OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN



### a# o? yewr letter et wwaber 22, e legl*lati*e

hfat~.+sf 

### Mttiler e, we have reauhad* aeswluriea in lmr or&LI3alopiaQm.P I)eparbmnt o? Agriculture,page2

/- In 1919 tha law wae

Bill 100.

249, Aate lglg, 36th wae oodifieda8 Artidle me Penal Code. Seatlon 23 rsadet

"aeat1on23, Any pereon,who "! hlleralf, oc hla e4mloye, ov agent, or ae the emp aye or wont **o? Ulother,**  **8hall ~88,**  **In the**  **buylq or**  roll- of 8ny Wxmodl~, .9rretain in hie poe~eee1c.m 8 -19 weight or meae*, or wefghlng or meaeurbg irutrmment or 

### ahall offeror expoee for male; or 

### sell, axeept a8 hereinbefore epedf1eoll.y rllove13

ia this AQt, OF use OF rshia in him poeeeeebn eng weight **or** mamum or welghlng or mamrlng lnetruaent uhloh hae.notbean sealedby a rsrlerwithin &m year, or who shall ditrpow of any oand~ed walgbt oraeamre, orwel$hlng ormeaeurtng lnetrmant oomtFbcI to law, ol' rraJ par*oa,who, by hae8olf hle arp oyo or *ant, or as the aapleye or egm i 'or o? **another,** nhall 8011 0s offer or .axpare for 8al0, or us0 or ham ln him poareeriee4 for the purpose of **relll.n# or**  **uelng,** anyc+dwLIe**or** 

### lnatrmeat 

## to **be ueed**  to, or srlmlated 

### to irlwxy, arvrM< or m4a*ume, ala

welghiag or aearwing Ineta%eeente ahallbe prIma faele wideme of the fast that thy were intended to be uecd 3x1

the violationof lam. oure.) (Uhder8oorhg

Hots t&at we have undereaorfbd a portion of thlr 

### enaetmsntdeaeed eignlfleant whiahappaare8 in the PenaLCcdotor tho firet time in 1919. Thle pxovlelonwas aeltted in fihe 1925 oodiflaetlonof the Penal Code whiah aaublned 8evrbFal previous artlolem,araong

them Artl8lee 

### 990 find 9928, to tonn Artiole 1037. At that time thla Az’tiale reed 88 follo~st

“Any pereon,who, by himself, or hle emplgee or agent, ox em th? mployee or agent oi another, shall uee, in the buying or eelliag of any mmnodlty, or retain In his poseeselon, or meaeure, a fa1ee wei$lt

or wbl@+g or meeeurlng lnetrumen , or shall offer **or** expose for sale, or sell, exaeptDepartment of Agrloultxme;Page 3

88 8peci1r~~a1l.y

a2lcniad

by lnw, or me or ro$a¶n In his poeeeeelm eny weight **or** meikeum or weI&- lng or aeeeurlng lnstrwnent

### contraryto Im, or by erty person,who, by htieelf, or hle employee or agent, or (LRthe amplogee or egcnt of another shell sell or offer or expoee for ule, or we 

### or have in hle poeeoselon for 

### the purpeaeof eollingor uelng,an7 device 

### or lnetrmaent to **bo wed**  to, or oalauleted to, fmlekfy nny weight or roamma, ahallbe 

### finednot leas than 410.00 aor morekhan **(200.00.** 

### Poemeelon of muah falseweightor measures,or inlrtrumenta ehmllbe prlau'fa~le wldeme of the fmet thmt theywere intended to **be** 

### used In the vlolmtlon 

### of lmw.'(
In 1929 Artlole 1037 was again amended ud thle nentaheng0d 

### thepanaltleeprovidedin thelg25Code8ad in addltlon,

theam 

### l

ignlfiemtlamguqeunde~o2edr "Any pereon,who, by hia8el.f or by 

### hle 

### resyvent or egentof mother poreon, ehall offer or expeee for 

### ule, aell,urns, or ret&id in hle poroeaeloa eny falea weY? te or meaeurw, or welghlng e.r 

### reaeurlng

**da @&(I,**  **in the**  **buying or**  **aolM## ai**  **rrap ewmodit;l**  or **thing nr**  **In** oalaulatlngor **maeuring** eervlee or la the determhation oiwelght or maau-e

### when a ehmme la side for 

### ewh detcrraiastlon, - .-em.
_ - - -*_ or wno enui arepoee or eny aoaaannea eaaaer,~re~te, memeures **or** we or meaeur dwiaee roa

purpose of eellw or using, mny device or laetrument to be used ,b **or** aalouletad to fela%fy eny weight or meeeurej shall be guilty of a **mieduuemnor,** end shell **be** punishedby a 

### fine of not lcnn the.n $20 **or** more than $100, upon ths first aonvS.atloa in any aourt of acmpetent juriaidbtion; and uprrn a eeaond or eubeaquentaonvlatlon In any aourt of acmpetent jurlsdlation he shallbe punlehadb? a fine of not less thm $50 or more than $200.' (Undersaorlng

ourr.)Departnmnt or Agrlaulture,Page 4



### We shouldlook 

### also to tho leglelirtlve hiatom of Artlole1042 of the Penal 00&e. This artials wsr~derlved

frem seatjon7 or 

### BoueeBill lo. **247,,** mte 1919, **36th Leglmlature,**  Page **235, am?**  **em** orIgInallyemetod **z-etulr**

"Whewer In b-3 my of the artlckl~e 0s 

### ~property

nentloned in eotlen 5 

### 0s thle Aat or acntinned in the Oovernor~rproeleaatlapn dafi.nW whet oonetltuteea unit In 8exfomity with the, prwlelons of Beetlone **5 and**  **6** of **this** A&, **8Md.l take**  **any** greatop **nw3ebor of**  pounds 

