Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN 02 A&oulture
kpartment
&u&In, T-e8
OpiBtOSi fi0. o- elt Rmr Doa r-it 0u8ta it-
l 6ib ru8 a aBe,* l w mnti0n0a I-, ma oatioa r0r l pa&or- ee an4 poet bond, ful pertormame produeeri ur4/6r he trasweota oltrue bodneaa?
. 88 w Ih 8bote mentionad law, (6) 80etion (11, 8 a0finition trozulpor8iry 6geltt. It 18 wp~t that law a80lls under pmmmur, ai Denalt~ that qmta tr~nrporting rr0m au tm~portbg 0itmS th0 gron, the aakiag houne 8h0a tiou3.a have 0
'8 iaonclrloatton oard, en& h0da be OS 8uBh aax aad
Dspsrtment 0r Agriculture, page i3
that the oard 18 to be applied rOr by the dealsr by Whom the tXWWCJXwUJ sgeat 18 UpiOpVd.
"If you wmver %a the negative oa the prsri- ous question, the oustarm paoksr requlns trans- porting sgents to tranwort the irult to paoklng shed, yet sush paoker not bnlng a Seder ua6er the prwisloas Of the Aot eOUld not rVqUe8t the lesuaaoe uaaer pr0~lslons the law rot l trsnsportdng agont ldeatlrloetlon osrd.
*Is this the rl@t assumption? xi not, pleaec
MS-~ rully.
"Question 190. Sr Y your saswsr is that s paoker is not requirra to prosure a lioease under the Aot, but usn rsqusst thrt this Dspertmsllt Is- sue transportlag agent identIiloetloa oarUs to his transporting agents, Ii the traasportlng agent, has been round in aumerous oases, dlrrrts to his ma othsr*s use a portlon at the oltrus iwit betwssa the grate and the shed to nblsb the rmlt 18 be aellferea, *ho is mmponslble for suoh Tlolatlon, tho traMportIng sgu% or the dealer, or both? The e&en% is ths transporter of the dealer, or Ia this Instsaoe, the sustom paoker. Thererore, lr Che ous%om paoker does no8 at Aat, this law 00ny1 under pmriniom -ia have say baarIng oa him even though he is deaLlng oitrus rorthe purpoaa paaklng same mit ror barter? who *aa be rssponslbls roof tho agent's rioletlon ii 8uOh vm.~sportlng agent haa been employetl by the custom paoksr? Who 1s the dealer in thls lnstsaoe Ii the custom paokm Is not?*
In opinion Ho. o-ZbOa, aadreenoa to Hon. Tom L. Hertley, Criminal Distrlot Attoraoy, Mlnbur&, Tsxss,
this depament has ssrefully sndlpasd the doflnltlons of ths words wpaokeP, adealera, sub *hemSlo* es used In &eatlou 1 Art~ole 118b, Vsraoa*s Annotated Civil Stot- utes, i.e., the Tern8 Bonding and Lioeaslng Aat.
While the deoislon reaohed in that opinion 18, as stated therein, applloeble onIT to the tacrtusl sltu- atloa uac?er oonslaeratlon, ws see no reason ior shssglag
Departmeat 0r Agrloulturs, page 3
or ffiodltylng our oontatruatlon of deflaltloas whloh are sxpllolt sad anemblyous in reapsot to tbelr word-.
Ssotloa 1 (1) Art1010 U8b. suprs, doriaes a *paulcer* 88 r0ii0w8:
*Aaypereon who prspares antl/orpaaks oltrus trult or its produots for barter, ssls, exahaage or 0hlpment .-
A "dealerr aooordlag to Ssotlon 1 (0) 0r Ad, 10:
"Any persoa who handles fruit, es the word *handle' is derlnsd la (d) of this seotloa * * * saotioa 1 (d) aerinos ths word “had&“, a0 toi- lows:
*Yeaa@ buying or Oiierlag to buy, sslling or ordering t0 crell, 6hipping for the puqose ot sslllng, Whether as owner, agent or otherwise, uiy oltrus fruit within ths stats Texas, aad persoas buying and/or shipping oltrus rrultlbr hanUsr8, as the term oaanlag and/or proeeselng~ IS derlaed.w (Uaderroorlng 01~8~ wo think it should be *ax@).
The presenoe the two respective derlaitions 0r wpaokerw 0ad wat4alor* in the aeriidng seatlon 0r the Aot ladloates sa latention oa the part of the Leglslatuke to alstingul8h the two olasuliloatlons.
On the other hand, it is obvious that a apaoksra .m?lght sl.80 be a Tkbalsra, sad rloe versa.
