OFFICE OF THE A’IT’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

!’ :--I= 

Eoanorable C . FL Carne& 

State Auditor 

Austin, Texas 

D0ar Sir: 

wo ham *aoe1o 

requesting the opfoion of th 

tfoncd subject, whloh lett 

f the booka, aria aooount6 

Offfoe, we ffnd that thrr, 

that e rather large umber of euoh aooounte hare not 

been pald in to the General Land Mfioc-in taot, 

672 
Boa. 0. R. Caraesi Pam 2 

these aooounta whloh are 

eereral pears, amount to 

part of this haying boon 

aatually peist due, aoim ror 

seyeral thousand dollare, 

iron the adsinistration 

limedlately prior to that of the present Land Comalaslonsr. 

*Ie it legal for these lGntt.ers to ba handled in 

this rammer? 

Vlhether or not it lr legal upon whom dooa the 

re~ponelbllltf rest ror the 0~0 lieotlon or the66 oooounta 

for mnel due the State? Pleaae lnolnde also JOUY 

Opinion as to how far moh reeponaibllity lesllg 

extenda- ia the oolleotlon of these runds chargeable 

personally to the one who authorized tha credit, to 

Wm extent that he or his bondaaen oould ba held 

&&ally liable if the xzmye lnyolyed are not 

oolleated without delay?” 

eeotion 29 or Article z 0r the conet1tution or 

the State of~Texas proride that ill fees that map be payable 

bl law ior any oeroios perrormad by the ComnI8eloner or 

the General Land Ofriee, or in his Offloe, shall be paid, 

when Yeoelmd, into the State ~TreaeurP. 

&tiole 9913 Revised 01~11 Statkw~or the 

State of Tsras requlr+ the Land~Coamirsioner to keep a 

fee book in hia ofiios in whioh he shall ,enter all the fser 

ior any serrioe mme.d in’ Art$ole 391& of said itatutes snd 

to quarterly file with the aomptroller a Yerlfled aooouut or 

all reso 60 reaciood by him, and at the end of each qoartar 

to pay oyar to the State Treasurer all monem~. reoelted 

under the proyislons of the rtaf;utcs. 

Artiale .3918 %eyis:cd Ciil,l $tatutao authorlzcs 

and requlrea the Land Oommlsslonec to oharga ior tha use 

of the stats as riling fee8 , ror oertifled ooplee and Patent 

fees the amount or Paes in eald Artiole 3918 enumerated. 

iSrtior0 5250 Revised Ciyil Sta%Utes or Tams rf4uirea 

the Comlseioner to &PC bond with three or more suretier 

ror rirty bhouaand dollars, payable to an& to bc approved 

by the Governor, oonditlonad for the falkhful Uieoharge of 

his oificial duties. 
Hon. C. H. Carnero Rag' 3 

ft lr the oplnlon of thlr Department that the 

Laod Commissioner la without authorit to extend aredlt 

in reapeat to the feea required bt eat& artiale 3918, 

Revised Civil Statutes, to be ahargad by the Land Commlaalonar, on the aontrary the Commira~onrr is to 

reoeire the requirti free at the tin0 of or before 

flline or dellterlng the doaumsnta or prrformlng the 

aerrlaea in said statute set out and in the went the 

State auatalna any lose bj reamon of the Omralaalcaar 

extending orsdft ln reapeot to auah statutory fees), thr) 

Colaaziaaionot and the sureties on his offiolal bond would 

be liable to the Stat0 for the.amount oi auah 1088, It 

New. 857, 

In the oaas of Thurston County ?a. Chmelka 294 

132 A.L.R. 1083, it la mid by the aourtt 

Y’%s rule for the Intarpratatlon of bonds aees~~ 

to be that, whsn a pub110 ofilaer gives a bond for 

the ialthful dlaaharge of his duties, the word 

‘faithful’ is held to imply that ha has assumed 

that meaaurs of reaponslbllity laid on him by law, 

had no bond been @tent that tha objeat of a bond 

ao oonditloned i8 to get ,auretlea for tha performmoe 

of t&e duties of the oiilae aaaordlng to law, and 

that anything la unfalthfulneaa whloh the I&w does 

not exouae. 

In four latter you lnqulre upon whoar rests tha 

rsapoaalbllltp to oollaot aooounta for the l ervioea of 

the Commlaalonar in flllng doaumenta and to? aeFtliled 

ooplsa ato. undn aafd Artlale 3918 Revised Civil Statute& 

Slaoa there is no authority on the part ot the otilalal to 

oreate auoh aooounta theor la no dtatutory provision with 

rerpsot to the oolleotlon thereof. Thr offiolal bond of 

the otflolal protsotr the rights of the Stat6 to rsasive 

the fee8 protlded for ln said Artiale 3918, 

Pew truly 7oura, 

ATTORRFT 0-L O? TEXAS