OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eonorable J. B, IdsDonald
Commlesl.onerof Agriculture
Au&in, Tens
W3 era in reo ueat far an opilllon
upon the following
oertifioate per;dttin& then t,Gebi;,rturserg
stock izto this atete. Xt red.9 ae.followas
Q3 person, partnershiD,of wr~ratlon
outside the State shall be perd.tted to Ship
nursery stook into t&is State without having
::iretfiled with the Ctxnmiapianerof Agrioul~-
ture a oertlfica8copy ef his or thsit asrttfl-
Honorabls 3. IL HoDonald, Page 8
oate of inapeotionissued by the proper authorl-
ties in the Stats from whioh the shipment ori-
ginates. Suoh oertifloatenust 8hor that the
stook to be shipped ha6 been srszilnsd by the
proper officers of inopeotion In auoh State, and
that it ia a>garantlyfree from all dangerous ia-
mot pests or ooatagiouadieeasea and when fuai-
gation 18 required by the Corsmisaloner of Aqri-
oulturo, that ths stoc.4ham bsen propsrly iti-
irated.
,_1 Upon receipt of iu4t: csrtifioate, the
Comulisalon4r shall make CnJc;? inlWSti&AtiOll as
TV r:oralstanding and integrity as will satisfy
him that the amlioant Is entitled tu rooeive
%aoh box, bole or paoka;se of nureary staok
Srom outside the Stats shall beer a tag on which
le printed a oo:?y of the oertifioatsof this
State, and alao a oopy of ths sertifiaeteof
the state in which it originetQ8.* (UWktrS4Or-
ing our41
Artlale .193deals with *inspsotionfeee*t
“!t%Q &UWSi85~0~~ @i-&l fir aIU!OOllQ4t
rsaronablefsee for the lnspeoblonherein pro-
vided for, 9f not &QSU than two dollars aad
fttts cent6 nor mm thsn ftftesn dollars fer
eeoh inaDeOtion.* lUnder6coringOUTB1
The rrgeoialrider to the Itemhad Agrloultural
pertmnt appropriationin the Oeaeral %psrt;nsntalAppn,
tlon Bill, Senate Bill 487, Aotisof the 40th Le@lsletum;~
“appro~riatea*oertain f ee6 and/or balanoee for the we of
tie Depsrtmnt of Agriaulture for activitiss “as hsreinabovo
speoiflosllyttw&zed.” This rider reads ae ~tol.~~o~
” all fees and/or tinexpended
balances
WLiCh &Gs*been reoeived an8 WtdCh may be re-
oeived b;+virtue of Chapter%7,Artfcls X%3, Ee-
vised Ctvil Gtatutss, 182A . . .
379
iktnorable
S. 2:.&Donald, Page 3
It will be noted that all fees which have been re?
ceived and which may be rsoeived "by virtiisof Chapter 9,
Artlcls 153, Revised Gfvil Statutea, 1925* are among those
fees agrcprlated to the use of the Department of Agrioul-
tur83.
iieoall attentionto the faot thritChapter 9 does
not Oontain an "Article 153". Cbqter 7 Title 4, the Nur-
sery Inspeoticn Law, ooipriscasArticle6 ilQ-135. Article0
125 end 133 provide for the oolleation of fees. In the
Co~sral De~art~snta.1 Bill, agrloulturalrider,
h;,pro;Iriation
sk.ovequoted, t:~ereis no lnolusicn of Artlole 128 presorib-
in:;A five dollar fee for a cortifioetefor cut-of-state
nurserymen,on& Article 133, tLe _:enerelinrrpeotion fee
stntute, is referred tc as Article 153.
There is no doubt in our minds that in enaoting the
speoial r5Aer above referred to the h&.aLature intendedto
appropriatefor the use of the Drpartrnsnt of Agric3ulture
es
outlined in the iteaieed seotion of the bill all the nursery
inspeotionfees collootedunder Chapter 7, inoludlng the fees
provfded for in Article 128 ea well as Artiale 133. Further-
~:ore,we think it is a:pparentthat failure to mention Article
12j w0.san ove;a%ghtand reference to 153 - a non-existent
statute In Chagter 7 - an error.
Iri nedthor instame, however, IB the intsntion of
the Legislature olroumvented.
Sn the first plaoe, the Legislature appropriated
all fees received or receivable under Chapter 7, the Rtrsery
InapeotionLaw. It is true that only one fee article of
tilestatute is referred to, but even hare a aerioua error
is costi:.tted. The e:‘feetof the error is to nedesaltatea
construotlonwhloh will aarry out the intention of the Le$is-
lature. It WHB obviouslynot the plan of the laumakingbody
to inolude feee oollected from intrastatenurserymen,end
to exclude without mention the inspection fees of out-of-state
nurserymen.
The very next rcfertmco II:the rider is to "ahag-
tcr 3 of Title 4, Reds& Civil s&r:tutes, 1823." T&la incli-
cates thittt.:ie
Legislature intaniec;that all the fues re-
ceived ,317
receivableunder Chapter 7 were a?Dropriated.
,T:23 canon5 oi Lstntatory COllSLZXCtiO9 support the
yxltic-r, vie hvc taken.
‘38(
Ronorable J. E. UoDonald, Rage 4
The section of t.herider with whioh we are oonoern-
ed is erroneous and anzbiuof.18. It ie subjeot to oomstruo-
tion. While es a genera !frule legislativeerror8, nilstakw
or otisgions oannot be oorreoted u,nlessby the Legislature
still obvious error8 or uLietakesof a olerioal
~~~~%tioal or tgographloal nature my be dleregarded:
Rlllere* mutual Fire Insurance00. v. city or Aurtin,
210 s. 1. 825
Cernooll v. Colorado County, 48 s. w. (2d) 47Q
Frasa v. Darrouzett IndependentSohool Dlstriot,
227 s. IV.751
State v. Cunter, 81 9. w. lC2S
=Thue it is settled that the intention of
the Legislature controls the language used by
it, and in construing a etatute the oourt ie not
neoeeearily oonfined to the literal meanfng oi
the word8 wed, especially in rerpeat of lrolated
or prtioular ;rovieions;the intent rathar
than t.h:6 rtrldt letter of the aot will be re-
.garded.* 39 Tex. JUr. 181
The intent or the Lagl8lature m8 undoubtedly to
appropriate ell the fees oolle0ted under Chapter 7 to the
of Agrioulture. Sin00
Departrtient there ir no Artlole 155,
the reasonable constructionie to inolude all fees rsoeired
or recetveble under fee articles, i.e. Artioleo 12S and 133,
within the rider appropriation.
It 1s our opinion that the five dollar rees oolleot-
.ed rrom out-or-state nureerymen under Arbicle MS, Revised
Civil Statutes, 1926, are ‘fees . . . whloh have been received
and whloh may be received by vlrt:.le of Chapter 7, Article
153, Revised Civil Stat:,.tee, 1926* within the purvfew of the
rider t.2the agriculturalappropriationof Senate Bil.14M,
the General Degartaentel Ar;:proprietlon Bill, and as suoh are
asproprlatedto the Department of Agriculture to be used for
HOnOrable 3. E. KoDoneld, Page 6
the purposes and in the manner provided in said rider.
Trusting that we have rullg answered your inquiry,
we are
Your31very truly
ATTORNEY GZNERAL OF TEMS