OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY CENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

l ntly r eeo ia r o44mplalnt d 

urabae4d on4 44rd 4f w4M 

or d4lirorillg 00 tPh4 mlr a quanMty ol ,wwttl whioh hr 

bolng on. oord and eoll~6~ f4r 444 

t the grioo whloh had boon qwted. 

"In the 15&S of the S~OVO rxplanatlon, rhould 

a ooznplaint be filmd umlar Artiole 1087 for rol.lii+g 

1~3s~ than the quantity r4 

totit: ~3od j Snd ii 80, wi 

rosontsd 0r a oommodlty, 

11 you please propare Xor 
Beprt3nQnt or Agrioulture, Page % 

this Dqwtment the pro~or form complaint ta 

be f&l&? 

*Ii the oomplalnt should be file4 uuiler 

~0 other statute, pleme adriu ana alro turnirh w with the proper f~xm oomplalnt under that 

8tatute.* 

Artiolo 102!7, Vernon*8 Annotated Pen61 do&e, reaQs 

u f4&wO: 

Tal8e weight8 anb rnea~ure~~ - llny perron 

rho, by hlmseif or by his urvaat or a ent ai 

anothot pe~on, shall offer or oxpoee # or mle, 

eefl,we, or rotain in hia poarw8ion ury rel*e 

wet 

f" 

tr or rmwurea, or w4ighing or meuuri~ 

de7 ous. $31 the buying es arUin@ of any eammalty’or thing or in oalouLat2ng or mrasuri~ 8ervi44 or in the 64t4rainati4iI orweight or meuure 

when a oharge la m84e fsr ruoh detenaiaati~a, or 

rho rhau ul8pom Of any oondmaned mmlea, *i(Fhtr, 

m4wurem or w4ighiag or mmmring awi0r 44atrm-y 

to lawl or MIO #hail rel,ll 6r offer tw exgoae for 

skl4 leas then the quantity he rrprwento af say 

omai~~ity, thing or 8oflLoe. or s&&12 take or attempt to take more thrn the quaatity hs reprountr 

4i any aommo41tys thing or r)ervie*, when, a*, th* 

buyer or weigher of MY oomamdity, he furnl#he8 

the weight. nmaa~ura, or weigliiag or mwauring &avioe by meana of w&Rlfoh the awunt o? any o@mmadity, trhlng, or eervier is determinotlj or who rhall SP:,: 

~11 4r b)ff#m ror aale, or tm or kwe in hir posaeulon for the purpose of relling or wsing, any 

dolor or Iniatruwnt to be orrsd to or ealoulat6d t4 

talnifp and weight or wesuTej @hall be ul2fy ot a 

ralsdeineanm, and shall be puniahsd by a "ine OS not 

lem than $%O or ame than $100, upon the iiclrt oaariotlon in any oourt of oomp*tent juriOai0ti44: 444 

trpoa & seoond or Bubsequet oowlotion in ssy oourt 

of owpetent juristllotien hemha3.1 be ponle,hwl by a 

fine of not lorm than #I50 OT more than #%08,* 

Artiols 103'?(e), VormzI'4 Ann&~tOd Penal Godr, prorides thatr 

'Dsiinitiona. -. The anrtl *person* as we4 

in this Aot shall be aonstrued to import the plural 
Department of Agrloulture, Page % 

and singular, a8 the ease demands, and ehalL lnelude oorgoratione, oompaniss, societies, an& aaaooietlons. The uorde 'weighta, measures or (and) 

weighing and nearrurlng devises' as us& in this 

Act, shall be oonstru$d to include all weights, 

8cdlea, beams, measures of every kinU, instruments 

6na meohemlu~ dsvi01~ for weighing and meeourin 

and any applia~&~ and aooessorlem eonneat& wit it 

any OF all euoh~tnatrumants. The word *self* or 

*sale' as used in this Act, shall be construed to 

lnoluds barter and exohange. The term *false 

wel.ght or measure, or weighing arid measuring derioeel 1' shall be oonatrued to mean any walght or 

mamaure whloh doea not oonfow to the UnfteQ States 

Btandaxds of weight of measure or any wslghiag or 

meaanrlng devlee whloh close not gira uorreot reeulte or immanipu3.ated to give lnoornot remits 

in tsnnrs of'Qnltad St&w Standards of weight or 

meatsure.* 

Artiole lO4%, Vernon’s Annotated Penal Code, reads 

as rollow~: 

