon case, supra, this court had under consideration small faceted pieces of glass used in automobile lamps. The court there said:

* * ■ * The articles mentioned in the paragraph are not such as generate light; they but disperse the rays of light to give the desired illuminating effect. *_ * *
* * * We do not believe that the character, degree, or extent of illumination furnished by an article is a proper test under the statute, if it is chiefly used in connection with artificial illumination and in such manner as to pass, reflect, refract, disperse, color, or otherwise affect the light for either practical or ornamental illuminating purposes.

The exhibits before us and the testimony of the witnesses in the instant case show, as is pointed out by the court below, in a well-written opinion, that when any of the exhibits are in use, it makes a brilliant object and refracts and reflects the light, and that the refraction and the reflection bring out the color of the fixture.

We think that under the Solomon case, supra, the articles in the instant importation are all illuminating articles for use in connection with artificial illumination.

In the Koons case, supra, this court had before it certain black glass lamp bases used for a support for the light. We-held that [296]

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

Related

United States v. Bloch
13 Ct. Cust. 5 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1925)
Solomon v. United States
13 Ct. Cust. 353 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1925)
United States v. Wyle
14 Ct. Cust. 297 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1926)
United States v. Koons
15 Ct. Cust. 352 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1927)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
18 C.C.P.A. 293, 1930 CCPA LEXIS 100, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weiss-v-united-states-ccpa-1930.