**OFFICE OF**  **THE A7-l.ORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN**  **G*O****” ER** **SELLERS &l-rORNIY** 

**GlNIRAL**

Lononble L. A. Woods state Superintendent Departmentof Education Austin 11, Texas

sear Ljir: Opinion X0. O-7297

wnich have

*'o have your lat Article 2858, Sevised Stat

erence is made, readr

hoa the contracts have liah and maintAn in some depoaitorywhere a atook of ly all imnediatedemanda shall contractorsnot maintaining their ual or separate St&e agencies or deshallmeintain a joint aeency or ory to be located at IIIDI(H suitable and co&enient distributingpoint. Any pereon, dealer
or schoolboard in any county in the &ate my order fro,:1

the central depository;pmvided thathonorable i. A. Woods, Page 2

the price of **baoko a0**  **orderad** aim11 be psid in advance. Upon the failure of any aontractor to furni8hthe books a8 provided in the aontrrctarLdin tLis Act, the **aountp** judge in the county wherein suoh book8 have not been furnishedmap11 report tha feet to the Attorney Cenerel, and he ehall **brfng** 8uit
on amount of 8uch failw in the name of the State of Texas in the di8trict aourt of Travis County, 8hd shall reaover on the bond given by 8uah aontraatorfor the full value of the books not furnishedaa required, ahd in addition **thereto** the **sum** of one hundred **dollara,** ax&dl aoh day of failure to fuamisn the books shall sonstitutea 8eparrteoffense, **and** the amount8 80 recovered shall **be** placed to the andlt of the available 8ahool **fund** of the **SCate.** Any unorgnnlsed county shall be f:lmished from the
same agency aa the county to whi4h **urid ua**  orgenfred county I8 atteohed for judioialpurpo8es In the 8amemennet a8 8uuh **organl8ed** couaty'.=

Howevar,Artiole 2781 of the gevi8ed Statute8 

### of 1925 also pertainsto the saue inatkr; thlr article has been amended sinae the 1925 revision (Ch. 213 Acta 40th Leg.) but the amendment did **not** change the foliowing language p4rtinentto your queetfonr

"All partieswith utiom book contraot8 have been mad4 rhall establish and maintain in some city in the State a deporitorywhere a stoak of their good8 to supply all invsediato demand8 ahallbe kept; all oontraatorrno8 malntainln~ their own individualor 8epahte state agenoies or depoaitorles r-11 mninti
a joint ag4nay or depository to be loaated at ma4 euitabla and comveniantdlrtributingpoint, **at** which gen+rel d4pository sach uontraator joining in aaid agency &all **keep** on hand a sufficientatook of book8 to supply the 8ohool8 of the State

. . . ."

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Honorable 2. A. Hoods, Page 3

**As the**  **two etstut48**  **r4lat4 to**  **the same**  **4ubje4t** matter, theymust bs construedtoge8her; any inaonrirten4y between the two mst be resolved by the provisionsof Article 2781 2s aolended a5 it is tne latest 4xpr4ssion

### of the lefislature.

Tno purpose of the statutesobviouelywes to **4441~4** the sc,iutenahce in this State by textbook con**qrastors** of **n stoak**  of books to supply th4 immedisto **de** mands of the 6Ch9ols. Thor the statutepemita them to do by maintsining either separate depOSitOri48,or joint dopOSitori4S. The ntatut48do not prescribe the loaationof these dopoaitori48. Under the statutes, oertain aontractora couldmaintain their depositary in 0~x4 aity in this State as a distributingpoint, others could saintain a jointdeposi

### toryin anoth4r city, if they desired to **do** 8o, and others in still a third city.

Nor do we read 8he statutesas preventingmaintenaaoe 

### ofmore than on4 joint depository in a rirp;le 4lCy in this State. Art1418 2781 tiOU8 tim aoatraotorco maintain 8 repamte dopo8itory,or te aaintain 4a joint agenoy or depO8itOry to bs located at **80144**atiteble and oonvenieat distributingpoint, at uhicn general depository eaah 

### aontraotor jOi,ninf?

in Said an4ncZ Shall keep on hand a StIffiOieXIt stoak Of books to au ply the 8UhOOlS Sf th4 State.4 lie think the atetut% is compl i: **ed** with by maintaining

### a depoaftory, either separetely,or in combinotiouwith oth4rs,

### whereatthe requiSit4 8toak Of **books 18**  kept,on deposit in this State. Hed the le~isleture intended to limit **th4** number of joint b4po8itorie8to a sin@e unit, it would have been neaessary for it to designatewhere and what rhould eonatltuto such depoaitoq, or to aut.;orise Imae on4 0184 to do SO. Tha statutesdo neither,

,,L.c,, The practioal constructions of th4 statutesunbroke@& date supports the aonolutiion that no single joint depository ir required. 

### We are &formed 

### that in eddition to the sevarbl individualdepOSitariO8maintainad by OurrOnfr textbook aontractor8,there are pr44sntly two "joint dOpO8itoriesv lowted in Dallas. One, the Hugh Perry Leposit0ry, ../

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