A Dpt301cera, however, as derined fn ssotloa (f) 0r ~rt;;~ls;18b, supra, is not aeosssuily snd sutoamtloslly
*, 85 the latter is aerinea in Oeation 1 (a) 0r th: hot.
We fall to preoelve that the words: * * * + prepans sad/or paoks oitrus rrult or its produots rorb*rter, mile, exhhaage ehiplaeat."
493 Dapartnaat or frgriouiture, page 4
meap the scup thing es the words:
w a * * buylAg or orrerlag to buy, selll~ or 0rrerhg to mail, or @hlp?lng ror the purpaaa selling, whether as owner, ageat or otharwlaa, any oltrus rrult within the Gtste or Texas, snd personr buying ens/or ehlppl~g oitrus rmt ror oannlng and/or prooaael~ 2 hanale~rs, as tha term 18 derl2ad.a (Undersoorlna ours).
It 1s not to be pmmamed that the Laglslature, in deilnlng these wmds separately, had in mind a dlstl?lotlon wlthmt a dlflsranae.
Under 8eotlw 4 or Ar%lsio ll8b. supam, deoliu with wllosasa rea aooorripsnylng applioatlonw, the follau- lng roes ara presorlbear
"(1) For lloensa as s g6salor* or @hsaaler* of oltru0 rmit, th8~sum of Tweatydl*e Dallars ($85). "(2) Ybr lloense as a ~o0ml6rlon merahantg as the term is in this end/or 'oontraot dealer’, derlnea, mmprire Doll8rs ((bea). Aet.
"(5) Yor lloenea as 'rinlmuu 06sh aesiar' ma or Ylre I)olbm tlm ($5).
"44) YW a lloanse 'b-6 agent*, ths SUE 0r an0 ~0iim (ai).
*(5) For a lloanaa as a ~traosportl~g qant*, sum or 0~0 mllar ($l)." iba wa pointed out in oplaioa No. O-1508, no tee 18 prasarlbed Aat for a paohar aatlng la suoh aapaolty alma whether iAtentlonaiiy thrau&h everbight. &AM- 0~1~ where the upaokerw, as aerincld in Saotlaa 1 uently, I), is statutory w6ealerw ahaAdlerw, s wOonsiiealoA wm.i~inum oash dealerw, marohaAtw and/or *oontraat de&leP, a %uyln(3 agent*, a wtransportlng agent*, does he have to prooure a i.lom~~ and pay a rea therefor under the Texan Boadlng aad LlO0AslAg AOt.
Where a wpaoker” does nothing but prepare aatl/or *5 Department of &rioultluw, pa&l 6
paok oitrua rnlt 0r it4 produota, 4f4n though 84ia rmit or itr proaota are t0 be bartsna, aa, e-hang44 0~ shippea by othera, he is not required by the A& to pro- cure lloense. or oourso, ir ~XI addltlon to prepare and p4cklng, he hen4148 the fmlt wlthln th4 statutory me~lng of the word wh4na14", h4 i8 a "awlor" and nuet procure dealor's lloonaa and post a band.
In anawor to y0ur rir8t question It 18 our opln- Ion that a oltrua fruit paokor. operating in th4 4Tex4a citrur Zone", whose only sots in ngerd to the rait a.re the p1~p4rir.g and P4Oklng Or 4m WS it8 P&W@ta, 8~~3 rho neither buy8 or offers to buy, nor asllo or ormr~ to ~011, OhIPc for the purp0ae Or nllin&, whether own- er, a&ant or othorwhe, SUY 0itnts rdt within thy 8tRt0 Texar, nor buys fin&/or ahlpa oltrw sm?it r0r oeulnlng and/or pr00444i~~, a000raanae with the a8riniti0n or "h4nalS" giY4r.l ln Ssotion 1 (a) 0r ArtlC3.4 lleb, V4rnOR'S .Arsotatsa Civil Statutw, i8 not required to make appli- pay deoloti~a liosnw ror aelil4r*a 1io4n40,
cation r40 ana post a dealor's bwd, in eooor6auo4 with ~&;n.n.&[e) aa (b), Vernon*0 Ann0tet4a Cl~il Statut48. i8 SUbjOOt OiIlp t0 tbOS4 pf~iSf0n.S Or AtiiOlS lm, VW
IlOU'S Annotated Girl1 Stntut48, whioh OOUOe~ pOOk*rI.
Article 118b aoea not oontaln 4ny pimvlrlon iol a *paokor- aaahr*e m34nao~. Ifowhero in the law i4 a llcenoe fhl8 de8OrlptlOn dealgasted. An r0r th4 term *oulltom paokor*, it i8 not used ,in Artioio ll0b to our hmwbdge, ma it it In thcaoltrus ~0110~ whioh dl6tlngtri8hO8 has a looal m44dng It rm the ~~3rd wpacker*, as deilned in the Aot, maid Zooet uaa&e oannot be taken Into oonsideratlon for the purpore8 or this opinion.
