OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

**m UO**  **in T6061** 

1 Ststuter, bonding require

y RQt inOlUth the hauling Of t&6 **orohnrd to**  **the peokfnu**  shed. **Th6** rokingl the fruit, lo.osd6

the l6s16 er in6txY6tion6

f%Oa the **d6616r.** The dutlea of the fira then o6eso. It cl068 not billm i'mIt lt6 des~tnatton, but thl6 put **of** the **transaotion is**  **perform66 by**  the d6dLer. Ths fina does not buy or otfu to m, ~611 or offer to **ssll,** or **ship** for the purpose of selling either 6s owner, agent or otharwl.68, 6ny oitrua fruit.*Hon. Tom 1. Hartley,page 2

It la 616matary that *the intention oi the. L6glslatur6in enaotiaga law lr the law itself*,Wo 66S6llO6 of tho law", and 'th6 spirit uhioh gives life" to ths claaotnmat. SO TZI. JUR. 186; POPHAM V. PATTW~SO.X, 51 R.W. (Sd) 680; HESS V. SKINNXRR4~INXXRI<?Q CC. t. TIJRNEX,

20s 3.18. 599, 207 S.W. 171, S16 Y.W. 681; KOY f. SCRNEIDER,SSl S.W. MO. Where the language OS a statute alearly aad dl8- tinetly reveal6 the legIalRtlt6intent, there Is no reason to look elscnrheze. GAWLETT v. COLWI3XWW'Z3* COUJXT(Cir.App.) 250 S.W. 1010, 236 S.W. 970, 222 S.W. 2948 RAILROAD OObXI~jSIGN V. TFXAS & N.O.R2XtaOm CC., (Cit.App.) 42 **S.W.** (2d) 1091. When the Legislaturedefines a word or group of worU6, whioh It has th6 power to do aad often dO68, the d6fInItion,If olear and uaambIguou8,Is bindlug as aa 6xpresalonof the 16glrlstlreInteat,:-regardlesr of the maaIag of the word In oomn parlanoe 02 in other ooaaeotlozm. 59 TEL JUR. 200.

The guestionbesore us Involves the aaal~aisof the d6fiaitiomof the L6gIslatureIn Seotion 1 of Art. lleb, Vernon's AnnotatedCivil Statutes,and their applloatIon to the stated set of raots.

At tho outsetwe advance the opinion that thtie deflnltlocsme clew and iaambiguoua.

saotlon 1 (1) defines a *p66ker* 6s followsa "Any person ho prepares **and/or** psoks oitrus f'rult or its productsfor barter, sale, exchange or shipment.

* The fir= whose aatiritiesare detlned, belag within the purview of the deflaltlonof *psrsons"given in S6otIun 1 (0) Is beyond qusstlonor doubt a l padkslf. It prepsreaand pxicka citrus fruit Sor aMpeat and gale.Bon. TomL.Hartley, page S

The qu6stIon **re6olves** itself into whether or not a *paoker*,as deilned In Seotlon 1 (I) IS aeomsarlly a statutory*dealer*wIthin the **Aotcs** d6flaitlon of *dealer*.

**A** w4ealerW,aoaoralng to seotIon 1 (0). la: *Any personwho hand168 fruit, es the word *handle*la 4efln64 ln (4) of thl6 seotioa * + + a We =6 nowthmwa b&ok U~O- the 6tQtUtOm deilaltlon of the word mhan4lea. To be a *dealer*', a 'VmkeP must *han41aafruit la the uenso that the Legislatureused the word *handlow,regardles8of the meaning of the word in oolllpon parlanoe Or in other ooaaeotions.
UPPSTEINv. STATE, 145 S.W. 144~ BAMCS v. STATE, 28 'Pet. 6U. The Citrus Lloea8Ingand B6ndl.q Law IndUputably fixer its oua meaning t0 the WOT&# ~64.

lows: Seotlon 1 (a) defines the'word *handlaw,a8 folWean8 bwlng or offering to buy, aelllng or offering to Bell, or shipping for the purpose of #ellIng,whether as owner, agent or othexwla6, any oltrurr

fruit within the State OS Texas, an4 ptmnons buying and/or ahlpplng oltrw fruit tar oannlng and/or prooesslngor handler?,as th6 term Is defined." (Uaderreo~lng oura'jw6 think It should be *are").

