Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN GRbVLR SLLLrnIB
AZTOI”.” Owlm”AL
Department OS Agriaulture
AuMla, Texas
Attentionr lir. 0. A. Xi&land
tiar Sir: eountlem
the more heavlly’populatrd la thk atat+ $8 dedreoun’of havlag a aountf Beal- or OS reightr and nmaaurea and the quert$on 02 the legality of auoh aatiirit%ea hauls km brought up en& lnfbrma- tad I)rpfirtaent hes been asked to get.thla tion au 8008 a8 posslblo,.
The oountytowhlohm refer haa onr'larlga alty with a very aotlvo olty mighta an6 8*Paurw drpartmmt whose aotiritior are amfinod to f&e !&in lwves mllar Oarma limit8 c+i rrai4 oitr.
~@artaent of &rioulture, peg0 2
and rue1 sections In the county unproteoted and in 18x4 lnxtanoex both the merchants and the oommm- era suffer for the lack ‘of auoh law entoroement.
Theetate does not provide the neoesuary faoilitiex for rendering xervlw. thla
The xaaller lnoorporeted town6 end villagax in this partloular county xre too xmxll to azpport ln4lvldual city wightx~aud meaeurex department8 and. have otfered their support to th6 oounty in help- meaeures. and ing tc pay the expenxsx oi [4] rel.@tx oountg sealer of .
“We will appreoiate [4] prompt reply to the ful- loxlng quextlonx ax the xounty budget for 1944 ix balng prepared at thx prxxent tfb and they,arx 4lKlOux opinion this to inoluaa XervlQe the matter oan be handled in lag41 pp~n- in x4me if in your more*
."l. fr a s0unty has an axaixtant ocmntp~auF Qitor,~ ,a part ~oi.,uhQx4.4utkx .Lb ix to ohxok night ~,, an4 measure, raosiptx and dixbumieanntx, oi vxrioux oommo4ltles and auppliex being purohaxed by the oocmty and distributed to diiferent oounty depart- neat8 and to text, palntaln, an4 adjust the uxlgh: lng and neawrfng dxvicrx ownxd a&l axed by thx runty, would it be la&al for thx Oonkalxxioner ai Agriaulture appoint xxi4 axalxtuit oounty 4u4it- or ax xeelar or weights end nsaxurex and for him to 6pand the remainder his xxforola13 the slut0 tin4 14~~ tlmughout the oounty, - weighta m44xur4x
said county pay&g his *alar7 and neoexxary OPer8t- lng l xpan6e~.
T?. Would it be leg41 rOr ,a 00Unt~ 6herlfS of his to enforoe the welghtx and !mamayex laws of thlx xtate within his 0'11 4Ounty 4ithe With or without said xherlff or deputy sheriii bei Ipf; ap- pointrd ba the 0omaix6iooer of Agrloulture xx 4 60x1- or or wQht8 meaxurax~ If the Comairxioaer of Agriculture 4p
painti3i6 the 10041 xe414r -6 6ttkt0 inxpeotor, 0f thx 0lti46 this 8tatx. would said axalor havx legal authority to aarry Qn laoh 4UtiOX OUtSid tbr or hi8 0m 0ity.w ihita *3 Dspartiasnt or Agrloulturx, pgx 3
Artialx 5705, Vernon*6 Civil Statutes of Texas, pro- vldox: Gomdxaioner oi Uxrketx and Warehouxsx
xhall havi powxr au4 authority to enforce, or oxuxx to be enforoed, any prwlxion of this ahapter. Bx shall appoint a ahlaf deputy, who xhxll be known ax Chj.xr Deputy of Bielghts xnd Measure8. In the ab- 6WWO or Inability of the Coamlxxloner, such deputy ’ axy perform any duty rx ulrod by the provixionx of this ohaptrr. The Corm xxloner xhxll also appoint e
suxh aUdItiona decufixx from firm to tims to serve ax xealerx ot weigbtx and ~xxxurex,
maaaurex. 0r Markxtx Warehoa~ex~ The 0rfl06 of ooma%xxlnnor and ~tho Wdgbtx aad &a- Market Andy ware howa hprmtaent,, xarxx wx~x abollxhod~ by Aotx 19.25, 39th Lxglx&aturx oq Txxxa, oh. 13,' p. 35, Sea. l-6, and thAir datlrx aud funotlotix wrx by aiA A& in thx ~lxxlonxr or AgrlouLture. Also ve8ted xoe~Arb1ol.e 56ii, Bxrnon*x civil Statutrx of Txxaxr
Ax ln4hat64 by our xndrrxooring lx quoting Artiolo 5705, thr hnmlxs~onrr oi Agtiioultura 4066 not have 4na2&yt- ed power to appoint xaalorx of welghtx and aeaaurxx~ tha xtxtxtr lialtx xhxh appolntnantx to Uoxa xx racy br prwi- ded for by approprlatlon or to thr lnxpxxtorx le.oturrpx’ or xa- ployxxx serving hir ax CODii46lOMr~ i&ox an ass I un4.r atant auditor or olty xxalxr do not onmx Within thl4 group .that may be appointed ax sealerr, we l nxwar your first and third queistionx For the 6amO re4xoning wo hdb t&xt a xiie+fr in the nxgative. or blx oannot be appointed 4x xuxh 4’ xealer~
publix oftixxrx poxxrxr only xuoh po~rx ax arx xx- prexxly oonirrr~ upon them by law ire nxoxaxarlly tipli@a Brpn’x Admr. v. Harvry’r Adm., rror the poworx so oonremd. 11 Txx. 3U ; Duncan v., State, 67 8. W. 903; State ‘I*. Oxgo, 176 8. w. 928, writ of error reruxed.. We have found no statute oonrenbg olthxr apxoliioally by LrapllOxtlOn 4119 authorit upon thx sheriff or hi8 4ep&t lxx to rnforor the wx&htx mea- hlx sure8 Uwx., wo do not odnk thr powera given x xhmt deputy ax peaax otfiorrx glvrs them any aUthOritY TV Perfora tb adminlxtret~ve dutlsx of sealer in enforolng thexe WOigh*x Qd
Rapartiuent or Agrloulturx, paso 4, meaaurea lavje. We thareforo hold that 4 sheriff or his deputy aaunot enforoe Cheer lawa.
We realieo the nerd for mrx xxalorx l nfo r oe these said laws am in sympathy with the situation ax pnxented In your request. remedy however must oome f'rom the Legl8- latw.
Yours very truly AT!IQlSZY QgNKRAL O? TEXAS Ey .(a~) Ro~;boOLoa~ RQKZUb ROKzfa
APPROVSD JAR . ,lO, 1944 (6) Oxovor,Sallrrr : . . ...' :.,:: '. :
AL'IT- @lcLpffRAL ,j,]r -
APmzmD 0Pxxxcm oomIxTl!EB RY (8) RWR, CRAIRMUN