Case Information

*1 OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

a# o? yewr letter et wwaber 22, e legl*lati*e hfat~.+sf Mttiler e, we have reauhad * aeswluriea in lmr or&LI3alopiaQm. *2 P I)eparbmnt o? Agriculture, page2

In 1919 tha law wae

Bill 100. 249, Aate lglg, 36th

wae oodified a8 Artidle me

Penal Code. Seatlon 23 rsadet

"aeat1on 23, Any pereon, who hlleralf, oc hla e4mloye, ov agent, or ae the emp aye or wont "!

o? Ulother, 8hall ~88, In the buylq or roll- of 8ny Wxmodl~, .9r retain in hie poe~eee1c.m 8 -19 weight or meae*, or wefghlng or meaeurbg irutrm- ment or ahall offer or expoee for male; or sell, axeept a8 hereinbefore epedf1eoll.y rllove13 ia this AQt, OF use OF rshia in him poeeeeebn eng weight or mamum or welghlng or mamrlng lnetruaent uhloh hae.not bean sealed by a rsrler within &m year, or who shall ditrpow of any oand~ed walgbt oraeamre, orwel$hlng ormeaeurtng lnetrmant 'or to law, ol' rraJ par*oa, who, by hae8olf o? hle arp oyo or *ant, or as the aapleye or egm i oomtFbcI another, nhall 8011 0s offer or .axpare for 8al0, or us0 or ham ln him poareeriee4 the purpose of relll.n# or uelng, anyc+dwLIe or lnatrmeat be ueed to, or srlmlated to irlwxy, arvrM&lt or m4a*ume, ala

welghiag or aearwing Ineta%eeente ahallbe prIma faele wideme of the fast that thy were intended to be uecd 3x1 the violation of lam. (Uhder8oorhg oure.)

Hots t&at we have undereaorfbd a portion of thlr enaet- msntdeaeed eignlfleant whiahappaare8 in the PenaLCcdotor tho firet time in 1919. Thle pxovlelon was aeltted in fihe 1925 oodiflaetlon of the Penal Code whiah aaublned 8evrbFal previous artlolem, araong them Artl8lee find 9928, to tonn Artiole time thla Az’tiale reed 88 follo~st 1037. At that “Any pereon, who, by himself, or hle emplgee or agent, ox em th? mployee or agent oi another, shall uee, in the buying or eelliag of any mmno- /- dlty, or retain In his poseeselon, a fa1ee wei$lt or meaeure, wbl@+g or meeeurlng lnetrumen ,

or shall offer expose for sale, or sell, exaept *3 Department of Agrloultxme; Page 3

88 8peci1r~~a1l.y a2lcniad by lnw, or me or ro$a¶n eny weight or meikeum or weI&- In his poeeeeelm lng or aeeeurlng lnstrwnent contrary to Im, or by erty person, who, by htieelf, or hle employee or agent, or (LR the amplogee or egcnt of another shell sell or offer or expoee for ule, or we or have in hle poeeoselon the purpeae of eoll- ingor uelng, an7 device or lnetrmaent to bo wed to, or oalauleted to, fmlekfy nny weight or roamma, ahallbe fined not leas than 410.00 aor morekhan (200.00. Poemeelon of muah false weight or mea- sures, or inlrtrumenta ehmll be prlau'fa~le wldeme of the fmet thmt they were intended to be used In the vlolmtlon of lmw. '(

In 1929 Artlole 1037 was again amended ud thle nentaheng0d thepanaltlee provided in thelg25Code8ad in addltlon, theam l ignlfiemtlamguqeunde~o2edr

"Any pereon, who, by hia8el.f or by hle resyvent or egentof mother poreon, ehall offer or expeee for ule, aell, urns, or ret&id in hle poroeaeloa eny falea we te or meaeurw, or welghlng e.r reaeurlng da @&(I, in the buying or aolM## ai rrap Y?

ewmodit;l thing nr In oalaulatlng or maeuring eervlee or la the determhation oiwelght or ma- au-e when a ehmme la side for ewh detcrraiastlon, _ - - -*_ - .-em. or wno enui arepoee or eny aoaaannea eaaaer,~re~te, or meaeur dwiaee roa memeures or we purpose of eellw or using, mny device or laetru- ment to be used ,b or aalouletad to fela%fy eny weight or meeeurej shall be guilty of a mieduuemnor, end shell punished by a fine of not lcnn the.n $20 more than $100, upon ths first aonvS.atloa in any aourt of acmpetent juriaidbtion; and uprrn a eeaond eubeaquent aonvlatlon In any aourt of acmpetent jurlsdlation he shall be punlehad b? a fine of not less thm $50 or more than $200.' (Undersaorlng ourr.)

