Case Information
*1 OFFtOE OF THE A77’ORNN GENERAL OF - NJ-
of your letter of In 3xl;lition tharo nanuS3cturos zixl 6311s npprcdzxLt&p On3 nillion 03ns pm r;onth not rll of vbicll is oonsigno~ to Term pints.
.In or&w to stnnikwdizo t&a quality and uoi$ts of dog fmci cat Pocd thrqq% tk13 registration, labslti,, and cnSorocmant *2 of sdoquate dcfinltions and standards, ccnsiderablo pressure is brought to' bear upon the Division of Feed Control Semfce OS this Station for the alopt- &on OS such a pFoglYt32 ns e pPt of our regulatory activities in connection 6th tk3 kxbini.stratZon of tie Pure reed Lniv.
"Article 14s.9, chapter 13, lmds?a crtn.inal Statutes, 1925, ~ovidos, &n pzrt, tint 'ibcry lot OF parcsl OS Peel- %ng stu.fT, usd for feeding S.am live stoclS, sold, 0fScrecl or CZpOZCZi-~~le 3IiiB2.s State, for use &thin the State, ~9~~11 h8-m attached a tag doscribed 3.13 articlo 24~92.' &e will ap?Aieciate an opinion Sron you as' to vhethcr dogs ati cats CZ+R be clansifieil as Q'aix~ 1%~. StPcP L?.na vheihor. c3 have Lho lc?~Lll authority to re,r,ulatc the -mmufncture and sale of dog 23x3 cat foeAs, camed tfio provisiom'of the 5,133. dry, ~tior Fmo Feed Laii referred to above."
It is tho op%tion of this dcpartwnt that dogs end cats cnmot be olassifiod as 'Sam livastock", vith- in the rC.ea*us of tfic ctntutcs m&r cOnsiCkmt,ion, and that, thcmforc, tlm statute does not coAzScr authority .to rqylattc am3 eale Of dog an2 cat food, t!x3 mnxfactrt-c unilcr the prorisiors of the sure Feed lax of this State. <
The first 'wlz of construction l&d dam by our statutes is that the cM.i,9zry eiC;?iSicat-ion shall be ap- pliail to IFGrits, cmcpt VOPilS of art or VOIylS ccRncct~xl cith a pvticular trade or subject xxtter, chcn they shall hsve the E:pisfc aticn attached to thoal by experts in such art or trade, r;ith rcfercnco to such subject mat- ter. (Irev. Civ. Stat. As%. 19). ‘Shis is the rule spacial- ly i;rcscribed xit!i 'rcq:cct to civil statutss.
The Pcncll Code provides: *This co!23 ati 079~s other lag upon t& subject of cx*im %!iiCh ray be eaact- e& ~1Ml.l be COIlStlYZCii CICCOl'cdiR~ t0 plain z&port cf the lanauago in which lt fe mitten, xxi.t+out r.ec,ard to t?le dis- tinction ~1ca13113 r;ade betrmm the COII- *3 .
other txbj3ctE~ and no pcrson,&ali be pUItish& for an OqYmo~ irtlicll 2% not nw3a pmal by the plain 5i?.p3rt of t&3 0ord.s OS 0 1w.E.~ (P.C .Ae .7) Iioif, Article I480 CP the Penal Coda is a part of chapter 13, ontltled nk~ot~cti.inn of Stocli b.iscre.~ ThQ ten3 ~faml livostoc~" , a0 u5ed in this stntuto, 20 not to Ire coastrtMl or intcrprotca in ii strictlp~et~o- lo$.cal sanse, but rather in the nczq in Ubich the Leg- ~slntLtPB LLSOd t&3 u0rd.s. .Izl tho pcpular unZcrst.maing @lj.vcstocY 5s usea in I202 aml scns:: Gf animls pai5c-J. for rzrl;et or ES0 by tbs oaner. Indeed, t1to stock Pzlustry 5.9 a t9m Gf mll-dOfixQ m.min,-, throu$- out t&i, cotultry. The I.L6(? OS tit3 WGZ'C? "SaP--0 in coiImct- ion with livastock':'in the Articla Wer considerztion, of COUL~~Q, 11ax-o~-6 the sul,jcct from thnt'cm~mChcr&xl by t&c 6:2:leral t5rj OS StCCk rais:q cr stGcE in&Wiry. It li&.ts it to the lf.V3stoCic Usuallg f0UEl On th3 faXY2.
This Ccnclusion iS zcccnt.u3tM by th3 fact that tbo statute is a cri&ria~ statute, an2 it in not tb plain ii!qort of till-3 cords or' tJh.3 statuic t1;at tm Legislature lX3ilt t0 pltiS!l CS 323 C&TGilSC? t!?S P.?f,ilU~3 t0 l&k?1 ilOg socxl and cat food, as it has rccp3.rcd slth respect to the ordinary farn 1ivastocl: fc3cls.
Pollodn~ thw3 0rLEnary axl accepted ale~l of Construction it has TIo??n IEM that a dGc 33s not an zti.1 ritlin tix manins of a statute roqUir9qa lookOut to be k?;t fOi' O~&XL~S, OF GthCF cbstructions upon t!ie railrozd tPcck5. (fl~~x.rd v, Easbville, ChzttazGCjia E St. Trouis r;S. CO., 284 s. K. 604). TilC COX~StSVOtiOn Cf t52 TOP.5 h&i- cata by US net only c~~:~orts r;lth Cl;0 co~z,o:? utimstad- in; ant; tw judicial c?ecioions, but it 1ikc:riso cG!nports Qitk the dcfinitinn ::ivcn hy ow stanfinrd dicticmrios. ~hLLS, FLU& 6; ifaplls ~.efLiJ'kCS tb CO& "liVCstGCk" as 'CO- r;cstio animls kept for fsx~ ~arposm, osy~cially mrkct- cblo anirxds, as cattle, tiorscs and shsopR. This pxocise *4 ,not .*,tole, vithin tlu3 nesting of a statute requiriq g railro3ii to fence its right-of-my. (Tags 82 kcific Q. CO. v. Scott, 4 Tcs.. Ap-ppa. Civ. CasC?a (Kill~~~n) 476, 17 6. v. 1'116.
APFROVZD JAI7 12, 1940