### thereofto **:tbe** bushel,

### barrel or oubia yard, or dlvlelblemer

### ehantable

quantity

of buehol,

bevel, oubbie

yud or linealyard, **or** ln 

### eolllng ary 

### 0s said utleloe, eball~lvo anI lees number of pounds 

### thereofto the 

### bushel,

**barre** 

### , oubie **or** llmal merohantnblequmtl **7 of**  a **buahe~~~fi% ”**  

### orlI.nealPasdt&an 8 allowalbf thleL)kte, with lnteattogrin &a dvuktsgo the~w, exoeptwhecc, expressly

authorleed to do mow ape&al aontraet 

### or agrecraeat

to thst effslt,eb8ll**be** 

### lirbleto



### 390 Hundred

Do The rwlelk 

### of1925 eupplbd for thetoM "whowa **la b\rw**  **any** utlcrle **of p~oprtf**  mwtlanRd **In 8wtioa**  

### 5 :ui9 dot, 

### or mentloned In the Qwernor~e prwlamatlon derln ~~tlt&e 8 ua;t 7th



### thewardswdoreaored In Article1042 *a% In o~onfontit~

with the provlrloneof 

### nou'reeA8

t . . .



### sell& any of the came, shallgive imy leesntnnber of pomadethereofto 

### thebuehel,barrel, 

### aublaer linealyard, or dlvlelble

### merahantable quaatlty of bushel, barrel, oubia or lIzma ~a-rd thnn IS alloved by the laws 

### 0s this State, with intent to gain an advantage thereby, nhall 

### be finednot less than twentynor more than 

### twohundreddollars."Departmentof Agriculture,Page 5

We believe that in Arflole 1042 (l-5, Pea81 Qode) an or3.glnall.y

enacted in 1919 aad at the present tlme.the

### on4 aets pre8orlbedare the taw or giv"rl: of a lea8 n*er a?.,' the bushel,barrel, aubti or linea yard ore dtM.8ible.r

eG%aSe quantity of 8whrea8uraaentm than 18 pre8erlb8d ia th8 crlvllrtatute8 a8 the aorreat unit ior eaah mea1\WPLant, with intent to gain advantage thereby. thel~5eodiflRItionmqhave attempted‘tb 

### sum* thlr 8ltuatlan **by** 

### the addition

ai thewoml8 "or by the aord;" 

### 8tlll,aa the 

### 8tatute new ceadm, %+ prohibit8 only the glvlng or taking of a le88er or greater smqunt of a.emodlty uhen rold In rtandanlmalts 8nd vhen the "8taMaxxl weight of 

### vhlah

. . State.A **. by**  **the oord** 

**. .**  **.** 

### has been fixed**bJ ~~E**  **’ iitr8.6f**  **this**

The Legl8lature of thla State ha8 not yet undertaken to fix or detemine the number o? undo ln a aord of vood; 

### nor to our lmovlsdge Is wood 8ol.d by the * Advert- 

### to Artiolelm7, we tiedlately llezeupon the vords I UAnyperron . . . rho shall8ell or oiiar~ or expo8e for 8ale le88 than the quantity 

### he mqtre8ent8 o? qq orb aodlty..

. -11 

### be guiltyof a rl8daeaaor.' 

# ,-- 7 the8ewonl8rhl6h In1929 wpeamd lniwti9lelO37 for'



### the flrrt lme alme 1925be so ringled out, 

### or 8houX$i they **be read**  a8 relatlxqj

only $0 a rale with iaX reamring dewtier) Jfe **believe** thq p-bit th'Etile~~of 8 lesrer ameunt W 8 emodi~~than ,a8 represmntsd

without reapout to thm use of fal8e 

### mteamuriag dsvlwa. 

### Webelleve thl8oonstmaetlonmoreooasonantvlth the legglaia; stent, and thin sema to be the aonrtnrotioaadopted gH@n81 Appeal8 in the ua8e of Qindf v. State, -9 8. Y.(M)

. Con*equently,in an8wer to your 8pealflaque8tlonyou are 

### advisedthatrhea a 

### dealer in wood deliver8to the pumha8er a quantity OS vood 

### whlohhe repre8ent8 a8 being a oord 8nd oolloet8 et hi8 quoted prlae for a oord of wood and it f$ found upon mea8urlng the 8ame that lera than three-fourth8 of a cord has been **de** llvemd, such dealer of wood nay **be** prooeedad aya%n8t for a rlrdemeanor

### underArtlole1037 of Vernon's AnnotatedPenal Oode. Veq truly 

### your8 ATTORREIOEH%RALOFTEJ(A1)



### JDSrdb APPROVH)

F'EB. 4, 1941 

### BY Same8 D. Smllen A@818tult
,-- @EmID E. MAMM 

### APPROVED: oPmIoMcOmITmE

ATTOR~ 

### @FiNERAL **OF TEXAS**  

### By: B. W.B., Chalman