Departnmnt or Agrlaulture, Page 4

We should look also to tho leglelirtlve hiatom of Artlole 1042 of the Penal 00&e. This artials wsr~derlved frem seatjon 7 or Bouee Bill lo. 247,, mte 1919, 36th Leglmlature, Page 235, am? em orIgInally emetod z-etulr

"Whewer In b my of the artlckl~e 0s ~property nentloned in eotlen 5 0s thle Aat or -3

acntinned in the Oovernor~r proeleaatlapn dafi.nW whet oonetltutee a unit In 8exfomity with the, prwlelons of Beetlone 5 and 6 of this A&, 8Md.l take any greatop nw3ebor of pounds thereof to :tbe bushel, barrel or oubia yard, or dlvlelble mer- ehantable quantity of buehol, bevel, oubbie yud or lineal yard, ln eolllng ary 0s said utleloe, lees number of pounds thereof to the eball~lvo an bushel, barre , oubie llmal I

merohantnble qumtl 7 of a buahe~~~fi%”

orlI.nealPasd t&an 8 allowalbf thle L)kte, with lnteattogrin &a dvuktsgo the~w, exoeptwhecc, expressly authorleed to do mow ape&al aontraet or agrecraeat to thst effslt, eb8ll lirble to 390 Hundred Do

The rwlelk of1925 eupplbd for thetoM "whowa any utlcrle of p~oprtf mwtlanRd In 8wtioa :ui9 la b\rw dot, mentloned In the Qwernor~e prwlamatlon derln 7th ~~tlt&e 8 ua;t In o~onfontit~ with the provlrlone of the wards wdoreaored In Article 1042 *a% . . . nou'reeA8 t

sell& any of the came, shall give imy lees ntnnber of pomade thereof the buehel, barrel, aubla er lineal yard, or dlvlelble merahantable quaatlty of bushel, barrel, oubia or lIzma ~a-rd thnn IS alloved by the laws 0s this State, with intent to gain an advantage thereby, nhall be fined not less than twenty nor more than two hundred dollars." *5 Department of Agriculture, Page 5

We believe that in Arflole 1042 (l-5, Pea81 Qode) an or3.glnall.y enacted in 1919 aad at the present tlme.the on4 aets

pre8orlbed are the taw or giv of a lea8 n*er a?.,' the bushel, barrel, aubti or linea yard ore dtM.8ible.r eG%aSe "rl:

quantity of 8whrea8uraaentm than 18 pre8erlb8d ia th8 crlvll rta- tute8 a8 the aorreat unit ior eaah mea1\WPLant, with intent gain advantage thereby. thel~5eodiflRItionmqhave sum* thlr 8ltuatlan by the addition ai the woml8 attempted‘tb "or by the aord;" 8tlll, aa the 8tatute new ceadm, %+ prohibit8 only the glvlng or taking of a le88er or greater smqunt of a.emo- dlty uhen rold In rtandanl malts 8nd vhen the "8taMaxxl weight of vhlah . . . by the oord . . . has been fixed bJ ~~E’iitr8.6f this State.A The Legl8lature of thla State ha8 not yet undertaken to fix or detemine the number o? undo ln a aord of vood; nor to our lmovlsdge Is wood 8ol.d by the *

Advert- to Artiole lm7, we tiedlately lleze upon the vords I

UAny perron . . . rho shall 8ell or oiiar~ or expo8e for 8ale le88 than the quantity he mqtre8ent8 o? qq orb aodlty.. . -11 be guilty of a rl8daeaaor.'

,-- the8ewonl8rhl6h In1929 wpeamd lniwti9lelO37 for'

the flrrt lme alme 1925be so ringled out, 8houX$i they be read a8 relatlxqj only $0 a rale with iaX reamring dewtier) Jfe believe thq p-bit th'Etile~~of 8 lesrer ameunt W 8 emodi~~than ,a8 represmntsd without reapout to thm use of fal8e mteamuriag dsvlwa. Webelleve thl8oonstmaetlonmoreooasonantvlth the legglaia; s- tent, and thin sema to be the aonrtnrotioa adopted gH@n81 Appeal8 in the ua8e of Qindf v. State, -9 8. Y.(M)

.

Con*equently, in an8wer to your 8pealfla que8tlon you are advised that rhea a dealer in wood deliver8 to the pumha8er a quantity OS vood whloh he repre8ent8 a8 being a oord 8nd oolloet8 et hi8 quoted prlae for a oord of wood and it f$ found upon mea8ur- lng the 8ame that lera than three-fourth8 of a cord has been de- llvemd, such dealer of wood nay prooeedad aya%n8t a rlr- demeanor under Artlole 1037 of Vernon's Annotated Penal Oode.

Veq truly your8 ATTORREIOEH%RALOFTEJ(A1) BY Same8 D. Smllen JDSrdb APPROVH) F'EB. 4, 1941

A@818tult ,-- APPROVED: oPmIoMcOmITmE @EmID E. MAMM By: B. W.B., Chalman

ATTOR~ @FiNERAL OF TEXAS