Your letter of July 3.941, matter that a public utility corporation furnLrhln8 eleetrlc.pover vithla your.

County ala0 operate8 an ioe plant end vbolerales an4 retells ice* that in the eelline of ice the amporation haa acmuaitted note celoulnted to prevent or hinder legitinate competl~loa ln the ice buslnere. Pertnining thereto, you ssk our opinion upan the question stated by mu a# follovrr 3s till8 pwtlcrular 8erri~0, fllrtieh&byapublle au& natawe u to acme vlthl~~ the pmwUlon8 utlllty,of

of ~rtiole 7428a, Retired Civil Statutes, Seation I & XI; and ii 80, do the #t8 Of t&l* oanpai4 UonfititUt% a dir- wlmination vhlah I# prohlblted by the Statute?”

-- Seation 1 and Se&Ion 2 05 hrtiele 742& (A&r 1935, 44th Lsgielature, pa&e 118, Chnpter 44) read a8 iollovar

"Seotion 1. That monopolle8 are aontrmy to the pub- and it &all hereafter la *2 HmorsbleR. JudeonBalah, page 2

"se0t1on 2. It eh4ll hereafter b8 tmlmful for e~lg pa-eon, pemaerehlp, mimmy, or aorpmtlaa, dc4aeatic or foreign, engaged in MY such 4 mblio UtllltY buelnesa In more th4n one mmlalpellty or county lu thle State, in r&se, prluee, or kind of eoreleee to a fnvcir of pereon, p4rtnerehip, ampany, oorporation or munlelpallt~ tar the purpoee of preYeS&R o? hindaxl- ?Lng ocdnpotitlon in auah bualmss or 1nJurl.q 4 ocmpet:toz-." (l!38@4el8 ourrr) It la m4IlUoet, In ow oplnlon, th4t thle le.* v4e

enacted to regulate publlq utility oorpor4tlone when -Rod in rendering pub110 utlUt7 eerrieee. The exproeelone and/or alnll4.%? ;yubllc utllltloe" and “in ewh bueIneee" dmonetrste thle intent.

It fe our opinion, emr8ooer, that the iae barlneee cmnot be held to b8 B pubUa utlllty vithin the purviw OP this act* In ffulf Rtatee tItlllt7 Cat+ay ve. State, )Q &W.&d) 1018, 1021, 1.022, (vrlt M’u88d) it We widt

"lie thewfors a&mlude that, in abeeme of 8 leglala- tlve emuftment, the eemu$4atum and l 4le of loa to the public 3n Texae 18 not 4 pubUo utllltg buainoe(r u a aurtber 0r l.av.

“In deoiding the rbo+e qwrtlon, ve are not lmlding thst a legie&tlve en4otm0nt dealming loe to be l publlo the iae barSnare fr airwted at& fbe utilfty, OF th4t intweet aad rubjeet to eom ahMotor of p\&uo publlo regulation, vould not be upheld by the oourte. RQ ‘3uoh legiel4tion bar been emoted lo Texas, and *t.t puortlan ’ need not be deteralwd ill th.t.8 04e8.'

The a480 lnvolwd 8 ubll6 utlllty 0OrpoPatlon engaged in M a&snovledged pub io P utility bueinsee and, 3.q T h e l Ap pelluIt o ontended tb4t ,4dditlon, In the 1Oe bueim3ee. lee had gmm to be aameodlty needed mad used by the pub110 80 generally that it had beaome 4 publle nee0eelty, and the* it8 burlneee of e8enufWturZ.n and eelllng iae to Uu publla’ e in Fwke vaa thaw&we 4 pub 0 utility buef.n86e, 4nd entitled to claealflcMlon undo the Franahiee 'tex AH 4e 4 $Ubllo utlllty aorporation'. . ."

,.’ X3 cor?clude likevise in the ocmatructfon or’

Article 742%. It le our oplnicm that a corporation till be aubjact to its spoclfla provlelone only in relation to its bue:lnees vhlch, as a nattor of 3.m in Texae, le a public utllfty bualmee.

We have protemaittad nny dleaurtslon of other etatutee of Texas &lob might be applloeble to tae situation you have deuclrlbed. We mnetrue your repwet to be vfth reftmime to the statute diecueeed, and to ft. only.

APPPRGVTD AUG 1941 (Signed) GRcMER SlZUSRS

FIRST AssIaTAHT ATTGRrn cE%maAL