OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
PP. 0. B. NoUo~miok,Dir-eotmr
BOndhi& dr tiOWMin6 Divirlon,
Dqwtmen0 at Agrioulbutr
2'. 0. Box 111
mwllryen, Toxarl
Dear Yirr
avokea Mb who is
iwus pPo&oaPs
00 worth of oitrus
SeabOn and whloh
uat fOP ha opinion
S Agrioulture requlr-
$ Aot (Apt. lltib, Ver-
tuto8--xrB* 99, Act0
Mr. 0. B. LleGQrmiok,’
Page e
a ant’ ehsll
t;raurf.wg mamnmy purson
by MJ 1sraansad dealer
to sot for him
,in the handling OS oltrua fruit a6 derined in (a)
or thl.8 Sootlon.*
The war4 Whandlo* means, aaoordlnig to Yeotion 1
(d) of Artlole llBb, supra, “buying OF offerlne; to buy, sell-
lng or OitbdQ3 to 6011, or bhippinf3 for the pur oae or Sell-
ing, whcther~aa owner, agent or otherwise, any oPtrue fruit
within the Stmte of Texn6, and persons buying and/or ohlpplnq
aitrua fruit for aennlng anb/or proaessing or handlers, as
the term la aertnud.*
Beotion 18 of hrtlole 118b, mpra, providea,among
othur thin@; th6tr
TQion fippliaatien %o Ohr hmmlaaioner by any
lidanae6 daAbP, a reasonable mmbar of ‘buying
A&Mt’ and 'tPansportin$ agent’ idantlfloatlon
tsar48 mmybe isouad And AooPadite4 to ruoh dealer,
under aaoh ruler an& raguliatlons a8 raid Commia-
alone?rrj prararlba, an4 arid Cmudmionar 10
hereby aaptbwmre4 a0 ohargb 6 fee not to exoee6 One
~Dollar (#l) tar *aoh oWl 10 isausdr
*(a) Such crud8 dell bear the name or the
Zlbe~~ad, daalei, Ati Qha’nrnnber o? hla license,
ml80 thawrime of the 6rmlarts. agent,and ahiill
atate therean that raid lioenseb dealer, as tho
principal, hb.8 rutkmrtacrd the ageat name4 on the
oud, the holderthar6Of; te aot for and on br-
halt Ot ml& pPinOipal, either a8 *bugling agbnt’
or AI *trmnrprtlo(( agent’ a6 above’darined,
9uylag :agent* ibeatifioatlon omrda &all be of
A dltfueab solar fro= ttranqmrting a6entc oar48.
&oh i4Mtifio6Qtoa oarbrrShall, br At ~11 tine8
Qhe u6o na o f luoh ye&m who ahall,
o ur lo bp lp ea
upon daam& ,&Sap fy nuoh oar68 to Ohs OaPratl6alon6r
aP hi6 ~&@lb# eP rg asaQtatiYa8,or to .Anypamon
iith *am ~re$d aganP may be trmnr&etia~ bualnoar
UQdaPtld6 AOQ.
*(a) Z? ~a& w&an thr holder of any ldentlfi-
oar6 oaasa8’to bo the agaat pf the dealer
oatlon’
by wkm ho was an~pMyed, It ahall be the duty of
8aafd agent tQ r4Hm7n laediatalf saoh 4nt*n oard
te the OoarniBeh#n@r for oAnsellatienan 2 failure
to da ao ahall oongtltute a tlolation of thla AOt.*
Mr. c. E. NoaoPmlok, PA&w3
8aOtfon 4 o? Artlole 118b, aupra, preearlbaa the
i40 for % lioansa ma A *buying a$ent*a a8 followa:
"(a) (4) Yor A lioao6a 68 a *buying agent,'
tha mm of One Dollet ($l.)."
It would lp p a utbat the W~yiq &gent* lloema,
66 mime6 In Seotlon 4 o? Artlole 118b, aupra, 18 l&entio6l
with the *buying Agent? ldantl?loatlon aard provided ?or In
Seotlon 18. They are ode a& the rame, end are’lrubjeot to
all the lloenae requlremanta o? the Aot.
