The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-08-01
GRADUATED RICE.
Secretary Fairchild Speaks Oatt Agot'ast F0Teigy
BT7ten i2ice-No More Eap0rtat:9sss at Less
thea IA Cents Per Pound.

Seci'e'q'Y fdirchild Speaks O1ttAgatrst Foreign
| Br7Een t3ice-No More ifapOrtEttosts at Less
thea IA Cents Per Pound
Treasury Department, }
Ofice OF thu Secretary,
ashingtun, ID C., June IS. 1885 }
| 10 the Coliector Of Customs. New York:
Sir--The departIn INT duly received your let
ter OF the I'd ultimo,with its enclosures re-
| Saltting tile classification unGer the tariff acts
Oh imported broken and granulated rice.
by departments declSlun of April 26, 1883
syn0psis, 567S,l ii was held that rice m cal on
gralulated rice, a commodity which is made
from the broken and small grains of rcei sifted
from the larger grains in the process OF clean
mg) by grinding or manufacture, whereby it
becomes coarse granules, and which is devoted
manly to brewers use in the manufacture of
beer. was not the cleaned rice OF CONNIE rec
but was dutiable at the rate OF 20 per cent adj
valorcm under section 25l3, r. b, as an ur-
enumerated manufactured article 1t was
prescribed, however, by said decision that
such classification should only extend to the
ground or eranulated rice which was actual
subject thereof, viz: an importation, per A III
zona," March ID, 1858, and to other merchan-
disc IT the same nature, the appraisng officers
beng instructed to see to it THAI rice. OF mtr-
chandise containing whole rice, is not passed
us graduated rice.
By a further ruling, dated Feb "a, 1884, not
published, 1t was decided t. adhere to such
decision, the Department saying lit is to be
stated, however, that customs officers should
take special pains to see that that decision is
not applied to merchandise of u character
different Il ON that mentioned therein" "A
distinction Is recognized between grannlated
rice, which is an Intentional product and
I where the particles are generally uniform size
and where none OF the merchandise was rice,
which is the article covered by said decision
and that referred to in the decision OF March
70, 1882, on the appeals Of Dan Taimage'S SONS,
Ia - V,t. 81.
rice, consisting of small W ole grains and
broken grains, resulting from the ocess OF
cleaning and sitting rice, and winch was held
to be dutiable in its entirety as rice"
1t is expected that this distinction will be
enforced by customs officers"
The question has been lately raised. how
ever, that sucn broken and graduated rice
should be classified as cleaned rice, at Il duty
Of two and quarter cents per pound.
Upon IL full and careful consideration of the
whole matter, and after hearing arguments OF
parties interested and insre Getting samples
representing the merchandise in various con-
ditiOus, l nave arrived at the conclusion that
while the questions involved are not free from
doubt / would not be justified in making any
change in the existing practice far rs it
covers the kind and description of ''lice meal
or granulated ric9," which wac the subject Of
such decision.
l arrive et this conclusion the more readily
iuasmuch as it should be the the policy of the
department not to disturb existing rules of
practice except for more serious reasons than
exist in this case. anu because, since the
decision was made, the parties aggrieVed have
had full opportunity of presenting, and did
present, as it is und' rstood, their claims for
relief To Congle ss but without Obtains g any
modification OF existing laws in the premises.
You arc, therefore, instructed to lie gov
crned by the principle enunciated in such
decision on the importation of any rice meal
or granulated rice that may be returned BY
the appraiser as possessing the characteristics
therein mrntioncd-that is to say, the sub
stance must indicate that it has been subjected
to an intentional process Of grinding OF manu-
facture. Very respectfully,
U. 5. FAIRCHlLD,
Assistant Secretary.