We now oonsid6r th6 queetionof whether or not the partloular *paoker"under onaslderatlon Whandlom" inuit witf;in,the

etatutorymeaning of the **word** wh6zid16W. There Is neoeseltateda strlot applloatlonof the 46flnltlon to the faota presenteband realted at the outset or this opinion. It 16 erpreaaly stated that the **paok** er does not buy or offer to buy the fruit from his OUStamer; he doea not sell or offer to sell the fruit; h6 does cct ship the fruit himelf for the purpose of selling VLcther ad owner, agent or otherwise", although he "loads the saae into o-p8 **under** iua~a-cotions **irap**

### 435

Eon. Tom L. E:rtley, page 4

the a0aw. Suoh loading la not tan-u& to ahlpPW. The pao%ln~ fir& la the present lnstanoe, does not evea bill the frxxlt to It8 destination. Finally, the paokar In not within the ocverageof the phrase npersoru'buylng

and/or shipping oItru8 fruit for oannlog em&/or prooessing*.

A oareful examinationof the entireditru8 Lioen8lngand BondingAot, Artlole 118b, reveal8 the use of the word *packer* in only two other Instanoea,for example In Seotlon 15, a.8 r0ii0rr: *It shall be unlanful for any dealer,=%= prooesscror wW6hOuSWXiI to purohaseor reo6 ve or handlo any oltrw fruit wlthout requiringthe per8oa rrc~n

whom suoh eltrua fruit Is puroha8e4 or reoelved, to furnish a statement In writing 0s (a) the owner 0s said oltrur fruit, (b) th6 grower 0s 88ia Oltru8 fruit, togetherwlth the approximatelocationof the orohard where uid fruit watt

growa, (0) the date said fruit wa8 gathered and by whose authorityaan wea gathered, sad suoh reoords ahallbe **kept** la a permanent book or folder MU shall be availableto inep66- iFajby w Interestedparty.* (Und6reooriB6

. Here the juxtaposition or the word8 ?a6y~t~a *paokeP amounts to a logI8latlvea8bOde 7 *paok&@ need not in every instan bo a *dea Or*.

The sac reasoning-ala apply tc Seotion i30, whloh provldes~

*The venue or any Md all orlmlnalaoto and oivii spits instituted uri(Im the prooieiona 0s this act shall be in the aountywhere the violation oocurredor where the oltru8 fruitswef6 reoeivedby the dealez,paoker or warehcmseman.~ (Underiumring

ours). under Seotlon I!

dealing with *lloensefee aooompanylag applloatIona, the f6liaring fees are prresorlbadr
"(1) For **lloenae** as a *dealer* 01 *hmbler*

### 423;

Hon. Tom L. Hartley, ~Ri3-e 5

of oltrua fruit. the sum or menty-rive mllwa ($25). (8) For license as a *oonunlselon merohant' and/or loontraot

dealer*, as the term Is In thir Aot **detlned,** Twenty-riveDollarr (*es). (3) For license aa a %lnImum oash dealer' the 8um Of Fire Dollarr ($5). (4) For a license as a *buyingagent', the 8um oi One Dollars ($1). (5) For a llcenaoas Q *transportlog agent', the ewn or One Dollars ($l)."
It Is to be noted thetno fee Ie prerorlbedfor a paoker acting In suoh oapaoltyalone. Only where the “psoker”,aa delined In Seotlon 1 (I) III a atatut gdealeraor ghandler*,a aoommIsslon merohant* and or

"7 eoontraotdeUeP, a "lain- sarh dealer*,a %aying agent*, or a *transporting agent*, does he hare to prooure a llcerrao

and pan a fee thereforunder the Texa8 LIoenaIngand Bonding Aot.

