$on. David J. Yarris opinion Iio.V-258
Oeunt~ Attorns~
BPOWR county Ror operrtor or Juimnow
Brownrood, Texrs farm not entitled
to reduc,tion ox=
registration fee un-
der Article 6678~
6a, v. c. s,
Boar Hr. Iterr
Your request ior aal opinion of thil d@puamlt
PO8d8 in PUt B8 fOllOW8:
%&8 iMt8 w: D8foaUnt wb8 operrting
a %llmo9 far&~ whi#h lyqulred that ho haul
riR8OW8 88t@t In 43el’tmin 8tl’em88 to hi8 15
aaro tractrbore he allowed the minnow8 to
Sp&WU ud t&W 8034 thbp Who108de directly
from his ierm without earrylng than,to their
d8atiaatior. IUdOi~ tha Ia&'Illngha ueed
#his OM %raak whioh b M lic&maatt under Ar-
ttel8 6675r-6a M a farm *shiale, and he ova-
teal8 t4sthetiU OR&~d inhruliw farmpro-
dud4 OF ~ivubta8k Uul that ha 8hO911 b ellM -
8ift*d U a fulllrr e-8 thOU&l PI* iLO a
lla*n#* aa * b&it de81mr u&or thm ovltiIon8
Of LL8t8 Of 19%. 44th ugo, Pw 80r , a. 3455
or P. cr tit* 93h.
Vhe ptrol filed a cam of improperly
liC8XWfR g
Or,th 8
lP P M #nt
~UiHtio n
1 8:IS
th8 ckrirtid~t under the f&t 8itu*tiOI¶8 rbova
to be sluairled b&a fbmmr and engAged in
h&uling; hi8 own livahrtoak Wid @@'lWltUWl
pl’QdUOt8 80 &8 to OOBlQ Within the praVi8iO88
O? Art, 6675c-6a?
“A8 to vhether t&l defelldrmt ia our
'minnow fwm* ca8e ~8131 hi8 tcuQk for My
other purposes thrn hauli= BlbUlOW8, it i8
OR,? infOPMtiOn that h d-8 UOt. m i8 Rot
a f8rm8P In my other ZU8pf4Ot than that ha i8
Hon.~David J. Morris, Page 2
engaged In raising 'livertockl if tiQnOv8 be
livestook. Hi8 15 acre Term 18 cut up into
minaov pond8 and entirely oocuplsd by the
PO&S; he breed8 and Pa18eS the minnowa,haul-
ing his breading stock from atroams where
they can be seined."
htiole 66750, action 6a, Vernon*s OIVLI
Statutes, a8 amnded by Acts of the 47th .LEJgi8latUPO,
provides:
"When a oommsrcisl motor vehlsle rought
to be registered mad used by the owner thoro-
of only In th8 tran8poPtatloa of his own paul-
try, dairy, livaatoak, llve8teok pPe&ac#s,
timber in it8 netural 8t8ta, and faPP pPoduat8
to market, or to OthsP point8 f0~ s8le or pPS-
8essing, or the transportation by the owner
thoroof of laborers from their plaoe OF ~esi-
dence, and materials, tOOl8, equlpwnt and
SUpp11e8, without rharge, from th. plMe erf
puroh88. or storage, to hi8 owa farm or ranoh,
lXO1U81VdJ for hi8 ovll U80, OP U8. oa rurh
farm or raneh, the reglrtratlon lioensr fee,
for the weight Cia88ifiMLtiOti8 herolm mention-
ed, shall be fifty (50%) pm abnt of the reg-
istration fee pPe8cribed for wolght O~SSsifi-
cation8 in Section 6 of the Aot heroby amsndod,
a8 awnded in this Aat; proviele~dfuPthar* that
It ah811 be thm duty of th. HigMfaj @Onriai88iWl
to provide 11WEl80 plates dlstlaguisheble from
license plates used for other commercial motor
vehicles USitlg the highways; provided further,
if tha ovnor of aug commsrcial motor vehialo,
ooting within the pPWi8iOtlS of this Act, shell
UM or pwmit to be used any suoh vehicle for
any other purpose then those provided for in
thl8 Act, ha 8hall be guilty of p miSdelllsaIIOP,
and upon conviction, shall be fined in any sum
not less than Twenty-five ($25.00) Dollar8 nor
BY)PB than !Pvo Hundred ($200.00) D011aP8, and
each u8e of such vehicle and each permission
for suoh use of such vehicle shall constitute
a separate offense; provided, hovever, that all
cormsr~lal motor vehicles, truok tractors, road
tractor8, trailers and Semi-tPeileP8 8s defined
In Section 1 of Chapter 23 of the General Law8
of th8 Fifth Called Session of the 41st~.L+$gls-
letuzw, not coming qithin ths provisions of
.
Hon. David J. l4orri.8,Pege 3
thil Act, shall be required to pay all regis-
tration and lioense ,fees pPe8CPibed by the
Other pPOV181ORl. . . ."
Th. trend of authorities i8 la Mcord that fish
are not recognized a5 livestook nor egr1i3ultwe1 products.
In the Q88e Of Inman VII. Chlsqo, M. & St, P. Ry. Co,, 15
B. W. 286, 287, the SU~~OIW Oourt of Iowa states that, stock
as employed la agrieultur# nman8 "dOmFJ8tiC animal8 Or beast8
aollected, used, or Palse3 on a farm; a8 8 stoak of cattle
OP Of Sheep, Oalled 8b30 llVe8tOOk.” In the ceab oi In ret
Rankly, et al, 64 Federal Supplemsnt 10, it was also hqld
that fish are not recognized a8 livestock. In lubatiF vs.
Unemployment cOJIIpXL98tiOn1)1v18ion, 136 Pacifio 2d) 988,
it was held that livestock ir commonly thought o I aa in-
eluding animals, such a8 oattle, rhesp, hog8 and hoP889,ana
does not include trout and spawn. The ~IYZUU"agrioultural
PPOdUst8" likewise has been held to not inUlude fish; Moll-
~&VI. Rlfferty, 37 ?hilllpine 545, 36 COPFpliSJurib Seoundum
L
It 18 the opinion of thib department that minnow8
ape neither farm pPOdUct8 nor livO8toek within the pxwview
or waning of those terme a1 u8ed In Section 6a of Artiale
6675a, Vernon*s Civil Statutes. Therefore, under the faate
stated in your request, the owner of the truck ir not en-
titled to register th6 saam upon payment of the reduced
license fee presorlbed in that statute.
OperataP of a minnotf farm, who US88 hi8
truck fop the purpose of hauling minnow8 to
his farm, vhere sams ape allowed to spawn
and are then sold at Whole8ale to persons who
haul them away from his place, is not using
his truck solely for the transportation of
"Carm ppodu0tsf~ or "livestock" or for any of
the other purposes *emed in Sec. 6a of Apt.
66758, V. C. 9. I38 is not entitled to regia-
tar such f3uek upon payment of the reduoed
license fee presorlbed In that statute sinoe
minnow8 have been held by the courts to be
neither livestook nor agricultural products.
Eon. David J, Horrl8, Page 4
YOllPS VOPytZ'Idy
ATTORRRY ORBIEIAL OF TBXAS
A3:rt By-!i AssistAnt