Case Information
*1 $on. David J. Yarris opinion Iio. V-258 Oeunt~ Attorns~
BPOWR county Ror operrtor Juimnow Brownrood, Texrs farm not entitled
to reduc,tion ox= registration fee un- der Article 6678~ 6a, v. c. s, Boar Hr. Iterr
Your request ior aal opinion of thil d@puamlt PO8d8 in PUt B8 fOllOW8: wb8 operrting %&8 iMt8 w: D8foaUnt
a %llmo9 far&~ whi#h lyqulred that ho haul 43el’tmin to hi8 15 88t@t 8tl’em88 riR8OW8 aaro tractrbore he allowed the minnow8 to Sp&WU ud t&W thbp Who108de directly from his ierm without earrylng than,to their d8atiaatior. IUdOi~ tha Ia&'Illngha ueed lic&maatt under Ar- #his OM %raak whioh b M ttel8 M a farm *shiale, and he ova- 6675r-6a teal8 t4sthetiU OR&~d inhruliw farmpro- dud4 OF ~ivubta8k Uul that ha 8hO911 be l lM- U a fulllrr e-8 thOU&l PI* iLO a 8ift*d lla*n#* aa * b&it de81mr u&or thm ovlti Ion8 r Of LL8t8 Of 19%. 44th ugo, Pw 80 , a.
or P. cr tit* 93h.
Vhe ptrol filed a cam of improperly liC8XWfR g, Or th8 l P PM#nt ~UiHtion 18: IS th8 ckrirtid~t under the f&t 8itu*tiOI¶8 rbova to be sluairled b&a fbmmr and engAged in h&uling; hi8 own livahrtoak Wid @@'lWltUWl pl’QdUOt8 80 &8 to OOBlQ Within the praVi8iO88 O? Art, 6675c-6a? “A8 to vhether t&l defelldrmt ia our 'minnow fwm* ca8e ~8131 hi8 tcuQk for My thrn hauli=
other purposes BlbUlOW8, it i8 UOt. m OR,? infOPMtiOn that h d-8 i8 Rot a f8rm8P In my other ZU8pf4Ot than that ha i8 *2 Hon.~David J. Morris, Page 2
engaged In raising 'livertockl if tiQnOv8 be livestook. Hi8 acre Term 18 cut up into minaov pond8 and entirely oocuplsd by the and Pa18eS the minnowa,haul- PO&S; he breed8 ing his breading stock from atroams where they can be seined."
htiole action Vernon*s OIVLI Statutes, a8 amnded by Acts of the 47th .LEJgi8latUPO, provides:
"When a oommsrcisl motor vehlsle rought to be registered mad used by the owner thoro- of only In th8 tran8poPtatloa of his own paul- try, dairy, livaatoak, llve8teok pPe&ac#s, timber
in it8 netural 8t8ta, and faPP pPoduat8 to market, or to OthsP point8 f0~ s8le or pPS- 8essing, or the transportation by the owner thoroof of laborers from their plaoe OF ~esi- dence, and materials, tOOl8, equlpwnt and SUpp11e8, without rharge, from th. plMe erf puroh88. or storage, to hi8 owa farm or ranoh, l XO1U81VdJ for hi8 ovll U80, OP U8. oa rurh farm or raneh, the reglrtratlon lioensr fee, for the weight Cia88ifiMLtiOti8 herolm mention- ed, shall be fifty (50%) pm abnt of the reg- istration fee pPe8cribed for wolght O~SSsifi- cation8 in Section of the Aot heroby amsndod, a8 awnded in this Aat; proviele~d fuPthar* that It ah811 be thm duty of th. HigMfaj @Onriai88iWl to provide 11WEl80 plates dlstlaguisheble from license plates used for other commercial motor vehicles USitlg the highways; provided further, if tha ovnor of aug commsrcial motor vehialo, ooting within the pPWi8iOtlS of this Act, shell UM or pwmit to be used any suoh vehicle for any other purpose then those provided for in thl8 Act, ha 8hall be guilty of p miSdelllsaIIOP, and upon conviction, shall be fined in any sum not less than Twenty-five ($25.00) Dollar8 nor BY)PB than !Pvo Hundred ($200.00) D011aP8, and each u8e of such vehicle and each permission for suoh use of such vehicle shall constitute a separate offense; provided, hovever, that all cormsr~lal motor vehicles, truok tractors, road tractor8, trailers and Semi-tPeileP8 8s defined In Section 1 of Chapter of the General Law8 of th8 Fifth Called Session of the 41st~.L+$gls- letuzw, not coming qithin ths provisions *3 .
Hon. David J. l4orri.8, Pege
thil Act, shall be required to pay all regis- tration and lioense ,fees pPe8CPibed by the Other pPOV181ORl. . . ." Th. trend of authorities that fish i8 la Mcord
are not recognized a5 livestook nor egr1i3ultwe1 products. In the Q88e Of Inman VII. Chlsqo, M. & St, P. Ry. Co,, 15 B. W. 286, 287, the SU~~OIW Oourt of Iowa states that, stock as employed la agrieultur# nman8 "dOmFJ8tiC animal8 Or beast8 aollected, used, or Palse3 on a farm; a8 8 stoak of cattle OP Of Sheep, Oalled 8b30 the ceab oi In ret llVe8tOOk.” Rankly, et al, 64 Federal Supplemsnt 10, it was also hqld that fish are not recognized In lubatiF vs. a8 livestock. Unemployment cOJIIpXL98tiOn 1)1v18ion, Pacifio 2d) 988, it was held that livestock ir commonly thought o aa in- I eluding animals, such a8 oattle, rhesp, hog8 and hoP889,ana does not include trout and spawn. The ~IYZUU "agrioultural PPOdUst8" likewise has been held to not inUlude fish; Moll- ~&VI. Rlfferty, ?hilllpine 545, 36 COPFpliS Jurib Seoundum
L It the opinion of thib department that minnow8 ape neither farm pPOdUct8 nor livO8toek within the pxwview or waning of those terme a1 u8ed In Section 6a of Artiale Vernon*s Civil Statutes. Therefore, under the faate stated in your request, the owner of the truck ir not en- titled to register th6 saam upon payment of the reduced license fee presorlbed in that statute.
OperataP of a minnotf farm, who US88 hi8 truck fop the purpose of hauling minnow8 to his farm, vhere sams ape allowed to spawn and are then sold at Whole8ale to persons who haul them away from his place, is not using his truck solely for the transportation of "livestock" or for any "Carm ppodu0tsf~ the other purposes *emed in Sec. 6a of Apt. V. C. 9. I38 is not entitled to regia-
tar such f3uek upon payment of the reduoed license fee presorlbed In that statute sinoe minnow8 have been held by the courts to be neither livestook nor agricultural products.
Eon. David J, Horrl8, Page 4
YOllPS VOPytZ'Idy ATTORRRY ORBIEIAL OF TBXAS By -!i
A3:rt
AssistAnt