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:
the more heavlly’populatrd eountlem
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 haulskm brought up en&
tad I)rpfirtaent hes been asked to get.thla lnfbrma-
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
limit8 c+i rrai4 oitr. !&in lwves the lmllar Oarma
~@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 thla xervlw.
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-
ing tc pay the expenxsx oi 4 oountg sealer of rel.@tx
and meaeures. .
“We will appreoiate 4 prompt reply to the ful-
loxlng quextlonx ax the budget for 1944 ix
xounty
balng prepared at thx prxxent tfb and they,arx
4lKlOux to inoluaa this XervlQe in x4me if in your
opinion the matter oan be handled in 4 lag41 pp~n-
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 to appoint xxi4 axalxtuit oounty 4u4it-
or ax xeelar or weights end nsaxurex and for him to
6pand the remainder or his tin4 xxforola13 the slut0
- weighta and m44xur4x 14~~ tlmughout the oounty,
said county pay&g his *alar7 and neoexxary OPer8t-
lng lx p a n6e~.
T?. Would it be leg41 rOr ,a 00Unt~ 6herlfS
of his deputy 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 and meaxurax~
If the Comairxioaer of Agriculture 4p
painti3i6 6ttkt0 inxpeotor, the 10041 xe414r or -6
0f thx 0lti46 or this 8tatx. would said axalor havx
legal authority to aarry Qn laoh 4UtiOX OUtSid tbr
ihita or hi8 0m 0ity.w
Dspartiasnt or Agrloulturx, pgx 3
Artialx 5705, Vernon*6 Civil Statutes of Texas, pro-
vldox:
The 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 Corme xxloner xhxll also appoint
suxh aUdItiona decufixx from firm to tims to serve
ax xealerx ot weigbtx and ~xxxurex,
maaaurex.
The 0rfl06 of ooma%xxlnnor 0r Markxtx
Warehoa~ex~ and
the Market Andy ware howa hprmtaent,, and ~tho Wdgbtx aad &a-
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
ve8ted by laiA A& in thx ~lxxlonxr or AgrlouLture. Also
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 un4.r hir ax CODii46lOMr~ i&ox an ass I atant
auditor or olty xxalxr do not onmx Within thl4 group .that may
b e appointed ax sealerr, we l nx wa r y o ur fir st a nd th ir d queistionx
in the nxgative. For the 6amO re4xoning wo hdb t&xt a xiie+fr
or blx deputy oannot be appointed 4x xuxh 4’ xealer~
publix oftixxrx poxxrxr only xuoh po~rx ax arx xx-
prexxly oonirrr~ upon them by law or ire nxoxaxarlly tipli@a
rror the poworx so oonremd. Brpn’x Admr. v. Harvry’r Adm.,
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 or by LrapllOxtlOn 4119 authorit
upon thx sheriff or hi8 4ep&t lxx to rnforor the wx&htx and mea-
sure8 Uwx., wo do not odnk thr powera given to x xhmt or hlx
deputy ax peaax otfiorrx glvrs them any aUthOritY TV Perfora tb
adminlxtret~ve dutlsx of 4 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 to lnfo r o ethese
said laws and am in sympathy with the situation ax pnxented
In your request. The 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
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