OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
a# o? yewr letter et wwaber 22,
e legl*lati*ehfat~.+sf Mttiler
e, we have reauhad* aeswluriea
in lmr or&LI3alopiaQm.
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
"aeat1on23, 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~, .9rretain 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.yrllove13ia 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$hlng ormeaeurtng lnetrmant
to law, ol'rraJpar*oa, who, by hae8olf 'or
hle arp oyo or *ant, or as the aapleye or egm i o?
oomtFbcI
another, nhall 8011 0s offer or .axparefor 8al0, or
us0 or ham ln him poareeriee4 for the purpose of
relll.n# or uelng, anyc+dwLIe or lnatrmeat to be
ueed to, or srlmlated to irlwxy, arvrM< or
m4a*ume, ala
welghiag or aearwing Ineta%eeente ahallbe prIma
faele wideme of the fast that thy were intended
to be uecd 3x1the violation of lam. (Uhder8oorhg
oure.)
Hots t&at we have undereaorfbda portion of thlr enaet-
msntdeaeed eignlfleantwhiahappaare8 in the PenaLCcdotor tho
firet time in 1919. Thle pxovlelonwas aeltted in fihe1925
oodiflaetlonof the Penal Code whiah aaublned 8evrbFalprevious
artlolem, araongthem Artl8lee 990 find9928, to tonn Artiole
1037. At that time thla Az’tiale reed 88 follo~st
“Any pereon, who, by himself, or hle emplgee
or agent, ox em th? mployee or agent oi another,
shall uee, in the buying or eelliag of any mmno-
/-
dlty, or retain In his poseeselon,
or meaeure, or wbl@+g or meeeurlng a fa1ee wei$lt
lnetrumen ,
or shall offer or expose for sale, or sell, exaept
Department of Agrloultxme; Page 3
88 8peci1r~~a1l.ya2lcniadby lnw, or me or ro$a¶n
In his poeeeeelm eny weight or meikeum or weI&-
lng or aeeeurlng lnstrwnentcontraryto Im, or
by ertyperson, who, by htieelf, or hle employee
or agent, or (LRthe amplogee or egcnt of another
shell sell or offer or expoee for ule, or we
or have in hle poeeoselonfor the purpeaeof eoll-
ingor uelng,an7 device or lnetrmaentto bo wed
to, or oalauleted to, fmlekfy nny weight or roamma,
ahallbe fined not leas than 410.00aor morekhan
(200.00. Poemeelon of muah false weight or mea-
sures,or inlrtrumenta ehmll be prlau'fa~lewldeme
of the fmet thmt they were intendedto be used In
the vlolmtlon of lmw.'(
In 1929 Artlole 1037 was again amended ud thle
nentaheng0d thepanaltlee providedin thelg25Code8ad
in addltlon,theam lignlfiemtlamguqeunde~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
reaeurlngdaY?@&(I, in the buying or aolM## ai rrap
ewmodit;l or thing nr In oalaulatlng or maeuring
eervlee or la the determhation oiwelght or ma-
au-e-when a ehmme la side for ewh
.-em. _ detcrraiastlon,
- - -*_
or wno enui arepoee or eny aoaaannea eaaaer,~re~te,
memeures or we or meaeur dwiaee roa
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 be punished by a fine of not lcnn the.n
$20 or more than $100, upon ths first aonvS.atloa
in any aourt of acmpetent juriaidbtion;and uprrn
a eeaond or eubeaquent aonvlatlon In any aourt of
acmpetent jurlsdlationhe shall be punlehad b? a
fine of not less thm $50 or more than $200.'
(Undersaorlngourr.)