Analyzingthe **Aot** ae a wholo, it is apparant that the intontlonor the LeglelatureIn Ita l naotment was to exsrolse oontrol over upewsonea engaged In the buying, selling, shippin shipping ror oannlng aa 7 for selling, and wing and/or or prrooeszdng

0r oltru8 

### rrdt.
It le our opinion that a *paoker*ae defined In Section 1 

### (I) ot Artiole llSb, Vernon'sAnnotated Cltll 3tatutes,i.e., the Texas CItrue Llceneingand Bonding Act, is not automatically a ndealer*as delined In 3eotion 1 (e) and (b) of the Aot and subject to the requirewnt or a dealer's lioense aa set out in 3eotIomS and 4, or a ~oommIssi.on

merchant* and/or "doalareor a *eontraot dealer"as defined In Seotion 1 (1) of the Aot and subjeot to the requirementsot lloenae and bond under Sections 8 and 3eotlon 4 (b).

It 1s our rurther opinion that a firm engage4 solely &B&b3i&g~~ i&&%@% B~~~t~"l~uuf~rr~~~a~~~rchard io the packing shed or **not,** and also loading theHon. Tom L. Hartley, page (I

ma, after pFokiaq It, into railroadbox-oemi or truoks under iastruotloao from the pereoa or personafor whom the paoklngwes done, Is neither a ude81erRor a 'oommirrrlon

merohentnand/or *dealer*or a "ooatractdealer" within the ststutoryaerIaItloneof the 

### term as used la the Texas Citrus Llcenelngand Boadlng Act, I.e., Artiole 11&b,Vernon'sAnnotated Civil Sttitutes, sad In not subjeot to the recvireaeataof license **and** surety bond imposedby Section 2 and Scotion 4 (b).

It ia our opinion that euch a packer h8 .ue hare under oon8ideratloa may lawfullybe required to obtain a *traaeportlag

agent" llceaeeunder Geotioa 4 (a) of the Aot where the packer either haul8 the fruit from the orchard to the shed or load8 the ssme into oar8 uader lnstruotlons

**rros** the person or persons for who,?1 the packing Is being done.

**We**have oonslderedthe Aot and it8 provfaions and deiialtionsthoroughlybecause the ooaoluelonr we have reached are la confliotwith portion8of aa opinion rendered to the Hon. J.E. AlcDonald, CosunissIoaer

of Agrioulture, oa September 10, 1937, by Hon. D& Wllll~Ord, h.xlsteatAttorneyGeneral, the pert&mat;provlsloaa which are 8s rollowsr

"Questioa

No. 2 reed8 as hollows: w*Referrlag

you to subseotloa (I) udder Seotlon 1 0r ssfd bat and thst portion 0r Section 13 rercrrlag to citrus rruit peoker, 1s the packer,whether a Cooperatlre RcrketlagAseoolatlon, CorRoratlon, or Oustom paoker, required to ffieke

appLlchtloa,

pay license fee, and mke bond, and cone under the general provlaiona Or the law?' "To this question I answer 'yes', f'or the reason that the term *Paoker* mesas and lnoludee any personwho prepare8and/or paaks citrus! fruit for bnrtcr, sale, exohaage,or shipment. Clearly, the lciw

contemplate8that the packer la a dealer, within the purview and lntendmentOr said Act." Lusofsr ~$8

the tlbove

referred to opinion holds

### 438,

HOL. Tom I..

fIartley,

pge 7

that a *dustonPacker* is automatically a Wdealerlr*

under the Act regardlessof the nature of r;is work an6 Is recclmd to make apylloatloa, pay lioease ree, an4 make bona, under the ~:rovlsloas of the Texas Citrus Licenslcgand Bonding Law, it Is overruledby this oplnlot w?:loh

shall oontrolas to the relationship of ***paokeP** and wdealer*~.,ynder the Aot. Trusting that the above fully answersyour iaqulw, we are

iX3:ob YOWS W=ytNlJ
ATITR~EY CLXFXALOF TZ49

BY **A~sistaat**

VErOCT 25, 1939

ATTORNEYGZiiXRAL

Or' TEXAS