64ati6n 4 a? kti6le 118b, mapra,oontainain part
the 501-S ~QYi8iOn8:
*All Applio&tiona ?or lioenae under thie Aot
ahall be aeQolrpcmiw3 by a ten4er of paymentin
fall o? the tar ?or suoh lloenn6,raquired; on
rooeipt. Of p&id ~appllomtionduly uteoated, toga-
thar rlth rwulr84 fee, it ,ahall be the duty of
th e OT hi8 ltgttn86&ml/or amplofaeg
Co iwla r lo ner
therausUo~&~ly ruthWised to lmmedlat~y lame
rueh 118enrb, p~Q+i&a& that no lleana~ ahqll laaua
te lm, paNon rhan’tha A pllamtfen for lioanao
fllbn by luob p4rmm 6ha f 1 ladio&ta that luoh
pegma’ La a ay8pan~eB~lteaa~aa within the State
of T8xa8’.or that auoh parison*a lloanao to da
bu6lna8b in,Teraahaa-be@ sevoke4,tmtllthe Gw
hl8alonerIs furalahadwith ratlaimtory proo?
thms the mppliosnt 18, ori the data~a? the ?iun&
of ruoh~.mp~llomtloa, quallilad to reoelra tha
lioeaae 8pplied fort the larwno* of lloen8e to.
paraoncwho have 8u??ara4 prlar auapanalon OT ravoom-
itlon s? ~loaaia tn thi8 State ahall.be dl8oPatlon-
uy with the. ~aaionar in ‘the exaroisa a?
awh ~IOEatb3il,tpb cc wit clrioner la authorized
to tAka’lnto oowldaPation the fAot8 and obwun~-
stadoaa parta&& to the prior rwpansion and/of
retooatlw; the f'I:nmnelal ocm4ltlon of the appll-
Owb, As, Of t&~&&w Of thin AppliOAti~nt 6Qd the
obli&&na due and orin@ by the appl%eant. to
gxwrera~wd’po4u0er6 of oitrua trust8 and/or
perishable agrloultural oonmoilltiaa; *obligmtion, t
as t&a;tezm la we& in ?&la Beetion, shall be
aaQa~~‘tI~ to 6leM Any judgmcmtor any Oourt with-
in : this ,aSato otrtrtanding agninst the gpplioWt
lfr.C. IL f[oCormlok,
~FaFagb
4
or certified olalms as of the data of the appliae-
tion -am oonsl4uatlonby the 'Caaa144lon4r~
prior to refusal OS lioeaae by thr Gommlss1oaer,
any applicant for lloansa rhall be entitled to an
open hearlng on the faetr partaln$nR to mob ap-
DLlciation, said hearing to be oonduoted by the
Coxdasloner, or his agent thereunto duly authorla-
ml; I?, ,after such hearias, the Comalssloner, in
the rreroiae of hlr disoret$on, refutes the license
a~pl$a&for, the appllaant shalt, within ten (,lO)
da78 from and ltter the dental of mob lloensa
by tha U~mmfulowr and not thereafter, tile his
appeal from the order ot the Co&ssloner denylag
suah 116aasa, in any Court oi oompetent #w$sblo-
tloa within this 19tatet ii the Uomtnlssloner~shall
doterains that the lloense appllad for shall not
ba ([ramed, the OQrmAssioaer lhall de&at from
the llaense fee tenbered with mob lpplleatlon,
the N,Of five Doll.am OS), said Pi*4 DollaSS
($5) to’br retained by tho.C%maissloner to aeiray
tw4ts tnd expei3846i iima4nt t0 th4 filing aa
extmlnattan-of ,r a l pplloatlon an6 shall return
itl
~the~baliuae oi~the lloeme fee WJ tendered with suoh
~agplloat~lep te the applioant.*
It 18 cur apinionthat the provlslon*of Seation -4
above quoted war0 int4na4d by the Legislature to govern ln
the eare~otall type8 ol lioexsesissueif
ullderthe hot and
later sat’mt
la the same motions *dealerW lloense;
*0du$oa merOh(LLlt*m~and/or *ooatraot dealer*rR l1oaawj
%lnlmum oarh 4ealel:*#* lloanno~ ubuy$ng agent’8* lloenaa
(1bentliloationoar&)$ ntraarportlng agent*8” lloensa (Iden-
tliloatlon0+24).
9%; luuanoe 02 iny liaensa protided for ontIer the
Aovte pera wh0 bOlLd~4riyOf the lieenru 'revloual~, and
who had au~futi @Or swpm8lon or rerooatPon oi IlO4M4,
has bran &OOlarcb i U8ttOZ’ Of UiMl’atiOn with the ~Sl4iB@iOB-
er of AgrloulWr*~ ft would not be ooaslrtent to malntaln
that the comuluionbr*r ai44wi0n m limit46 to one type
or lleenu Lo., the baler*8 lloemm. The purporo or see-
tioa 4, w&h In undoubtbaly to eliainabe inmtar aa poeri-
ble unrelinbl~,un8erupulen* aiadbohaudlng lloearsesunder
the Aat, muia be alroumsnt*6 entirelyif tha Commlsslone~
WM pomuleu t9 amy a dlfferonttype of lloensa under the
MT. C. lb MoComlok, Pa&e S
Aot to a piTSon whose~prerlous lioensshad been suspendad
or rerolce& The soundest oonrtruotlonto plaae upon Se+
tloa 4 is’ that the authorltr and ~$s~ret$o~ of the COQ-
Qi#SiOaelT in issuingMy liocsnse under the Ast to a person
whoa6 ionair lioeBae was revoked or saaptmded a&wacea all
the types Of li60n8es ls8ued. This will stieotlrely close
the door to the subterfuge. of opOrat$B8 under 6 dlfterent
typo of lioanse when a prior llsense is revoked or suspend-
ed.