Departnmnt or Agrlaulture,Page 4
We should look also to tho leglelirtlvehiatom of
Artlole1042 of the Penal 00&e. This artialswsr~derlvedfrem
seatjon7 or Bouee Bill lo. 247,, mte 1919, 36th Leglmlature,
Page 235, am? em orIgInally emetod z-etulr
"Whewer In b my of the artlckl~e0s
~property in eotlen 5 0s thle Aat or
nentloned-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 nw3eborof pounds thereofto :tbe
bushel, barrel or oubia yard, or dlvlelblemer-
ehantablequantityof buehol,bevel, oubbie yud
or lineal yard, or ln eolllngary 0s said utleloe,
eball~lvo an lees number of pounds thereofto the
bushel,barre I , oubie or llmal
merohantnble qumtl 7 of a buahe~~~fi%”
orlI.nealPasdt&an 8 allowalbf thle L)kte,with
lnteattogrin &a dvuktsgo the~w, exoeptwhecc,
expresslyauthorleed to do mow ape&al aontraet
to thst effslt,eb8llbe lirble to
or agrecraeat
390 HundredDo
The rwlelk of1925 eupplbd for thetoM "whowa
la b\rw any utlcrle of p~oprtf mwtlanRd In 8wtioa 5 :ui9
dot, or mentloned In the Qwernor~e prwlamatlon derln
~~tlt&e 8 ua;t In o~onfontit~ 7th
with the provlrlone of
. . . the wards wdoreaored In Article1042 *a%
nou'reeA8
t
sell& any of the came, shall give imy lees ntnnber
of pomade thereofto the buehel,barrel, aubla er
lineal yard, or dlvlelble merahantablequaatlty of
bushel, barrel, oubia or lIzma ~a-rdthnn 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 hundreddollars."
Department of Agriculture,Page 5
We believe that in Arflole 1042 (l-5, Pea81 Qode) an
enacted in 1919 aad at the present tlme.the on4 aets
or3.glnall.y
pre8orlbedare the taw or giv of a lea8 n*er a?.,'
the bushel, barrel, aubti or linea
"rl:yard oredtM.8ible.reG%aSe
quantity of 8whrea8uraaentm than 18 pre8erlb8d ia th8 crlvllrta-
tute8 a8 the aorreat unit ior eaah mea1\WPLant,with intent
to gain advantage thereby. thel~5eodiflRItionmqhave
attempted‘tb sum* thlr 8ltuatlanby the additionai the woml8
"or by the aord;" 8tlll,aa the 8tatutenew 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 "8taMaxxlweight of
vhlah . . . by the oord . . . has been fixedbJ ~~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.dby the *
Advert- to Artiolelm7, we tiedlately lleze upon the
vordsI
UAny perron . . . rho shall 8ell or oiiar~or expo8e
for 8ale le88 than the quantity he mqtre8ent8o? qq orb
aodlty.. . -11 be guilty of a rl8daeaaor.'
,-- the8ewonl8rhl6h In1929 wpeamd lniwti9lelO37 for'
7
the flrrt lme alme 1925be so ringled out, or 8houX$ithey be read
a8 relatlxqjonly $0 a rale with iaX reamring dewtier) Jfe believe
thq p-bit th'Etile~~of
8 lesrer ameunt W 8 emodi~~than ,a8
represmntsdwithout reapout to thm use of fal8e mteamuriag
dsvlwa.
Webelleve thl8oonstmaetlonmoreooasonantvlth the legglaia; s-
tent, and thin sema to be the aonrtnrotioaadopted
gH@n81 Appeal8 in the ua8e of Qindf v. State, -9 8. Y.(M)
.
Con*equently,in an8wer to your 8pealfla que8tlon you are
advisedthat rhea a dealer in wood deliver8to the pumha8er a
quantity OS vood whloh he repre8ent8a8 being a oord 8nd oolloet8
et hi8 quoted prlae for a oord of wood and it f$ found upon mea8ur-
lng the 8ame that lera than three-fourth8of a cord has been de-
llvemd, such dealer of wood nay be prooeedad aya%n8t for a rlr-
demeanor under Artlole1037 of Vernon's Annotated Penal Oode.
Veq truly your8
ATTORREIOEH%RALOFTEJ(A1)
BY
JDSrdb Same8 D. Smllen
APPROVH)F'EB.4, 1941 A@818tult
,--
@EmID E. MAMM APPROVED: oPmIoMcOmITmE
ATTOR~ OF TEXAS
@FiNERAL By: B. W.B., Chalman