TBailure te regard unit ot mmfmmo - w&4- 

ever in buying any oaneodity or artiols of ptaperty, 

merohandlso or prWluee, the standard w&&t taf v&hfeh 

per ,bushel or bamfel, or divisible merohantable 

t\utpaat~i~ 

7 

of a busthel or barrel, or by the 44rU qr 

ton or ou la pgxd, has been rid by ths lam of 

this State, ehall take any greater number of poondr 

thereof to the bushel, barrel or cubic yard, or 6ivisiblo merohanteble quantity Oi buehel, barrel, eubi0 

yard or linsal yard, or in selling rtny or the same, 

shall give any less number of pounds thsreor to the 

bushel, barrel, oubic or lineal yard, or dlvioible 

merohantablc quantity of bushel, barrel, oubio or 

lineal yard than la allowed by the laws ot thia 

Stats, with intent to gain an advantage thereby, rhall 

be fined not less than twenty nor more than two hundrlsd dollars.* 

Artiole 1037, aupra, mike6 it an orrense for any 

peraon, who, by himself or hte em@oysa or agent, or as the 

employer or agent of snother , shall use in the buying or selling of any commodity or rstain in his possession a false 
I ’ 

Wqartment of d&culture, Foga 4 

weight or meaauxe, or weighing or measuring instrument. 

This statute further makes It an ol'fsnso for any person to 

use OF he70 in hla p~sswa,ion r0r the purpose of selling 

or using,any ilevioa or inrtrument to ba used. or oalaulatad 

to, fnlsify any weight or measurea Olaarly under ths faots 

sat out, there Is no rlolatlon ol Artlale 1057. There ara 

no hota under the above mantfoned situation mhewlng that 

talae weight8 or nmamtrw wer6 weu in the buying or adlfng 

of any oalPrradity, neither were false weight.8 or measures 

wed or had In the pos8#alon ot tha party l.n question far 

the puxgose of selling or wing any devloe ur in8trumsnt 

to be used to, or oaloulateQ to, Salalfy any wal.ght or meas- 

%s in part thatr 

Artiole 5954, T8rnon*a Annstated Uitil Statutes, proVhenevar any oonmoditp la #old by the oord, 

it shall maan 128 oubio tee&. or the aontento of 

a rpaoe 8 feet lmg, 4 feet wltb, and 4 teat hi& $+jg *aI 

We quote irum Tear furiaprubenoe, Volume 44, pagr 

516, 88 to11uws: 

mOe~~ the 8tatote. it hw b4an he&a that 

a oord 1~ a~%simmre oi *ood bontalnlng 1868 aabio feet e 

ora etherwI8o expr~~8e&, %t is a pile ot woo4 B is& 

long, 4 feet tide, and 4 feet high, However, tha law 

&a8 not rfnquire thrt, In order h0 a8eurtain that a 

quantity Of wood 8@1d 18 a OBrd, OX any multiple thereof, it Shall be pleoed in a piI8 Or 8uoh dia6nsfian8) 

anp other meemnwnent or pile that oontalns a full' 

oord. 8atfsfies the~8tatut6.R Saoks Y. State, 204 9. W. 

450. 

Under the above rtated facts, ws ar8 OS the opinion 

that the complaint oould not be filed under Artlole 1057, 

supra, but should ba flleU under Artlale 1042, Vernon'8 Annotated Penal Code. 

With rsr8renoe to a form oomplalnt, wa wuuld respeotfully refer you to kow No. 462, page 280, of Wilson's 

Texas Orimlnal Forms Annatat&, whloh form wa believe 18 

the propsr form for a sonplaint undsr the abuts Ptatibd faate, 

and Artlole 1042, aupra. 
Y 0, 

R