Seation 1 (6) a4rlne8 a atr4nopartln4s atient* as mi0mt
%ny peruon euthcrlsad br any de4ler to sot g00,:8ia sealer in trenaimrtlw oitrua .-
SeOtiOU is pFOVid48~
* * * * upon applloatlon to the coarniaelOn4r br any lioeaao6 dealer, roaaenable number Of *buyIn& a&sat" Sld wB5Sp0rbing Smd= ia0ntirioS- *6 495 page 6 D4p4rtPient or A@iOtittD8,
tlon oerda my be fsmsd and aoorsdlted to suoh a4814r, under auoh rul.SS and regulations a8 84id ConunlaSioner may prSSorlbe, snd said hnmieaioner IS hsnby mu ower~d to ohargo a ree not to me& One Dollar ( 0 11 for eaoh oerd So ISsuea + * + * ti anI?IWOr t0 Y0U.r 84Oond qUOatdOn, it i8 Our Opin- ion thet whore a paoker 18 only prsperlng and paeking fha rrult in acoordance with thS aSrlnltlon under smilon 1 (1) Of Artio1.e lNb, Vsrnon'8 A::nOtiited Civil sttatUt@&, and is not hauling the rruit rram th orohard to the ahed ao 48 t0 Ilsosa4lt~t4 the paoker'a obtaining a atrang- porting agent* lioenfie or ia0ntiri045tion onrd thrOu& the prinolpal, thou the paokrr aould not request the iaauanoe 0r a tran8portlng agent.8 ldentlrloatlon acird, slnoe ho is not a daller, but the traumportln(r egent*# laentlrioa- tlon oerd mbt be obtained by the dealer=prinSlpal.
Y the PaokSr is alec a dSSlSr* then ho may obtrin a reaaonablo number or Wtran8portlng agent* laentlrlo4tlOn oar48 in aooordano4 with tha terms or seotion le 0r ArtI- 014 llab, Vernon's Annotated Civil StatuteS.
Slnoe WS have hold that a paokSr may not obtain *tran8portl5g agent* ta6ntitfoation oarQ8 uuloaS hi quel- iii08 a8 dealer *dealor* the aeiniti0n8 and una0r “ha&lo; &ot:on 1 i (4 ) and (0) Or JMiOi8 lUb, ITor- nones Annotated Cl& Statutes, promise upon which your third quostlon rests ID d48troyed,aad the necaaafty ror our oonsla4rixq~ it -0v4a.
In c~nolu~lon, we wlah to mpha8ize two raOt8: rimi, that ~0 have n0t4a the reiteratoa obaervotlon ln the letter or reque8t that a aoustom paoker" in th4 *oit- N8 XOM” 5.8 a *d41b16EER. We am not pawirq upon thi8 question, alnos Artiole ll.Bb, aupra, does not drilno *oustom paoker". Ii a *ouStom paoker* IS a dealor, it beoauae lo addition 'to prsparing and gacking oitru8 fruit, eu0h ps0ksr alsc "handier* rmit in aacoraanao wlth atetutory ad.nlt~on or wuuIl.~*, Gaotlon 1 (a), ~.Artiol* ll8b, Vernon*& Annotated Clvll Statutes.
firtb4aor4, the qu48tl0n or whether or not a ‘peoker-. as defined by the Texa6 Bonding and Lioon*ing Lew, nho is not rlio a asalar, should be rewlrod tS obtain tb B- liaena~ *deahirw IS StSttiW for *7 D4partment kgrioultur4, peg4 V
legialetive 44terninatlon. The wl8dou or effioaoy or a pertiouler law la not th4 aonoorn ot the courts or thr It la, perhaps, dealrablo Attornay General*8 Departmnt. to require the samc~ lloense oi a wpaokera $er ~8 a4 la ~'b- quirea 0r a ~aealsr~, but the leulyeg4 0r the A4xea Bond- ing and Lloenslng Lew oannot possibly be oonatrued make such a roqulrement. A wpaokerw nurrt %andlew fruit, as provia in Artiole 118b, aupra, seotlon 1 (a) In order to n40448ltet4 his ~mouroi34nt 4 44414r~s lloenae fina hi4 posting or a bond as oallad for in Seotlon 4 of Artiolo llab, eupra.
Truetlng thet w4 hare ruliy enswere your inquiries, we are
Youra very truly ATTOHIZY MXi?RAL OF TEXAS BY Aealatant
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