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, Vertuto8--xrB* 99, Act0 
Mr. 0. B. LleGQrmiok,’ Page e 

t;raurf.wg a ant’ 

by MJ 1 sr 

ehsll mamn my purson 

aansad 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, selllng or OitbdQ3 to 6011, or bhippinf3 for the pur oae 

ing, whcther~aa owner, agent or otherwise, any o P 

or Sellwithin the Stmte of Texn6, 

true fruit 

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 mmy be isouad And AooPadite4 to ruoh dealer, 

under aaoh ruler an& raguliatlons a8 raid Commiaalone? 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 thaw rime 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 holder thar6Of; te aot for and on brhalt 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 oarbrr Shall, br At ~11 tine8 

o ur lob p lp eQhe a u6o na 

upon daam& 

o f l uoh ye&m who ahall, 

,&Sap f y nuoh oar68 to Ohs OaPratl6alon6r 

aP hi6 ~&@lb# eP rg 

iith *am ~re$d P 

asaQtatiYa8, or to .Any pamon 

UQdaP tld6 AOQ. 

agan may be trmnr&etia~ bualnoar 

*(a) Z? ~a& w&an thr holder of any ldentlfioatlon’ oar6 oaasa8’ to bo the agaat pf the dealer 

by wkm ho was an~pMyed, It ahall be the duty of 

8aafd agent tQ r4Hm7n laediatalf saoh 

2 

4nt*n oard 

te the OoarniBeh#n@r for oAnsellatien an failure 

to da ao ahall oongtltute a tlolation of thla AOt.* 
Mr. c. E. NoaoPmlok, PA&w 3 

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 l p p a u tbat 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, oontaina in part 

the 501-S ~QYi8iOn8: 

*All Applio&tiona ?or lioenae under thie Aot 

ahall be aeQolrpcmiw3 by a ten4er of payment in 

fall o? the tar ?or suoh lloenn6,raquired; on 

rooeipt. Of p&id ~appllomtion duly uteoated, togathar rlth rwulr84 fee, it ,ahall be the duty of 

the Co iwla r lo nOeT r hi8 l tgttn86 &ml/or amplofaeg 

therausUo~&~ly ruthWised to lmmedlat~y lame 

rueh 118enrb, p~Q+i&a& that no lleana~ ahqll laaua 

te l m, paNon rhan’tha A pllamtfen for lioanao 

fllbn by l uob p4rmm 6ha f 1 ladio&ta that l uoh 

pegma’ La a ay8pan~eB~lteaa~aa within the State 

of T8xa8’. or that auoh parison*a lloanao to da 

bu6lna8b in,Teraa haa-be@ sevoke4,tmtll the Gw 

hl8aloner Is furalahad with 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 ravoomitlon s? ~loaaia tn thi8 State ahall.be dl8oPatlonuy 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 appllOwb, 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 judgmcmt or any Oourt within : this ,aSato otrtrtanding agninst the gpplioWt 
lfr. C. IL f[oCormlok, ~FaFagb 4 

or certified olalms as of the data of the appliaetion -am oonsl4uatlon by 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 apDLlciation, said hearing to be oonduoted by the 

Coxdasloner, or his agent thereunto duly authorlaml; 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 l tter 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$sblotloa within this 19tatet ii the Uomtnlssloner~shall 

doterains that the lloense appllad for shall not 

ba ([ramed, the OQrmAssioaer l hall de&at from 

the llaense fee tenbered with mob l pplleatlon, 

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 itl pplloatlon an6 shall return 

~the~baliuae oi~the lloeme fee WJ tendered with suoh 

~agplloat~lep te the applioant.* 

It 18 cur apinion that the provlslon* of Seation -4 

above quoted war0 int4na4d by the Legislature to govern ln 

the eare~ot all type8 ol lioexses issueif ullder the 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 

(1bentliloation oar&)$ ntraarportlng agent*8” lloensa (Identliloatlon 0+24). 

9%; luuanoe 02 iny liaensa protided for ontIer the 

Aovte pera wh0 bOlLd~4riy Of the lieenru 'revloual~, and 

who had au~futi @Or swpm8lon or rerooat P on oi IlO4M4, 

has bran &OOlarcb i U8ttOZ’ Of UiMl’atiOn with the ~Sl4iB@iOBer 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 seetioa 4, w&h In undoubtbaly to eliainabe inmtar aa poerible unrelinbl~, un8erupulen* aiad bohaudlng lloearses under 

the Aat, muia be alroumsnt*6 entirely if tha Commlsslone~ 

WM pomuleu t9 amy a dlfferont type of lloensa under the 
MT. C. lb MoComlok, Pa&e S 

Aot to a piTSon whose~prerlous lioenss had been suspendad 

or rerolce& The soundest oonrtruotlon to plaae upon Se+ 

tloa 4 is’ that the authorltr and ~$s~ret$o~ of the COQQi#SiOaelT in issuing My 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 suspended. 

S’urthermore, a8 15 prorlded in Seation 4, in the 

ererolse of his dlsoretlon in sush a matter, the Comlssionof say takb into ~onslderatioa, amona other things, *the 

obllgatlans due and ming br the spplloant to growers and 

produoerr of citrus fruits and/or piwlshable agrioultural 

oomm~i8les.* 

fn the prerent lnstanoe the applicant for a 

"bUyin l @lb” lloense or laeatltIoatlon card is still indebtad foi~approximate~ #'l&M) north of aitrus fruit whlah 

he pur0hu0a as a Oe*ler during a pretloos aeaaon. In pawing upon this applloetlen, lt was clesrlr the intention of 

the I&g$s&ature thlrt the Qodssloa~r of AgrloaJture take 

this faab'lnto OOnmld~atlOti before issuing the party oonsemied ns+only anotker tlealer*s lloensa, but any kind of 

'lloeliu. 

&eotlon 14 gives the Cormls8loaer of Agrleulture 

full power and authority to ed'oree the prorislons of the 

A&. It read8 as follows: 

-I&m the purpose of enforola~ the protislons 

of this Aot, $hr Commlrolonor is hereby ruted with 

Sull powor aad authority and it shall be h$s duty, 

slthsr upm his om initiative or tnpon the receipt 

of i pro#erly rezlfle4 oomplalnt, 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 wlrioh aal altrus fruit is kspt 

ed, hurdled, processed or traaaported, and in 

storfurtharanati of suoh $nveatlgatlaa either the GOBImlssiamr 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 rlolatlon ot the terms of 

Suop hearings shall be held in the 

nearest hty.oT town in the oountr tihere rlolaWane are alleg to hare oosua~ed. An7 order 

made by tha Oommlssloaer nlth reiereooe to the 

rerooatlon or arnoellat$on of any llaense grsntea 

under %he prorlslons of,thls Aat, rhall be subjrot to review br a Court of Pro&potent Jurlsdlotion.* 

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%end6d to 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 required ‘to, Issue a buying agent’s idautlfioatlon oar6 to an 

laaltlaual who has had his dealer*8 llaense oanoelled 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 

Seatlonr 4 aad 18 of Article $lSb, the Commissioner of iqrloolture has the lutherlty to use his dlsoretlon la issuing 

a lloense iti sueh a oa8e and to presorlbe rules and regulations applldable to the sltuatloa. 

Truatln8 that we hare fully aBb satlataetoril7 

amwerea four inwlrf, we are 

Your8 very trul7