S’urthermore, a8 15 prorlded in Seation 4, in the
ererolse of his dlsoretlon in sush a matter, the Comlssion-
of say takb into ~onslderatioa, amona other things, *the
obllgatlans due and ming br the spplloant to growers and
produoerr of citrus fruitsand/or piwlshableagrioultural
oomm~i8les.*
fn the prerentlnstanoe the applicantfor a
"bUyin l@lb” lloenseor laeatltIoatlon card is still in-
debtad foi~approximate~ #'l&M) north of aitrusfruit whlah
he pur0hu0a as a Oe*ler during a pretloos aeaaon. In paw-
ing upon this applloetlen,lt was clesrlr the intention of
the I&g$s&ature thlrtthe Qodssloa~r of AgrloaJture take
this faab'lnto OOnmld~atlOti before issuing the party oon-
semied ns+only anotker tlealer*s lloensa, but any kind of
'lloeliu.
&eotlon14 gives the Cormls8loaerof Agrleulture
full power and authorityto ed'oreethe prorislonsof the
A&. It read8 as follows:
-I&m the purpose of enforola~ the protislons
of this Aot, $hr Commlrolonoris hereby ruted with
Sull powor aad authority and it shall be h$s duty,
slthsr upm his om initiative or tnponthe receipt
of i pro#erly rezlfle4oomplalnt, to lnrestlgets
all ,aLtegad rlolatlons air this Aot and for the
g\lrpora oi m&ing euoh $nreatigstlon, he shall
have, ,at all t-8, free end u~ta\peded aoaeds to
all books, r000ra8~, bulldings,7ar48,warehouses,
stmaga, and.traasportation aad other faollltles
m plases la wlriohaal altrus fruit is kspt stor-
ed, hurdled, processed or traaaported, and in
furtharanati of suoh $nveatlgatlaa either the GOBI-
mlssiamr lh pe]Pson ,or through hi& authorized
representatives, aay exacaine any portion ot tha
Xr. C. E. MoCormlok, ?dge 6
ledger;baoks, aoaousts, memorandum; 600tti7k4nt8,
soales, meaeures,and other matters, objeots or
persons psrtlnent to suoh alleged vlolatlon under
li:restlgatlon. The Commissioner shall take suoh
aotlon and hold suoh public hearings aa in hla
ftdgment are shows to be neoessary after such
lntsst&gatloas, and shall take the proper aotlon
with reterenoe to the ornarllatlon or suspen8lon
of the ~l~aense o? any dealer hexeunder shown to
II;;; yy guilty of a rlolatlonot the terms of
Suop hearings shall be held in the
nearest hty.oT townin the oountr tihere rlola-
Wane are alleg to hare oosua~ed. An7 order
made by tha Oommlssloaer nlth reiereooe to the
rerooatlon or arnoellat$on of any llaensegrsntea
under %he prorlslons of,thls Aat, rhall be sub-
jrot to reviewbr a Court of Pro&potent Jurlsdlo-
tion.*
After a oareful oonsl~eratlon of the above quoted
eeotlons et the Citrus Fralt Uromrs Aot la the light ot
its Objastlre8 and the abuses it %a18 ln%end6dto eradloate,
it ls OPT opinion, and rou are.80 advl8ed that under the
terms ma provlslons ot Artiole 116b, Vernon!8 Annotated
Olrll Stattites,~tha Commlssloaer of Agrleultwe la not re-
quired ‘to, Issue a buying agent’s idautlfioatlon oar6 to an
laaltlaual who has had his dealer*8 llaenseoanoelled or
revoked ana ,nho is ina4btea to numerous oltrus prcduoers
ior approrimateZ~ ,000 worth of oltrus fruit, purohased
last suson and whr ch smount is still unpaid; but under
Seatlonr4 aad 18 of Article $lSb, the Commissioner of iqrl-
oolture has th e lutherlty to use his dlsoretlon la issuing
a lloense iti sueh a oa8e and to presorlberules and regula-
tions applldable to the sltuatloa.
Truatln8 that we hare fully aBb satlataetoril7
amwerea four inwlrf, we are
Your8 very trul7